SAN FRANSISCO (WS News) – “I remember working in a convenience store and I was always out the back of the convenience store. There were people who got to come in — and I’d been working there for six months — and they went straight to work on the till,” Waititi told The Associated Press. “One of the big draws to me was to be able to be involved in something that highlights those issues.”
The series’ episode titles reference different archetypes that have shadowed Asian American actors for decades. These include “delivery guy,” “tech guy,” “kung fu guy” and “Chinatown expert.” There has been a reclaiming in recent years of “kung fu guy,” particularly. Marvel’s “Shang-Chi,” the CW’s “Kung Fu,” and “Warrior” on Max all have protagonists with martial arts prowess who also deal with personal baggage. All three stories happen to take place in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
“I’m viewed as white and so I’ve never really been a part of something where being Asian was so much at the forefront on and off-screen,” Bennet said. “And so being surrounded by our incredible crew, who was also very diverse, was something I didn’t realize I’d seen and that it was the immediate power of representation. I felt so much more comfortable.”
Yang, though, was too embarrassed to tell his frequent scene partner about his nameless part on her show.
“The journey that Willis was going through was the journey that I went through. I just have to zoom back 10 years,” said Yang, who also has his own production company. “I had a phase where I was fighting for the same kind of roles. … Even I had to fight to get Chinese Teenager #1.”
