Warning: SPOILERS for Hulu's Interior Chinatown!
Based on Charles Yu's novel of the same name, premiered on Hulu in November 2024. The show (executive produced by Taika Waititi and with Yu himself serving as showrunner) centers on a "Generic Asian Man" named Willis Wu (Jimmy O. Yang) whose daily routine is interrupted by witnessing a crime, leading him to team up with Chinatown's mysterious new detective Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet). As the layers of the mystery slowly unravel, Willis and Lana realize they are minor characters in a police procedural called Black and White.
Interior Chinatown's narrative-within-a-narrative introduces several other characters in Willis' life whose agency comes into question when he realizes the Chinatown they live in does not correspond to real life. One major example includes Willis' day job at Golden Palace, a stereotypical Chinese restaurant run by Uncle Wong (Power Rangers Lost Galaxy's Archie Kao), who is discovered to be quietly helping "trafficked" people appearing in crates from unknown locations. As it turns out, those people are actually residents of the town who have supposedly ed on — only to be recycled as new background characters for Black and White.
Interior Chinatown Review: Hulu's Surreal Series Is A Bitingly Meta Take On Asian-American Representation
Charles Yu's Interior Chinatown is a wonderfully mind-bending exploration of Asian-American representation in Hollywood.
ScreenRant interviewed Kao about the larger role Uncle Wong plays in the Interior Chinatown mystery, how he connects the metatheatrical narrative of identity and belonging to his own life, and whether he would like to revisit Power Rangers for a reunion or anniversary special.
Uncle Wong’s Big Reveal In Interior Chinatown Episode 6 Was A Surprise Even To Archie Kao
“I didn't realize that I was involved with everything I was involved with.”
ScreenRant: When you first got the role of Uncle Wong, what stood out about you the most about the character?
Archie Kao: The funny thing is I didn't even know about the larger reveal in episode 6 [that Uncle Wong helps characters who have been "recycled"] until I was on set. That's where it becomes more indicative of who Uncle Wong is. In the early part of the series, I just yell at people a lot, but there's actually a reason for it.
I didn't realize that was my arc when I first came into the series, so I was exploring it as I was standing on set. I didn't realize that I was involved with everything I was involved with.
ScreenRant: I wanted to ask about Uncle Wong's relationship with Fatty because I feel like he's protective over him but also knows that he can push Fatty to be better than he is. Can you talk about working with Ronny Chieng in the series?
Archie Kao: First of all, I was a huge fan of Ronny before. Anyway, he is a tremendous talent and has such a generous spirit. I really like him as a person, so I'm extremely excited to see his continued success.
But I think the way Uncle Wong views his relationship with Fatty is that they're both pillars of the community in their own capacities and, because this show imagines this group of residents in the interior of Chinatown and how they are trying to make their way, there are inherent challenges to being Asian in America. Ronny's character Fatty had me actually laughing out loud watching him. He's a hilarious talent, and he has a great deal of fun with that character, but he's ultimately still serving his community.
Fatty's protective of the residents within, whereas his best friend Willis in the show is more about the ventures outside the borders of Chinatown. Frankly, Uncle Wong's scared of that because he knows what dangers could reveal themselves outside.
ScreenRant: You're very familiar with the police procedural, but this show takes the police procedural and turns it on its head. I love that it's a narrative inside of a narrative. You have experience with CSI and Chicago PD, but can you talk about this show's approach to the procedural? I think it does such a brilliant job of highlighting the tropes, but also finding great character moments within.
Archie Kao: When I first read this story, I was like, "I have to be part of this. I'll be so sad if I don't get to this cast and this story." Because that's kind of how I felt my personal journey was in Hollywood, certainly after Power Rangers. I did 10 years at CSI and was a ing character the entire time. I was one of the only characters that I feel didn't really ever get a flirtation with a love interest or anything like that, which I used to kind of jokingly-but-not-jokingly refer to myself as the asexual Asian.
I guess I was a little frustrated by that because, when I was doing Chicago PD, it always felt like I knew that wasn't going to be the character who saves the girl with the big gun; I'd be the guy back at headquarters that they call. Interior Chinatown is obviously playing with that trope, where the pretty leads of the show are the ones that get all the attention.
But that changes when you have new content creators because content creators will create in their own likeness, which totally makes sense. If Asians ran a show, we would be doing the same thing. Every ethnicity does that because they want to see their stories reflected, so it's kind of tongue-in-cheek using that procedural drama as a device that we are all familiar with. We've grown up seeing that on our screens. It uses that as the architecture and, for those that I hope will invest more of their interest in it, you'll see what we're trying to actually say within.
The Golden Palace Has A Deeper Meaning Within Interior Chinatown
“We guess we can think of Chinatown and Golden Palace in and of itself as a consistent safe place that we can go.”
ScreenRant: The Golden Palace serves as a safe haven and a character in itself. How does the setting influence the dynamic of characters within the series?
Archie Kao: In the first five episodes, there's a character Lily wants to rent Old Man Fong's room out to, and I really am very opposed to renting it to foreigners or outsiders because it's our little haven. Certainly, I guess we can think of Chinatown and Golden Palace in and of itself as a consistent safe place that we can go. Even though there is a kung fu fight that breaks out in the first episode, but that's still something that happens on Chinatown's watch that they're aware of.
ScreenRant: Do you see any parallels between your personal experience and Uncle Wong's character, especially in regards to his sense of protection towards his community?
Archie Kao: Yeah, definitely. I grew up with two younger sisters, so I always felt like the protective older big brother. They're mixed race, so we were just navigating the terrain of how to go forth and being cautiously optimistic about what could exist out in the world.
You don't want to be gloom and doom about everything, but especially when you're girls in the world, there's another level of anxiety that comes with that. My mom says that it was easier to raise a boy than girls.
ScreenRant: Can you share your perspective on the themes of identity and representation within Interior Chinatown?
Archie Kao: I hope that when people watch Interior Chinatown, they're not really thinking of it as an Asian show as much as it is a show about identity. It's about what we're all trying to do in our lives, finding where we fit in and where we can have value and feel like we're appreciated. That's really at the heart of it.
Obviously, we're looking at it through the lens of being Asian, but at the heart of it is the fact that this interior of Chinatown is an extended family. Like we said, the Golden Palace is a metaphor for another character that wants to put its arms around you and protect you.
ScreenRant: What did you want to bring to the role of Uncle Wong that went beyond the page?
Archie Kao: Uncle Wong is somebody that has one foot in both worlds of this meta-type show. My character is the one who knows what dangers lurk beyond the borders, and that's why it's scary to me to have Willis venture out and take risks outside. Uncle Wong's not even an immigrant, so he is just trying to be very mindful of these people that are here; coming from wherever in the diaspora to try to build their chance at the next phase of their lives. He doesn't want to see them get hurt.
Archie Kao Reflects On The Legacy Of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy & His Interest In Playing Kai Once More
“We're trying to figure out when we're going to get together.”
ScreenRant: I think Power Rangers is such an underrated show because it's one of the only shows that teaches you how to act, do fight choreography, and voiceover work all at the same time. I would call it a university for young actors out there.
Archie Kao: Oh, man. I never thought about it that way, but you're so right. I didn't realize at the time how lucky I was to be doing that one because I didn't really know what Power Rangers was, for some reason. But it was like training camp for young actors to learn how to hit your marks, to work on the culture of a working set. There are only certain things you can do in an acting class, whereas you actually have to learn some things on the job.
Not to mention just how much fun it was. Despite the fact that I was almost 30 when I started the show, I feel like my castmates and I kind of grew up together, in a lot of ways. Because we shared some of these formative years together, they're still always going to be so special to me. I was just on the phone with Reggie a couple of days ago. We're still in touch with each other; we have a group chat with all the Rangers, and we're trying to figure out when we're going to get together.
ScreenRant: Your Power Rangers show was 25 years ago. Would you come back in the role of Kai Chen at any point?
Archie Kao: As a middle-aged Kai? I would be delighted to reconnect with that character. I don't know how that would make sense, but I'd be game to have a conversation about it. Where's the show now?
I wish I could take credit for its impact, but I was just lucky enough to the cast. All these years later, I see that it has brought joy to all these people, and I got to be a beneficiary of that. I wish I could say it was my doing, but it wasn't. But I'm so thrilled for any possible experience with them in and around the franchise. I'd be delighted to entertain that.
ScreenRant: Something else that you're ionate about is Homes for the Homeless. Can you tell us more about that and the impact you hope to achieve through this nonprofit organization?
Archie Kao: Yeah, it's an opportunity to have another shot at your best life. When I was not even 1 year old, my mom and dad had a very acrimonious split, and she couldn't afford to feed me. She was an immigrant, and her options were limited, but this really wonderful family in northwestern Pennsylvania literally took me in and housed me on a farm with them for the first few years of my early childhood.
I grew up a farmer, and I would get up to the sound of the rooster and put on my overalls and clean out the pig pens, or climb up the silos and push hay down. I kneading dough to make apple pie, and the funny thing is it was such an Americana life that I didn't even know I was Asian. This family had five kids of their own, but they didn't treat me differently at all. They punished me when I misbehaved, of course, but they never treated me any differently. It just goes to show you that cultural bias is really taught. You have to teach it, because kids don't know when they're little. They just want to play.
But because that family was so wonderful, they gave me the opportunity to have the life that I have now. An acting career can certainly be frustrating, as it doesn't always go my way, but at least I am engaged in the pursuit of a life that I want to have because they afforded me that opportunity. There are some people that might have gotten down on their luck or whatever, and transformative housing can do so much for them.
We are actually a HUD representative office too, so we are able to examine the criterion of those at-risk of homelessness too because it is not a catchall. We also provide services to help you get back on your feet, and we do vocational programs with at-risk youth to give them skill sets to carry into their life so they can provide value and make a living for themselves. We've seen it really be helpful in a myriad of ways, so I'm proud to be part of that. It's an enormously large undertaking, but it's really fulfilling as well.
More About Interior Chinatown Season 1
Based on Charles Yu’s award-winning book of the same name, the show follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural called Black & White. Relegated to the background, Willis goes through the motions of his on-screen job, waiting tables, dreaming about a world beyond Chinatown and aspiring to be the lead of his own story. When Willis inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, he begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown, while discovering his own family’s buried history and what it feels like to be in the spotlight.
Check out our other Interior Chinatown interviews here:
- Jimmy O. Yang
- Tzi Ma & Archie Kao
- Taika Waititi & Charles Yu
- Chloe Bennett & Ronny Chieng
- Lisa Gilroy & Sullivan Jones
All 10 episodes of Interior Chinatown are now available to stream on Hulu.
Interior Chinatown
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
Cast
Jimmy O. YangWillis Wu
Ronny ChiengFatty Choi
WHERE TO WATCH
Interior Chinatown, adapted from Charles Yu's novel, follows Willis Wu, a background character in a TV police procedural. After witnessing a crime, he uncovers a criminal conspiracy in Chinatown and his family's hidden past while exploring what it means to take the lead in his own story.
Your comment has not been saved