Trump Demands Greenland at Davos & Literally Trashes First-Year “Accomplishments” | Simu Liu

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode Title: Trump Demands Greenland at Davos & Literally Trashes First-Year “Accomplishments” | Simu Liu
Release Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Josh Johnson
Notable Guest: Simu Liu
Correspondents: Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition dives into the absurdity of Donald Trump's campaign "accomplishments," his fixation on acquiring Greenland at Davos, and the ongoing misadventures of ex-NYC mayor Eric Adams—now embroiled in crypto controversy. Rounding out the show is an insightful, funny interview with actor Simu Liu, touching on his new projects and the odd pitfalls of early career choices.

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Main Headlines & Key Segments

Trump’s First-Year “Accomplishments” & Prop Comedy

[01:32 – 05:40]

• Josh Johnson covers Trump’s self-congratulatory appearance at a White House press briefing, where Trump presents a thick folder labeled "accomplishments" then "literally trashes" it.

  “That could have done some damage. But you know what? I wouldn’t have shown the pain. I would have acted like nothing happened as my finger fell off.” — (Unknown Correspondent, 02:09)

• Josh riffs on Trump’s tendency for exaggeration and his supposed "365 historic, record-breaking" actions.

  “Now you might think this is just a stack of blank papers or maybe, if you’re feeling generous, pictures of boobs. But this file was actually filled with Trump’s accomplishments, which is why Trump treated it with the respect, care, and pride it deserved.” — Josh Johnson (02:30)

• Trump's listed "accomplishments" include removing Hunter Biden’s Secret Service detail ("Notorious Crackhead" moment).

• “Notorious Crackhead. That may seem harsh, but name another famous crackhead from the last five years. I’ll wait.” — Josh Johnson (03:40)

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Trump's Greenland Obsession & Davos Fiasco

[04:16 – 12:52]

• Trump pivots from past accomplishments to his new obsession: Acquiring Greenland.

  • He insists on ownership rather than a lease, framing it as a strategic necessity.

    “We need Greenland. All we’re asking for is to get Greenland, including right, title, and ownership. We’re talking about acquiring, not leasing … you really need title.” — (Unknown, 04:17)

  • Josh lampoons the claim:

    “We need it like, well, like Hunter Biden needs crack.” — Josh Johnson (04:34)

• At Davos, Trump lobbies Europe to sell Greenland by using broad, attention-grabbing logic.

  “No nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States.” — (Unknown, 05:09)

• Josh compares America’s interest in Greenland to inheriting grandma’s Manhattan apartment.

  • He notes the U.S. already has rights to build military bases in Greenland via treaty with Denmark.

    “I don’t know why we need to own Greenland to defend it ... you can’t defend it on a lease.” — (Unknown, 05:58)

  • Trump repeatedly confuses Greenland and Iceland.

    “Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me.” — Trump impersonation (06:52) “They’re not there for us on Iceland ... our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland.” — (07:08)

• Despite confusion, Trump claims he’s reached a “framework deal” for Greenland; upon questioning, this is quickly revealed to be merely “a concept of a deal.”

  • Josh delivers a biting analogy about “concepts of digits” at a bar (08:22).

• Johnson notes that Europe taught the U.S. an important lesson by simply saying “no” to Trump.

  “Maybe saying no is something more of us in America might want to try instead of complying in advance. ... Just tell that man no.” — Josh Johnson (09:33)

Klepper's "Field Update" on the American 'Invasion'

[10:07 – 12:52]

• Jordan Klepper humorously “reports” from the field, following Trump’s shifting targets: from Iceland to Scotland to Legoland to Neverland, illustrating the scattershot logic of the campaign.

  “Remember, boys, don’t fire until you see the Björks in their eyes.” — Jordan Klepper (10:07)

  “Trump never makes mistakes and has never been sharper. He may be 79, but I assure you he has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old. Yes, sir. That is a fact.” — Klepper (10:23)

  “Legoland is toast. We’re already pre-bombing it, but they can rebuild it ... ” — Klepper (11:22)

• Segment ends as Klepper is hilariously redirected one last time ("Greenland now"), parodying the chaos and lack of coherence in the administration’s aims.

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"Everything is Stupid": Eric Adams' Crypto Coin Chaos

[13:48 – 19:38]

• Ronny Chieng skewers ex-mayor Eric Adams for his strange efforts to combat hate with cryptocurrency.

  “Can this guy do anything normal? Every headline about him is like, Eric Adams honors firefighters by getting dick pierced at 9/11 memorial.” — Ronny Chieng (14:48)

• Adams’ NYC Coin is positioned as a tool to fight anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism, baffling everyone.

  “This would be like fighting Asian hate with a demolition derby.” — Ronny Chieng (15:22)

• Correspondents mock a staged commercial:

  “Is this why cab drivers don’t pick up Black people? Because they can’t risk having Eric Adams in their car.” — Chieng (16:20)

• Adams draws a comparison between his childhood bullying and the lack of faith in Bitcoin. A new analogy attempts to link Betsy Ross’s flag to Bitcoin.

  “This makes me think Eric Adams has been trying to pay for things using American flags.” — Chieng (17:55)

• The crypto coin predictably collapses amid fraud allegations after briefly surging in value.

  “Who could have seen this coming? Besides every single person and several smart dogs.” — Chieng (18:38)

• Chieng closes with: never trust a crypto project from a corrupt ex-mayor and, sarcastically, you’d be stupid to fall for it twice.

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Interview: Simu Liu

[20:57 – 30:47]

Broadway & TV Career

• Simu Liu, soon to debut on Broadway in “Oh Mary” and star of Peacock’s “The Copenhagen Test,” reflects on his unlikely career path.

  “It’s so good to be the first Asian guest ever not to be interviewed by Ronny Chieng.” — Simu Liu (21:27)

• Simu and Josh discuss the differences between acting for film and stage.

  “There’s maybe a misconception that theater is more intimate than film … but I’ve actually found the opposite to be true.” — Simu Liu (22:55)

  “You have to make sure that you’re projecting so that the back row can hear you and you’re making choices ... that are bigger and broader.” — Simu Liu

Early Career & Stock Photo Fame

• Simu reveals he earned only $100 for famous stock photography shoots, with no royalties today.

  “I would not make that deal today. And I made 100 bucks for those photos.” — Simu Liu (25:04)

Stunt Work – Learning On the Job

• Simu admits to exaggerating experience to land stunt jobs and learning (often painfully) by doing.

  “Stunt is not one of those fields where you want to lie about your work experience, for sure ... They were like, ‘Have you ever been squibbed before?’ ... And it really hurt. I wasn’t ready for it.” — Simu Liu (26:26)

• He describes a unique pressure as an Asian actor to “do your own stunts” in homage to the likes of Jackie Chan, calling out the double standard compared to white action stars.

  “When a white actor does their own stunts ... they do maybe 20% and it’s, ‘Oh my god, incredible.’ But being Asian ... if I jump through a window and a stunt person took the last bit, ‘Ah, but that wasn’t Jackie – Jackie would have done the whole thing and then broken his arm in seven places.’” — Simu Liu (28:42)

Acting Philosophy

• On translating film/TV skills to theater:

  “You hear actors talk a lot about the universal truth ... If you lose that thread of truth, then you lose the scene.” — Simu Liu (29:57) “Our goal is not to look super cool, it’s to play the truth of whatever it is that that character is going through. You can do that in a big way, and you can do that in a very intimate and small way.” — Simu Liu

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Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “Now you might think this is just a stack of blank papers ... But this file was actually filled with Trump's accomplishments, which is why Trump treated it with the respect, care, and pride it deserved.” — Josh Johnson [02:30]
• “We need Greenland. ... You really need title, as they say in the Rosa business.” — Trump impersonation [04:17]
• “Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me.” — Trump impersonation [06:52]
• “Trump never makes mistakes and he has never been sharper. He may be 79, but I assure you he has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old.” — Jordan Klepper [10:23]
• “Is this why cab drivers don’t pick up Black people? Because they can’t risk having Eric Adams in their car.” — Ronny Chieng [16:20]
• “I would not make that deal today. And I made 100 bucks for those [stock] photos.” — Simu Liu [25:04]
• “Our goal is not to look super cool, it’s to play the truth of whatever it is that that character is going through.” — Simu Liu [29:57]

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Notable Moments

• Trump physically mishandles his “accomplishments” binder, making for instant prop comedy.
• Repeated mislabeling of Greenland as Iceland demonstrates Trump’s confusion.
• Jordan Klepper’s absurdist field update, culminating in invading Legoland and Neverland (“if you believe”), lampoons America’s lack of direction.
• Ronny Chieng’s brutal, rapid-fire satire of Eric Adams, including a staged NYC Coin commercial and the coin’s swift collapse.
• Simu Liu’s dry humor about stock photo regrets and “substitute stuntman” experiences offers both laughs and industry insight.

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Important Timestamps

• 01:32 — Show open, Trump “accomplishments” segment
• 04:16 — Trump’s Greenland fixation
• 06:48–08:22 — Confusion between Greenland and Iceland, “concept of a deal”
• 10:07–12:52 — Jordan Klepper's field report (Iceland, Scotland, Legoland, Neverland)
• 13:48–19:38 — “Everything is Stupid” with Ronny Chieng: Eric Adams & NYC Coin
• 20:57–30:47 — Interview with Simu Liu

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Conclusion

This episode delivers classic Daily Show satire, laying bare the accidental comedy of Trump’s ambitions and the self-own of Eric Adams’ crypto scheme, all while injecting genuine warmth and humor in the Simu Liu interview. It's a fast-moving blend of political farce, celebrity candor, and media-savvy wit.

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For fans of political humor, media critique, and revealing celebrity interviews, this Daily Show episode is both hilarious and timely.

Transcript

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[Comedy Central Announcer]

You're listening to Comedy Central.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Josh.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Josh Johnson. We've got so much to talk about tonight. Trump thinks all North Atlantic islands look the same. Office supplies are on the terror watch list. And Eric Adams keeps finding new ways to go to jail. So let's get into the headlines. Yesterday marked one year since Trump's inauguration. That's like one and a half popes ago. RIP to a real one. I will find your killer. So Trump decided to crash the White House press briefing to tout his accomplishments, but also to do some prop comedy.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Here's the book on accomplishments. And this is something. Ooh, I'm glad my finger wasn't in that sucker. That could have done some damage. But you know what? I wouldn't have shown the pain. And I would have acted like nothing happened as my finger fell off. That was a nasty. I think somebody did that.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Wait, wait, wait. First of all, is finger falling off something you think could happen to you? Is that on the menu? Like, I thought you had the best health report of all time. Now you're telling me fingers are falling off like it's autumn? Now, you might think this is just a stack of blank papers or maybe, if you're feeling generous, pictures of boobs. But this file was actually filled with Trump's accomplishments, which is why Trump treated it with the respect, care and pride it deserved.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

But look at this. These are all. Each line is something that we did. Nobody did that before. And it's big stuff, too. Look, we have the hottest country in the World.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Wow. Okay. Turns out Trump hates reading more than he loves bragging. All right, but look, whether you love what Trump's done the past year or hate it, he has been busy. Let's hear about some of these incredible.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Accomplishments with bullet points like number 243 stripped notorious crackhead and grifter Hunter Biden.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Of his taxpayer funded Secret Service detail.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Notorious Crackhead. That may seem harsh, but name another famous crackhead from the last five years. I'll wait. To be fair, the bar on crackhead notoriety is pretty low. Most people don't know the names of too many crackheads. Hell, most crackheads I know don't even know their own names. But look, Donald Trump is not about the past. This man is about America's future. Bringing one crackhead to justice may have been Trump's biggest first year accomplishment. He's been very clear about what his second year biggest accomplishment is gonna be.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

We need Greenland.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

All we're asking for is to get Greenland, including right title and ownership. We're talking about acquiring, not leasing, not having it short term. We're talking about acquiring. You need ownership, you really need title, as they say in the Rosa business.

[Host Josh Johnson]

You heard the man. We need Greenland. We need it like. Well, like Hunter Biden needs crack. All right? We're notorious Greenland heads, and that's the type of dude he is.

[Odoo Sponsor Announcer]

He.

[Host Josh Johnson]

If Trump wants something, he gets it. It's like if you went out to a bar with your friend and you saw a gorgeous woman across the bar and then he turned to you and said, I'm going home with her tonight. You may need to pay the tab because your boy's about to smash. That's just the kind of confidence Donald Trump has. And that's why today he flew to Davos to explain to Europe why America should own Greenland.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

No nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States. It's the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it and improve it and make it so that it's good for Europe and safe for Europe and good for us.

[Host Josh Johnson]

That's right. It's huge, undeveloped, in a strategic location. It's like if your grandma had a Manhattan apartment she bought in 1950. Once she dies in it, you're gonna push her down the trash chute and live like a K. It all sounds great, but I do have one problem. We already have a treaty with Denmark that lets us build as many military bases in Greenland as necessary. I don't know why we need to own Greenland? To defend it.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

You need the ownership to defend it. You can't defend it on a lease. Number one, legally, it's not defensible that way. Totally. And number two, psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease?

[Host Josh Johnson]

I. I guess I get what he means. Cause you do care less about things when they're not yours. Like, a parent will do anything to protect their kids, but if I'm babysitting, You know what I mean? Like, I'll give it a good college try, but at the end of the day, he don't look like me. All right, but look, it really doesn't matter why Trump wants something. The point is, he wants Greenland. And you can tell because his focus is 100% on Greenland.

[Correspondent]

The president referred to Greenland as Iceland.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

I'm helping NATO. And until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Okay, anyone can slip up. All right, obviously, he doesn't mean Iceland. He's not gonna make that mistake three times in as many sentences.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

They're not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you. I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland, so Iceland's already cost us a lot of money.

[Host Josh Johnson]

I'm just glad we got rid of the last guy whose brain didn't work. But you know what? It doesn't matter what he said, because when the man wants something, he gets it.

[Correspondent]

We are following even more breaking news. President Trump now says he has reached a, quote, framework deal on Greenland.

[Host Josh Johnson]

What did I just say? All right, that crazy, finger losing son of a bitch did it again. He got himself a deal. And you know that deal includes owning Greenland.

[Correspondent]

Does it still include the United States having ownership of Greenland like you've said you wanted?

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Uh.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Wait a minute. That doesn't sound good. That. That's not the, uh, of ownership. You at least got a deal, right, Trump? Tell me you got a deal.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Well, we have a concept of a deal.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Concepts of a deal? You flew all the way to Davos for concepts of a deal? This is so sad. Remember that friend at the bar who went to approach the beautiful woman? This is like if he just walked back up and you're like, okay, well, what did she say? And he's like, oh, her? Nah, nah, she a ghost. Well, did you at least get her digits? I. I got concepts of digits. I know there's a seven in there somewhere. You know what? This is all my bad for thinking Trump's word is worth his weight in gold. Because it's definitely not gold. It's more like whatever material they made that Titan submersible out of. What was that, Graham crackers or something? But maybe what Europe did here is a lesson for the rest of us. Because Trump barged into Davos like, I want to own Greenland, and Europe just said no. And in just six hours, they worked him down from owning Greenland to concepts of a deal. So maybe saying no is something more of us in America might want to try instead of complying in advance. College presidents, law firms, media outlets. Whoever keeps giving Trump that tacky gold shit to put on his walls, just tell that man no. In the meantime, good on Denmark for standing its ground. You did it. Although if he changed his mind, you might want to bulk up your defenses with some of those binder clips, just to be safe. For more on Trump's campaign for Greenland, let's go to our very own Jordan Klepper. Jordan, where are you?

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Josh, I'm embedded with the American invasion force. President Trump said he wants Iceland, so we're heading to Iceland. Remember, boys, don't fire until you see the Bjorks in their eyes.

[Host Josh Johnson]

No, no, no, Jordan, the President wants Greenland. I think he just misspoke.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

What? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Trump never makes mistakes and he has never been sharper. He may be 79, but I assure you he has the mental capacity of an eight year old. Yes, sir. Yes, sir, that is a fact. If President Trump said Iceland, he definitely meant Iceland. What's that? Scotland. We're landing. We're going to Scotland now.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

What?

[Host Josh Johnson]

Why Scotland?

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Oh, well, it's definitely not because Trump was looking at a map of Greenland while getting a text from Scott Baio, if that's what you're suggesting.

[Host Josh Johnson]

That sounds like exactly what happened.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

I'll tell you what is happening. Our firm brained President has decided we are invading Scotland and that's that. What's that? Legoland. We're going to Legoland now.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Legoland?

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

No, you're stupid.

[Host Josh Johnson]

I didn't say that.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Okay, but you thought it.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Let me guess, President Trump was thinking of Greenland, but then he saw Barron's Lego Death Star and wanted it.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

No, no, you communist. It was Eric's Duplos. It helps with his fine motor skills. Regardless, look, Legoland is toast. We're already pre bombing it, but they can rebuild it if they want, very easily.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Actually, wouldn't it be easier to admit that Trump's losing a step rather than twisting ourselves into World War iii?

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

You know what, Josh, maybe you're right. Maybe we should pause and carefully consider. Really? Neverland? Really? All right. Neverland. We're doing a surprise attack on Neverland.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Now, Neverland is not a real place.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Yeah, if you don't believe. But if you do, like Trump does, you'll be able to storm the beaches and conquer it for America.

[Host Josh Johnson]

I can't believe I'm even asking this, but what would we even go there for?

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

I don't know, Josh. Maybe. Maybe Trump is looking for a replacement for Epstein island, you know? Cause, you know, Neverland, kids that never grow up.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

I'm just.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

I'm brainstorming here. Brainstorming. What, would you rather it fall into the hands of Captain Hook? The hand of Captain Hook? The point is, we're going right now to Neverland. What is it? Greenland. We're going. Okay, we're going. We're going to Greenland now.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Wait, we're back to Greenland?

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

I don't know. All right. I'm told they have a concept of a plan.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Jordan Klepper, everyone. When we come back, we find out the latest way air guns are scheming New Yorkers.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Don't go away.

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[Host Josh Johnson]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. When it comes to the news, some stories are serious, some stories are inspiring, and some stories are just stupid. And for those, we turn to Ryan Chain in a segment we call Everything is Stupid.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Former New York Mayor Eric Adams has plenty of stupid moments during his tenure. From talking to the press during his laser hair removal to giving Diddy the key to the city. Yes, that happened. But if you thought he was weird as mayor, wait till you see how weird he is as not the mayor.

[Correspondent]

Former Mayor Eric Adams is promoting cryptocurrency as a way to help combat anti Semitism and other forms of hate.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

One focus we have on this New York City coin is to address anti Americanism, antisemitism, to teach our children how to embrace the blockchain technology.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Quick follow up, Mr. Adams. What the does any of that mean? Can this guy do anything normal? Every headline about him is like, eric Adams honors firefighters by getting dick pierced at 911 memorial. So we're gonna fight anti Semitism with cryptocurrency. I'm not sure the best way to help Jewish people is to create a shady money oper. This would be like fighting Asian hate with a demolition derby. Okay, it's kind of a mixed message. Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe crypto can fight anti Semitism. I mean, if Hitler heard about the Eric Adams meme coin, maybe he would have killed himself much sooner. Naturally, people have a lot of questions, like, what is this? How does it work? What's wrong with you? Why can't you go away? Luckily, Eric Adams made a stupid commercial that answers none of these questions.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Yo, Eric, is that you?

[Comedy Central Announcer]

Yes, it is, brother. How are you?

[Host Josh Johnson]

New York is wild, man.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

Just get a mayor out of the back of my car. We're about to change the game. If you can't make it to New York, we're going to bring New York to you.

[Host Josh Johnson]

$32, man.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

Cash or credit card? You got some of the New York City token? We'll get you some, brother. This thing is about to take off like crazy.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Man, that acting was so bad. I thought those two were gonna have sex. No. No money. Mayor Adams, I know one way you can pay me. By the way. Is this why cab drivers don't pick up black people? Because they can't risk having Eric Adams in their car. And if you're wondering why Eric Adams is obsessed with crypto, turns out he relates to it in a very personal and stupid way.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

I was bullied in school, called the dumb student. I couldn't read, and people laughed at me. And we're the same because people laughed at you when you talked about bitcoin.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Hey, come on, man. This is a crypto conference. We're here to throw our money away in crypto, not to hear about your childhood trauma.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Right?

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Adams is like, yeah, as a kid, I used to sleep on a sponge because I pissed the bed so much. And that's what bitcoin is about. So I still have no idea what the he's talking about, but maybe he can clarify with an even worse analogy.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

I want to throw a name out to you. Betsy Ross, 1776. She created our flag. That flag still stands today. And that is what bitcoin is about.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

What the hell does that mean? This makes me think Eric Adams has been trying to pay for things using American flags. He's checking out the grocery store, like, hey, do you guys take flag here? But, hey, look, this is America, all right? People have made money off of dumber ideas. You don't want to be the one guy who missed out on the Eric Adams gold rush. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?

[Correspondent]

Allegations of fraud are swirling around Eric Adams new crypto coin. After initially surging to a nearly $600 million valuation quickly after its launch, an account linked to the token's creation withdrew $2.5 million, causing it to go into a free fall, losing nearly 75% of its value.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Oh, my God. No way. Who could have seen this coming? Besides every single person and several smart dogs. At least when the hawk tour girl did crypto, she taught me to spit on that thing before stealing all my money. Hey, you can't put a price on good advice. I mean, Eric Adams sex advice would be like blowjobs are the Betsy Ross of the bedroom. Look, I think we all learned an important lesson here. Next time a former corrupt mayor of New York launches an unregulated and risky crypto token, synonymous with scammers and marketed on IP he doesn't own, and backed by technology, he describes, as I quote, betsy Ross, put all your money into it. Because, hey, there's no way he does it twice, right? That would be stupid. Josh. Back to you.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Ronny Chang, everyone. When we come back, Simu Liu will be joining me on the show, so don't go.

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[Correspondent]

I am your host, Stassi Schroeder. Welcome to Tell Me Lies, the official podcast. What's the most unhinged thing of season three?

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Steven.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Because he's so evil, I do think he is misunderstood.

[Host Josh Johnson]

You see, everyone face consequences. It's intoxicating.

[Correspondent]

The writers just know how to trick. Yeah, there's always a twist in this show.

[Host Josh Johnson]

It's nothing you would expect.

[Correspondent]

Tell Me Lies, the official podcast. Now streaming and stream the new season of Tell Me Lies on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is an actor who stars in the Peacock series, the Copenhagen Test, and will soon be making his Broadway debut in O Mary. Please welcome Simu Liu.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Yeah. All right.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Thank you so much for coming.

[Guest Simu Liu]

It's so good to be the first Asian guest. This is not fact checked. The first Asian guest ever not to be interviewed by Ronny Cheng.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Yes, yes. True or false? This seems correct.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

Good.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for spending time with me and everything.

[Guest Simu Liu]

I appreciate the question for you because.

[Host Josh Johnson]

In O Mary, you'll be playing a hot actor, and I'm wondering if that's a stretch for you as a hot actor. You know what I mean? You are a very good looking man.

[Guest Simu Liu]

I mean, I appreciate you. Yeah, I think it depends on who you ask. But, yeah, maybe the haters will say I'm really pushing my range.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Okay. All right.

[Guest Simu Liu]

But no, yeah, it's a really exciting play. I feel like it's one of those. It's really cool because the play's been around for a minute. You know, it's been running for a couple years, but everyone's been really good about not spoiling it. So I feel like a lot of people know about it but have no idea what it's about. And that's kind of the sweet spot, I think, for me when I enjoy something to go in with no expectations and to just be absolutely blown away. So, yeah, I play a character called Mary's teacher, and that's pretty much all you need to know. I don't know if you. Yeah, all right.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Yeah. I mean, are you coming at this a different way? Because, you know, you are this like movie action star and you're going to Broadway and I feel like they call on very different skills as an actor. Right, right, right, right. So what, I mean, what's the transition like for you from one to the other?

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah, it's. It's definitely something. But no, I feel like there's, you know, maybe a misconception that theater is more intimate than film. And as a general statement, but I've actually found the opposite to be true. I found that in film. Film is a very intimate space for an actor to play in because oftentimes you're in a close up. And so, you know, you play in the micro expressions and the glances. I mean, especially this show that I'm on. The Copenhagen Test is so much about where Alexander's looking at any given time. And like in a theater of, say 3,000 people, that's just not gonna play as well. And so you have to make sure that you're projecting so that the back row can hear you and, you know, you're making these choices and these decisions that like, are just. They're bigger and they're Broader. Because you need to make sure that you're reaching every single person in the audience. And so. And so I think just getting into that kind of physicality where you're on a stage, you're not being protected by a camera, you're not being protected by editors, and you're just, you know, your entire person is just kind of out there. It's a really great kind of education for an actor.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that makes a lot of sense. It seems like.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Yeah.

[Host Josh Johnson]

The misconception is that one is big, one is small, and it's really the opposite experience for the actor.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Okay. Cause when you started out, you were doing lots of stunts, right? Is that correct?

[Guest Simu Liu]

I was literally doing anything that I could to. Yeah, I did. I was like a substitute stuntman. I was. I think I wrote on a TV show at one point. I did a lot of stock photography, which I'm very famous for on the Internet now. Like, the most famous stock photo model of all time.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Because when you take a stock photo in your mind, you're like, all right, this might get used, like, three times, and somebody report. And then, like.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Because how many stock photo shoots have ever happened in the history of. Yeah, but, you know, did you think.

[Host Josh Johnson]

About that when you started to land Marvel roles, where you're like, oh, some of these stock photos gonna come back?

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah. And the crazy thing is, is that when you do one of these shoots, you sign a waiver at the top of the day, and you sign away your rights in perpetuity. So people don't realize that I don't make any money off of that. That's the whole point of stock photos is that you. You know, it's stock, so there's no royalty component to any of it. Which sucks. Which sucks. I would not make that deal today. And I made 100 bucks for those photos.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Wow.

[Guest Simu Liu]

For how widely viewed they are, I feel like it's a really terrible deal.

[Host Josh Johnson]

I mean, you're not wrong. You're not wrong at all. There is one other thing you mentioned that piqued my interest. So you said you would work sometimes as, like, a substitute stunt. Like, man.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[Host Josh Johnson]

So would the first person get hurt?

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Is that when you.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Exactly. That's when I would. That's when I would come in. I mean. Yeah, it was. It was like. The way I see it is I just. I wasn't maybe good enough to be in the rotation, so I was like, maybe on the bench, like, if it was an NBA team. I was like, Brian Scalabrini. You know, and so when all your starters got injured.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Wow.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Yeah.

[Guest Simu Liu]

And you were like, I gotta field. I have to field some people on the. Like, somebody has to do it. Yeah. That was kind of where I came in. But I was happy, you know, I was happy to work.

[Host Josh Johnson]

So you were never scared? You were never like, okay, that hurt two people now. Like, now, like, maybe there's a bad stunt.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Stunts is not one of the. I learned this the hard way. Stunts is not one of those fields where you want to lie about your work experience. For sure.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Yeah.

[Guest Simu Liu]

You know, and I did it, like, constantly. They were like, oh, have you ever been squibbed before? Squib is like a little extra explosive packet for when you get shot by a bull. So, you know, it's a prop and it's fake, but it's also, like, there's impact and there's, like, a little micro explosion. And I was like, yeah, yeah, I know what that is. And it really hurt. I wasn't ready for it. I think I had my hand, like, somewhere near, and it nearly blew my hand off. You know, there's this thing called a gainer three quarters where you get. You know, people. Stunt people do it sometimes where you get clocked in the throat and you kind of do this, like, back flip and you land. And they were like, you've done that before, right? And I was like, bet.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Yeah.

[Guest Simu Liu]

And I had never. I had never done it before, so I had to, like, learn it as I was doing it, and I was.

[Host Josh Johnson]

And so it just felt real when you did it then.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah, I just did it for real. I kind of expected, as a, you know, as a character act, like, I was like, oh, yeah. That it would just come to me in that moment. Like, I would just.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Was there ever a take where they came up to you after they cut and they were like, why didn't you move?

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah, no, totally, totally.

[Host Josh Johnson]

You just got hit.

[Guest Simu Liu]

I definitely wasn't falling the right way. Yeah. So let that be a lesson to everyone out there who. You can't just do stunts. Like, there's actually. There's a progression that you can. That you have to train towards.

[Host Josh Johnson]

So are you doing stunts in the Copenhagen test?

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah, I'm trying to do. I'm a pretty competitive guy when it comes to that stuff now. Cause now I've been. Because I've lied my way to the table, you see, I've now hit a point where I am actually kind of experienced at it. And so I do kind of feel some sort of pride. And also, you Know, just growing up Asian, you know, you. You're watching Jackie Chan, you're watching Jet Li on. No, but it's true, right? Like, you watch them on. On film. And there was some. There was just something internal in me that was like, this is one of the. At least at that time, one of the few things that Asian people can be proud of is the fact that we make great martial arts movies. And so, yeah, I was like, if I ever found myself in that position, I gotta do. Do my own stunts.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest Simu Liu]

I'd be like, bringing dishonor to Jackie and Jet by not.

[Host Josh Johnson]

You know, I mean, I do think they'd forgive you if you didn't have the scrub go off on you.

[Guest Simu Liu]

It is this, like, weird racial double standard, though, where, like, I feel like I've seen when a white actor does their own stunts, and it's like they do maybe, like, 20% of it, they're like, oh, my God. Yeah, this is incredible. You did your own stunt. Like, fanta, good job. And then, like, being Asian, though, the bar, the expectation is so, like, if I, like, jumped through the window and then there was, like, a stunt person that took the last little bit of it, they'd be like, ah, but you. That wasn't Jackie. Jackie would have done the whole thing and then broken his arm in seven different places and then been sent to the hospital.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Yeah, that is. That's actually very, very true. Cause I feel like we are all, like, aghast that Tom Cruise is still doing his own stunts. He might be the only one. I don't know about a ton of white actors that maybe Jason Statham or something?

[Guest Simu Liu]

Yeah, yeah, he's out.

[Host Josh Johnson]

But, yeah, I feel like after those two.

[Guest Simu Liu]

Ah, not too many.

[Host Josh Johnson]

No, no. And so do you think that there's anything in these experiences that you've had on screen that you're bringing to Broadway, even though you have to make them bigger, even though you don't get the same amount of, like, let's cut, retake that. Actually, I think I can do that better and everything. Like it. You know, Broadway's so immediate for the audience. Is there anything that you think is transferring over really well?

[Guest Simu Liu]

I mean, I think the thing when you bring it really just down to the craft and you distill a scene to, like, what is its. You know, you hear actors talk a lot about the universal truth. Like, what is the universal truth of the scene? No matter how big or how small you play it, if you lose that thread of truth, then you lose the scene. And so I think if it's one thing that I can bring or one thing that I think every actor needs to bring across whatever medium, it's that, like, you know, our goal, it's not to, like, look super cool on camera or to, you know, you know, for everyone to think that we're a good actor. It's to play the truth of whatever it is that that character is going through. And I think that you can do that in a big way and you can do that in a very intimate and small way, but it's just an actor's craft is choosing in which way that that truth gets reflected.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

Yeah.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Well, I'm very excited to see you.

[Odoo Sponsor Announcer]

Thank you so much.

[Host Josh Johnson]

Thank you so much, man. I appreciate it. Thank you so much for being here. All episodes of the Copenhagen Test are streaming now on Peacock, and you can catch Simu on Broadway in oh Mary beginning February 3rd. Simu Lou, we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back after this.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Y.

[Host Josh Johnson]

That's our show for tonight. Now here it is, your moment of zing.

[Correspondent/Commentator]

So I congratulate you on your tremendous success. And the United States is back. Bigger, stronger, better than ever before. And I'll see you around. Thank you all very much. Thank you very much.

[Correspondent Jordan Klepper]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount.

[Correspondent Ronny Chang]

Plus.

[Comedy Central Announcer]

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.

[Correspondent]

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