The next Q&A ends with well-labeled spoilers from the American Born Chinese language season finale.
In Disney+’s American Born Chinese (now streaming all eight episodes), Daniel Wu traveled from postapocalyptic Badlands to a mythological Heaven lorded over by his Monkey King aka Solar Wukong.
For his position as a strong pop struggling to rein in a rebellious son (performed by Jimmy Liu), Wu acquired to discover a recent tackle the Monkey King of lore, whereas additionally relishing the chance to in the end work with longtime good friend (and not too long ago minted Oscar winner) Michelle Yeoh.
TVLine spoke with Wu concerning the, um, hairier facets of his position, what made the struggle scenes particular, the burden carried by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan’s character, and extra. (Once more, any finale spoilers are on the finish, and are well-marked.)
TVLINE | What excited you most about this chance?
A few issues. One is doing one thing that my daughter may watch and be happy with. Like, [Into the] Badlands is certainly not one thing a 9-year-old can watch, and even my earlier stuff she’s not likely serious about watching. This was one thing that she was enthusiastic about and may very well be happy with and brag about to her associates. For many of my life, that didn’t matter to me, however now it type of does. I’m making an attempt to impress my daughter! In order that was a part of it.
After which working with Michelle [Yeoh, as the goddess Gaunyin] positively was one of many causes to be part of it, as a result of we had identified one another for therefore lengthy and tried to work collectively plenty of occasions and this was lastly a chance for us to try this.
Additionally, it is a very totally different sort of Monkey King than most individuals are used to from Journey to the West. To see him in a extra subdued, type of regal, fatherly type of perspective, as somebody who’s stressed as a father, made it extra actual for me and extra fascinating. It was a take that I’ve by no means seen earlier than.
Yeoh and Wu (Disney+)
TVLINE | How did you and Michelle first meet?
In our days in Hong Kong. Clearly my profession began there, and he or she began in Hong Kong as effectively. Since 2000 we’ve identified one another, and there have been like two or three tasks that we virtually labored on collectively. And we run into one another on a regular basis at, like, movie occasions and the Hong Kong Movie Awards, these sorts of issues. However we by no means actually labored collectively till this.
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Picture Credit score: Disney+ TVLINE | Earlier than we get to the vital stuff, I’ve acquired to ask concerning the hair and make-up. At its worst, how lengthy did it take? At its greatest, how quick did it take?
So, there’s, like, three seems, proper? The total monkey look that has the armor and the golden hair and all that stuff, that’s within the opening scene of the primary episode, that takes about three hours. And about 45 minutes to an hour to take off. And the least imposing work is the human-form Monkey King the place he’s simply principally acquired lengthy hair and a beard. That takes about 45 minutes to an hour.TVLINE | What’s your go-to technique to go the time for these three hours? Podcasts? Music?
Go to sleep. [Laughs] Normally. Over time I’ve discovered to go to sleep wherever, anytime once you get an opportunity. So, yeah, my completely happy place is simply to shut my eyes and fall asleep after which get up reworked.TVLINE | I can’t be the primary particular person to inform you that the golden-haired Monkey King provides Dr. Zaius-from-Planet of the Apes vibes, proper?
Oh, sure. Particularly with the type of angles that they shot me at in that first episode. -
Picture Credit score: Disney+ TVLINE | What did you discover most fascinating about your character’s journey?
Properly, I believe he’s acquired an fascinating narrative in that he’s coping with one thing mythological, which is that this battle in Heaven that was attributable to the Bull Demon who now desires vengeance. He misplaced energy to Monkey King, who wasn’t even making an attempt to go for that position, however then Monkey King through the years has taken on that duty, fairly critically, and turn into a protector of Heaven. However on high of coping with the duty and weight of all of that, he’s additionally acquired to be a dad, proper? He’s acquired to lift his son. However then his son will get this cockamamie concept that there’s this Fourth Scroll, and that it’s going to avoid wasting Heaven, however to try this he’s going to steal his dad’s workers. So, the dad’s coping with a son who’s appearing quite a bit like he did when he was little, and when he realizes that — or when Guanyin factors that out to him — he realizes, “OK, ought to I let him?” And that may be a very real-world choice.TVLINE | You’ve acquired to let children make errors from time to time.
Sure, sure. I believe there’s an inclination these days to type of helicopter your kids, to guard them an excessive amount of. And as as consequence, they don’t actually know learn how to take care of any type of adversity, as a result of they’ve been air-bagged their complete life. You need to allow them to fall down and stand up, fall down and stand up and finally be taught their method by way of life. Monkey King is coping with that type of state of affairs along with his son, however with stakes which are a lot increased.WARNING: Spoilers for the American Born Chinese language season finale observe….
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Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Disney+ WARNING: Spoilers for the American Born Chinese language season finale observe.
TVLINE | Your character’s wanting fairly spry within the finale, exhibiting up on the soccer area after being left for almost useless after his conflict with Bull Demon. I suppose Mrs. Wang’s magic natural treatment powder did the job?
It paid off, sure! The inexperienced powder paid off.TVLINE | I, and apparently a couple of others, did surprise at occasions if that inexperienced powder — which appeared to show up in each episode! — was going to one way or the other be the Fourth Scroll.
Yeah, yeah. But it surely was stunning what the Fourth Scroll truly was in the long run. That was a cool reveal, I believe.TVLINE | Oh, the reveal was nice, the best way your character acquired to trace at it and tee up his son to say it out loud to Jin. I suppose that transferring ahead, we’re left to surprise why Jin is the Fourth Scroll and what led to all of that…?
Sure, and it may very well be associated to the legacy of these jade pendants. There’s perhaps some household legacy there that we will discover in Season 2, if we’re fortunate sufficient to do it.TVLINE | What are you listening to about Season 2? Any buzz? Any discuss on numbers or streaming efficiency?
I believe it’s early for the time being, however I do know there’s some type of actions in direction of it. However with the author’s strike, every thing’s on pause, so no readability on that but. -
Picture Credit score: Disney+ TVLINE | Do you suppose that in a doable Season 2, Ke Huy Quan’s actor character would play some type of bigger position?
Oh, that’d be cool if he did, as a result of I believed it was an amazingly highly effective system to make use of him to play that character. In some methods it’s very meta in that it’s reflective of his [own] life and his profession, but in addition of the character as effectively. I believe that’s why it appeared so heartfelt and earnest.TVLINE | And I do know that subplot was modified quite a bit from the e-book.
Yeah, the e-book is a very totally different model of that — and it’s virtually even extra cringey. However the adaptation that Kelvin Yu did was wonderful when it comes to taking that storyline and making it apropos to right now, whereas sustaining the essence of what that character is about.TVLINE | It appeared like a bigger level of Jamie’s story was to say that as a lot as you’re watching and having fun with this American Born Chinese language collection, you have to notice that previous portrayals of Asian characters in Western media have usually been horrible. And that we’ve come a far method, however have additional to go.
It’s additionally fascinating as a result of it exhibits you the psyche of what it’s prefer to be a type of actors, as a result of nobody actually is aware of what that feeling is like. There’s a few actors from that period like that, and one which we cite on a regular basis as Asian-Individuals is Lengthy Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles, performed by Gedde Watanabe. It’s like, we hate that character, however on the identical time you possibly can’t hate the actor. It’s not his fault, he was making an attempt to get work at the moment and that’s what was out there. It’s that double-edged sword of “If I take this work on, what does it imply to an entire era of Asian-American males, being emasculated like that on-screen?I do know that affected me quite a bit rising up, and I do know it affected lots of people in my enterprise, but in addition folks exterior of all of it, too. He’s taking part in a personality, he’s taking part in a task, and he’s making an attempt to make a dwelling at this, however once more, he’s hurting the picture of our tradition, and our folks in some methods. So it’s fascinating by way of this Freddy Wong character to see what it’s like for the actor to play a task like that.
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