Jimmy O. Yang can't take a compliment

Summary

Wild Card with Rachel Martin: Jimmy O. Yang Can't Take a Compliment

Released on November 21, 2024

Introduction and Guest Background

Wild Card with Rachel Martin, acclaimed as one of The New York Times' Top 10 Podcasts of 2024, breaks the mold of traditional interview formats. Host Rachel Martin engages guests with unexpected and profound questions, facilitated by a unique deck of cards that steer the conversation into uncharted territories of personal memories, insights, and beliefs.

In this episode, Rachel welcomes actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang, known for his roles in Silicon Valley and the Hulu series Interior Chinatown. Yang also authored the memoir How to An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents, where he delves into themes of being underestimated and navigating life as an immigrant in the United States.

Round One: Childhood Memories and Safety

Timestamp [00:53]
Rachel begins the session with an intriguing question: "Does the idea of an infinite universe excite or scare you?" Yang candidly responds, expressing his fear of infinity and the concept of being gone forever:

“Infinity scares me. If you're telling me I am dead for a trillion billion million years and then I'll get to come back for one day, then I'm fine. But if I'm gone forever, very scary.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [00:53]

Moving into the first round, Rachel selects a card about childhood memories. Yang reminisces about his upbringing in Hong Kong, highlighting the comfort and sense of independence he felt through food and simple routines:

“Every night I got back from school, I would hang out with my mom and get a couple of [local snack]. It felt very homey.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [03:51]

He expands on feeling safe both in his homeland and later in the U.S., where video games played a crucial role in forming friendships and a sense of belonging despite initial feelings of intimidation.

Discussion on Interior Chinatown

Timestamp [09:59]
Rachel transitions to discuss Yang's latest project, Interior Chinatown, a Hulu series based on Charles Yu's novel. The show explores the life of Willis Wu, a background actor striving for more substantial roles within a procedural TV show framework. Yang connects deeply with the character's journey of self-identity and the immigrant experience:

“When I read the book, it was so similar to my journey of coming to terms with who I am as an immigrant, as an Asian American. Always feeling invisible.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [11:22]

He praises the nuanced portrayal of familial relationships and generational conflicts, emphasizing the authentic emotions that the show brings to the forefront.

Round Two: Self-Perception and Expressions of Love

Yang faces a personal challenge when asked what he admires about his teenage self. Initially reluctant, he opens up about his struggle with accepting compliments and uses humor to navigate the conversation:

“I had to go to my therapist to talk about how I can't take a compliment.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [06:28]

Rachel probes deeper into Yang's ongoing efforts to express love more effectively. Yang discusses his primary love languages—acts of service and gift-giving—and his desire to become more adept at verbal affirmations, especially within his family dynamics:

“I would like to be more complimentary of people, more motivating. Saying 'I love you' when I mean it.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [15:24]

He acknowledges the cultural nuances in expressing affection, noting progress with his parents in becoming more open and vulnerable.

Round Three: Infinite Universe and Sacred Places

Revisiting the initial theme of infinity, Yang reiterates his fear of the concept, emphasizing the unsettling feeling of vastness and the inability to comprehend infinity fully:

“Anything infinite is scary. I look out the ocean at night. I get a little scared. It seems so vast and infinite.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [19:00]

The conversation shifts to sacred places, where Yang humorously selects fantasy football drafts as his sacred space. He explains the deep camaraderie and longstanding friendships forged through annual drafts, highlighting the importance of maintaining close-knit relationships amid busy adult lives:

“Fantasy football is sacred for me because it’s like 12 of my closest friends from different walks of life coming together.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [21:28]

Final Reflections: Cherished Memories

As the episode concludes, Rachel invites Yang to share a cherished memory he wouldn't change. Yang reflects on the camaraderie during the filming of Crazy Rich Asians, where the cast bonded deeply while staying together in a hotel:

“Those moments are special because they still are my closest friends. We found our creed and felt like a real family unit.”
— Jimmy O. Yang [24:12]

He underscores the significance of belonging and authentic connections developed through shared experiences, which continue to influence his personal and professional life.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with warm acknowledgments and a nod to future episodes, encapsulating a heartfelt and engaging conversation that delves deep into Jimmy O. Yang's personal experiences, fears, and the relationships that define him. Listeners gain an intimate glimpse into Yang's life, enriched by his humor, vulnerability, and insightful reflections.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jimmy O. Yang [00:53]: “Infinity scares me. If you're telling me I am dead for a trillion billion million years and then I'll get to come back for one day, then I'm fine. But if I'm gone forever, very scary.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [03:51]: “Every night I got back from school, I would hang out with my mom and get a couple of [local snack]. It felt very homey.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [06:28]: “I had to go to my therapist to talk about how I can't take a compliment.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [11:22]: “When I read the book, it was so similar to my journey of coming to terms with who I am as an immigrant, as an Asian American. Always feeling invisible.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [15:24]: “I would like to be more complimentary of people, more motivating. Saying 'I love you' when I mean it.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [19:00]: “Anything infinite is scary. I look out the ocean at night. I get a little scared. It seems so vast and infinite.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [21:28]: “Fantasy football is sacred for me because it’s like 12 of my closest friends from different walks of life coming together.”

• Jimmy O. Yang [24:12]: “Those moments are special because they still are my closest friends. We found our creed and felt like a real family unit.”

Closing Thoughts

Rachel Martin skillfully navigates the conversation, allowing Jimmy O. Yang to explore and articulate his experiences and emotions authentically. The episode not only entertains but also offers profound insights into themes of identity, belonging, and personal growth, making it a compelling listen for both fans of Yang and those intrigued by deep, meaningful conversations.

Transcript

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[Rachel Martin]

An infinite universe excite or scare you?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Infinity scares me. If you're telling me I am dead for a trillion billion million years and then I'll get to come back for one day, then I'm fine. But if I'm gone forever, very scary.

[Rachel Martin]

I'm Rachel Martin and this is Wildcard, the game where cards control the conversation. Each week, my guest chooses questions at random from a deck of cards. Pick a card, one through three questions about the memories, insights and beliefs that have shaped them. My guest this week is actor Jimmy O. Yang.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Anything infinite is scary. I look out the ocean at night. I get a little scared. It seems so vast and infinite.

[Rachel Martin]

I first saw Jimmy O. Yang in a Christmas rom com. It's my little personal tradition to lock myself in my downstairs guest room and wrap presents while watching the so bad they're good genre of holiday movies. A few years ago, the streaming algorithm recommended a movie to me called Love Hard. No, it wasn't Adults Only Fair. It was just the worst name for a Christmas movie ever. That, however, did not stop me. And I'm so glad because I got to watch Jimmy O. Yang cut through the saccharine mush of those movies and deliver the most authentic, maybe even subversive performance I'd ever seen in a holiday rom com. Yang had already made a name for himself as a recurring character on the HBO show Silicon Valley. He was only supposed to be in a few episodes, but the showrunner loved him so much he made him a central part of the story. It's happened to him a lot in life, people underestimating him. It comes up in his memoir titled how to An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing youg Parents. Yang immigrated to the US from Hong Kong when he was 13. Being underestimated also comes up in his stand up comedy and is a major theme of his new show on Hulu. Interior Chinatown I, for one, will never underestimate him. Jimmy O. Yang, it is a pleasure to welcome you to Wildcard.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Thank you. What an intro. I was worried there for one second, and then you brought it back in such a great way. Thank you.

[Rachel Martin]

I seriously loved that movie. It was so good. Oh, my God. Okay, so this is how this game goes. I've got a deck of cards in front of me. Each one has a question on it, and you're going to choose one at random to answer.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

And there are two tools at your disposal. So if you get a question and you're just not into it, you can skip it and I'll replace it with another one from the deck randomly, and you can also flip it on me so I will answer the question before you do.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Cool.

[Rachel Martin]

We're breaking it up into three rounds. A few questions in each round. Are you ready?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Let's do it.

[Rachel Martin]

First three cards. One, two, or three.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I'll take the middle one.

[Rachel Martin]

Where would you go to feel safe as a kid?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, wow.

[Rachel Martin]

That's what we're doing here, Jimmy.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Like that, huh? Just go to level three real quick. I grew up in Hong Kong, so for me, it was a lot of food that I remember, a lot of comfort food. And there's certain, like, street food stalls that my mom would take me to. And then when I got slightly older, like before I moved to this country when I was like, 12, she would let me go downstairs and buy certain things myself. And I remember there's this particular snack, it's very famous in Hong Kong. It's like stuffed peppers but with fish cake. In Hong Kong, it's called. So I remember, like, every night I, I, I got back from school, I hang out, my mom and I went downstairs and got a couple of those, and it felt very homey.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. And I imagine you felt that was like an expression of your independence. And, and also, I mean, the question's about safety. Did it feel. Well, does that word even resonate with you? Did you need to feel safe as a kid?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I guess I felt pretty safe. You know, crime rate's pretty low in Hong Kong, and it was always my home. Maybe when I came here, I was still a kid. You know, I was like 13 years old, learning a new language, going to a new school, and to make friends. I think maybe safety in this sense could be like video games. I remember I made some of my first few friends when I also saw him playing Madden when I was FIFA and things like that. And that made me feel safe. It made me feel like I belonged. And we played the same thing, although I was from, like, a different country. Otherwise, I was oftentimes intimidated.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Some of my best friends that I've made, it's all from playing video games.

[Rachel Martin]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Mm. Like, in high school, you know, like, I'll go to my buddy's house to, like, study, and then I see him and his cousin playing gta. I'm like, hey, let me get down on that. And then. And then we played all year, and we became best friends. Still good friends, are you?

[Rachel Martin]

I love that. Okay, three more. One, two, three.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Are these all new?

[Rachel Martin]

These are all new.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Three new cards. I. I'll pick number one.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay. What do you admire about your teenage self?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Wow.

[Rachel Martin]

Wow, Jimmy, I'm not messing around.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

This is so unlike me to try to congratulate myself, you know what I mean? To admire myself. Yeah, that's very hard.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, that's interesting. That's not your natural default.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, I don't think so. I think I. I want. I had to go to my therapist to talk about how I can't take a compliment.

[Rachel Martin]

Huh.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And I'm like, what am I supposed to say? Like, people come and say, oh, my God, hey, that show was great. I'm like, ah, you should. It's okay. Like, you know, I started saying some stupid things, and then she's like, no, no, just say thank you. Just take it in and say thank you. I'm like, really? That's what people do.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, well, I'll ask you to. I mean, maybe your answer is like, I didn't admire anything about my teenage self.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, I think I did. I think maybe because I was so young, the ignorance also gave me a fearlessness.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, making friends. And I didn't feel bad about myself, although I was quite othered and foreign. You know, I was very positive. I try to have a good time, although it was very difficult.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. So what were those specific challenges? I mean, when you would come upon the othering, like, you just brush it off. You somehow just.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Well, I think it's. Whether it's, like, verbal bullying or something like that, or people just, like, talking trash, making jokes. And I think maybe that's how I developed a sense of humor, is. Although with the limited English language that I knew, I found a way to talk back and fight back, you know, and not let someone get the best of me.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, are you still that fearless, or. When you look back, it does feel like a difference. Your teenage self was more.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I guess I still am in a way, because I'm I don't overthink these kind of things. I overthink many things. I'm very neurotic. It comes to like buying a new lamp or something, or a new pillow. Forget about it. I went through like a hundred different pillows. But yeah, I don't know. Just life stuff. Day to day. I just, I just go for it. Foreign.

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[Rachel Martin]

Okay, so before we get to round two, I'm going to pull out of this game to talk about interior Chinatown. Congratulations.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Thank you.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah, it's a great show. So this is on Hulu and this is based on a novel by Charles Yu. It's about a guy named Willis Wu. He's a waiter at this restaurant, his uncle's restaurant in Chinatown in la. He's obsessed with crime shows like TV crime shows, and finds himself entangled in this mystery about his missing brother. So that's the plot, but I mean, the themes are so much bigger.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It's not the easiest show to describe. It took me a long time to try to describe it to my friends, but I think breaking it down maybe in a way that everybody can understand and, and, and I think that's the brilliance about Charles Hughes's writing. It's this guy Willis Wu. He doesn't know it, but he's a background actor inside of like a Law and Order type procedural show. So Charles is using a procedural, which is a common form that everybody can understand to kind of fit in and make you feel psychologically how an outsider stuck in the background of life would feel.

[Rachel Martin]

So what was it about this particular character, Willis, that you connected with?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Even when I read the book, I was like, wow, this is so similar to my journey of coming to terms with who I am as an immigrant, as an Asian American. You know, always feel like I was invisible. Which is a common experience, I think, sadly for a lot of Asians in this country. I mean, when I first started acting, I was a background actor. And then I had a two line part. I was Chinese teenager number two. I was person in line. But all those parts I felt like, even those small parts, I felt like I snuck in and I scored. Cause I wasn't supposed to be here. That's how I felt. And then there's just so much growth from that to get to this point in an almost unlikely, unbelievable journey that at times I didn't even believe it was just step by step proving to myself I can do it. So in a way that resonated quite a lot. And of course, dynamic between his family, you know, the strife with his father, the kind of unspoken, like, Asian people would never really say I love you. Like at least not me to my parents. And Willis doesn't to his parents. But there's a deep love, but at the same time, very conflicted generational relationship. So there's a lot of nuances and stuff that I think people can discover and feel, but at the same time, I just think it's an entertaining show.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah, it's lovely. It's lovely. Everyone should check it out.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Thank you.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, so you ready to get back into it?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Let's do it.

[Rachel Martin]

We have new cards. It's a new round. The cards are blue.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, I'll take the middle one again, please.

[Rachel Martin]

Middle number two. Okay. What's something you still feel you need to prove to the people you meet?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Huh? Wow, that's a great question. I think in a broad stroke, everyone does this. And maybe I do it a little more to prove my worth. And for years, because I'm a stand up, or even before that, I felt like I didn't quite belong. I try to be funny, I try to be endearing, charming, whatever, to win them over. Whereas, like, why am I doing that? You know, I should Just be me, and me should be enough. But I think it's because for years I felt othered and I didn't feel like I'm enough. So now I have this tool of comedy. So I try to win people over by charming them, by making them laugh, whatever. And that's where I think my value is a lot of times. So I try to use that.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, we all do that to some degree, right? You walk into a new room, you want to make a good impression. You're trying to be on your A game. For you, that means, like, being funny, because that's what people expect you to do. But it also feels like it would just be very tiring.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I think maybe this makes me an extrovert. I get a lot of energy if people do respond to, say, my jokes or whatever. But it gets very frustrating and for no reason, you know, is when I'm trying and trying and I'm not getting a response. I'm not even saying from the audience, just from a personal. Yeah, but I'm like, what am I doing here? Like, why am I. Why am I trying to show off and, like, it's not their job. Like, we should just kind of sit down and have a connection, you know?

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. Okay, three more. One, two, three.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I'll take the middle one.

[Rachel Martin]

Middle number two. What's an expression of love you're trying to get better at?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, wow. It's like talking about love, languages. I had a whole bit about this in my last special. Yeah, I think I'm very good at acts of service.

[Rachel Martin]

You know, not everybody knows what these things are. So there is like this. This rubric about. About love and how you express it. And so you're saying you're good at, like, doing things for the person.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yes. Cooking.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, cook. Gift giving. That's another one. Just thinking about, you know, actions. And like I said earlier, you know, words of affirmation is not a big thing in Asian culture. I don't think. You know, not how I grew up. So, you know, I would like. Do you want to do that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Being more complimentary of people, more motivating. It's like, hey, you did great. Or saying I love you, like, when I mean it, like, whether to a friend or to a partner or something like that. And. And being more communicative, even with my family and things like that. Being more open, vulnerable, and. And being a little better with my words of affirmation.

[Rachel Martin]

Are your. Did your parents embrace that part of American culture?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

They're getting better I think my dad gives me a hug now, which is very weird to me. You know, that's not a thing. Just in our culture, um, I don't know if we say I love you yet, but we are getting a little more vulnerable and open. And sometimes it takes a newer generation like me to kind of break it down, be like, hey, I just want to have an open, honest conversation. I don't want us to, like, get mad at each other and never talk about something. So, yeah, and they've been pretty receptive, I'll say, whenever I do come from a truthful, real place.

[Unknown]

Support for this podcast and the following message come from the NPR Wine Club, which has generated over $1.75 million to support NPR programming, whether buying a few bottles or joining the club. You can learn [e-mail] podcast must be 21 or older to purchase.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

After the election, the economy feels like one big huh.

[Rachel Martin]

Good thing.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

There's the indicator from Planet Money podcast. We take a different economic topic from the news every day and break it down in under 10 minutes. Topics like the home building shortage or the post election crypto rally. Listen to the indicator from Planet Money podcast from NPR and turn that huh into an ah.

[Unknown]

On the embedded podcast from npr, what is it like to live under years of state surveillance?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So many people have fear of losing their families.

[Unknown]

For years, the Chinese government has been detaining hundreds of thousands of ethnic Uyghurs. This is the story of one family torn apart. Listen to the Black Gate on the embedded podcast from npr. All episodes are available now.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Every weekday, up first gives you the news you need to start your day.

[Rachel Martin]

On the Sunday story from up first, we slow down. We bring you the best reporting from.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

NPR journalists around the world, all in one major story. 30 minutes or less.

[Rachel Martin]

Join me every Sunday on the Up.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

First podcast to sit down with the biggest story stories from npr.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, so this is the last round. Three more cards.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

One, two or three red now, huh? I'll take the first one.

[Rachel Martin]

Does the idea of an infinite universe excite or scare you?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Infinity scares me.

[Rachel Martin]

Does it truly?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, if it's something that I can, you can put a number on. It could be a billion, trillion plus one. Whatever. It's fine if I can wrap my brain around it. Infinity is something I cannot wrap my brain around. And I think it's why me and probably a lot of people are so afraid of death. Because you are gone forever. If you're telling me I am dead for a trillion billion, million years, but you're not gonna know a trillion years. And then I'll get to come back for one day, and then I'm dead again for another. Then I'm fine. Okay. But if I'm gone forever. Very scary.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So infinite universe is a little scary. Anything infinite is scary. I look out the ocean at night, I get a little scared. It seems so vast and infinite.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, yeah. No, I don't. I actually. I know this is a controversial opinion, but oceans, I liked. I like them. I like to be on a beach. It's nice. But. But I find that all very unsettling.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Thank you. Too vast.

[Rachel Martin]

It's too big.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

People pay extra. People pay extra for ocean views. I'll pay extra to not look at the ocean. Give me the city view parking lot. I'll look at. Yeah, your parking lot. Your utility closet. You know, don't give me a room with no windows. I'm not paying extra to see the cliff of my death into a vastness of infinity.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay. All right, there we go. Three more.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I'll take number one again.

[Rachel Martin]

What's a place you consider sacred?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Sacred.

[Rachel Martin]

Sacred.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Wow, that is. That's a big word.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. What does that word mean to you?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, sacred. Sacred. Something you don't mess with. Right? Something that. That almost has almost like a religious or spiritual meaning to it. Yeah. I think maybe I think of like. Like to me, Hong Kong, some place I grew up with, it's quite sacred to me and it holds, you know, a deep place in my heart. But maybe it's not a geography, it's not a place.

[Rachel Martin]

Doesn't have to be.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Maybe it's an event. I think my fantasy football drafts are very sacred.

[Rachel Martin]

I shouldn't have laughed. That was such a rude reaction.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Come on, it's serious.

[Rachel Martin]

I am gonna ask you to explain to me why fantasy football feels like a sacred place.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I love having birthday parties, whatever, this and that. It's all great. But fantasy football is so great. It's like 12 of my closest friends from different walks of life that I pull together. And now they all became friends. And we all try to do an in person draft. Some people are in San Diego, some people in New York, some people are in la. And we try to do an in person fantasy football draft where we can all get away from our lives for a weekend. Doesn't matter how busy you are, how many kids you have. We are here. And we get to live like. And hang out like we were in high school. Every year we come together, there is a date, like a birthday, and then we get to Play together. And it's very hard for adults to make friends.

[Rachel Martin]

I agree.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, I think there's an article especially for adult men to make new friends. So it's really sacred for me to keep my old friends, you know, and to make new friends and to continue the friendship and have something every year that we look forward to.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay. I love fantasy football as your sacred place.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think it's a nice thing for, like, you know, especially like. Like, kind of what I said earlier, you know, the love language, stuff like that. Adult dudes have, like, a hard time communicating feelings and things like that. So it's nice to have a consistent friendship thing that we can kind of continuously bond at.

[Rachel Martin]

You know, do people actually end up sharing intimate things within that context or.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yes, yes and no. I think it leads to a deeper friendship because, say, these 12 people in the league, there's probably like eight of them that I would have stopped talking to if we weren't in the league year by year. And then, okay, sometimes we call each other about trade, just about players or about how you did on Sunday, you know, game or whatever. But because of these friendship has lasted so long, we became really close friends where anytime I have any life issues going through breakup, whatever, I can call any 12 of them and we're close enough to talk about it.

[Rachel Martin]

We finished.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

We did it. How did I score? Is there a score? I need a score.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, everyone's a winner, Jimmy. There's no score in life.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I'll take this microphone with me as a prize. Thank you very much.

[Rachel Martin]

You can have the microphone. Don't tell anyone I said that. We end the show the same way every time with a trip in our memory time machine. Okay, so we're going there. We're going there. You get to revisit one moment from your past that you would not change anything about. You would just like to linger there a little longer.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Wow.

[Rachel Martin]

Which moment do you choose?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Boy, this is getting deep, huh? You know, when we're shooting crazy rich Asians, when we're shooting, like, the post wedding scene, everyone was in those scenes, but we had to shoot bits and pieces. So we all hang out in a hotel room. Like, 20 of us, the whole cast. And then each one of us get called down to go shoot. To go shoot. And they're just in a small hotel room in Marina Bay Sands, and we all just kind of bonded and ate food and, like, just hung out, you know? And those moments are quite special because I still, like, they're still my closest friends, but it's hard to get all 20 of us together again, you know. So those moments are quite special to me.

[Rachel Martin]

What was it about that cast and that movie that forged those connections for you that that would be your moment that you would want to revisit in a life?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think it was the first time for almost all of us to felt like we truly belong and we can be our true selves. Because so often we were just a token Asian in something because all of us were from different walks of life. You know, like Gemma's from the uk, Henry's from Singapore, a lot of us from America, Australia. Everyone's there. But we had such similar experiences. So we all kind of, we were all about the same thing. It wasn't like, hey, do you want to go get Chinese food tonight? No, we're getting Chinese food tonight, you know, you want to go karaoke? Do you like karaoke? No. We all loved karaoke. So we all have very similar stories and we just felt like we found our creed instead of just being like. Felt like lucky. We snuck into this one project being the Asian person. We found our creed and that was like a real family unit there. We didn't know if the movie was going to succeed or not. But I've always said, like, when I was making it, when I was hanging out with everyone, if the audience can feel just a little bit of how we felt, the camaraderie and the love, it's going to work.

[Rachel Martin]

Jimmy Yoyang, it was such a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much for doing this. The new show, Interior Chinatown is on Hulu. Check it out. Good luck with everything.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

[Rachel Martin]

If you like this episode, you should listen to my conversation with Sterlin Harjo. He's the showrunner behind the brilliant and hilarious TV series Reservation Docs, which is about four Native American high school kids in Oklahoma. Sterlin talked to me about the pride he feels in having created a world where his kids are able to see themselves on screen. This episode was produced by Romel Wood and edited by Dave Blanchard. It was mastered by Robert Rodriguez. Wildcard's executive producer is Beth Donovan. Our theme music is by Ramtin Arabloueh. You can reach out to [e-mail] we love it when you do. We'll shuffle the deck and be back with more next week. See you then.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Foreign.

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