Interior Chinatown’ Satirizes Asian Roles in Hollywood

AFP/APP

Los Angeles: The new series “Interior Chinatown,” set to release on Disney-owned Hulu next Tuesday, explores Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of Asians while acknowledging recent industry progress.

Based on Charles Yu’s award-winning 2020 novel, the story follows Willis Wu, an Asian waiter who aspires to more than just playing background roles like “Background Oriental Male,” ultimately dreaming of becoming “Kung Fu Guy.”

Charles Yu, the Taiwanese-American author, serves as the show’s creator and showrunner. He reflected on growing up watching TV in the ’80s and ’90s with minimal Asian representation, which inspired him to tell this story.

Starring Jimmy O. Yang, known from “Crazy Rich Asians,” as Wu, and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, the series blurs the lines between reality and fiction by placing Wu in a police procedural where he transitions from background character to a central role in a criminal intrigue.

The series, a mix of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, also introduces Lana Lee, a mixed-race rookie cop played by Chloe Bennet, who addresses the stereotypes imposed on her due to her ethnicity.

“It’s both a social commentary and a universal story of self-discovery,” noted Yang. Actress Chloe Bennet and comedian Ronny Chieng also bring depth to the characters, adding to the series’ “mind-bending and smart” take on cultural identity and representation in media.