By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
“Interior Chinatown,” the new series on Hulu, has a lot to like. Based on the novel by Charles Yu, and produced by Taika Waititi (who also directs one but not all episodes), the show stars popular actors and comedians Jimmy O. Yang and Ronnie Chieng. However, it is not a comedy.
Categorized as a drama, “Interior Chinatown” tells the tale of Willis (Yang), a waiter at a family restaurant in a Chinatown of a fictional city called Port Harbour. He is frustrated with his mundane daily life and longs for something more. Alongside that, Willis’ older, cooler brother is gone. His parents devastated, Willis has long been trying to live up to the image of his brother and earn his dad’s love (the dad is the iconic Tzi Ma). Basically, Willis thinks he’s a loser.
“You’re either a waiter or a winner,” he says. He thinks he might be stuck forever as the former. Yet, Willis has an intuition he could be more—if he goes for it.
The description of the show by Hulu indicates that topics will include racially based cliches and stereotypes, to which we presume Willis and others will be subjected. While this is no doubt the case, I also believe this story could be about anyone who feels stuck. Granted, that person should probably be practicing some kind of skill the way that Willis practices kung fu, in the hope that it will be his ticket to success if the right opportunity were to come along. This in itself is a kind of stereotype born of the movies, where the hero gets his shot to kick butt and get noticed. There are jokes along the lines of Willis and his friend “Fatty” (played by Chieng) being the underdog Asian Americans, such as when Willis says, “people like us,” and Fatty responds, “you mean waiters?” Willis adds that he means Chinese guys living in Chinatown, but we get the point.
This image released by Hulu shows Jimmy O. Yang, right, and Ronny Chieng in a scene from the series “Interior Chinatown.” (Mike Taing/Hulu via AP)
Willis is not just a loser waiter (“loser” being subjective, “Fatty” is okay with the waiter life; a romantic interest, Audrey, played by Annie Chang, appreciates Willis just the way he is). He is also equated to an extra in a TV show. What we think of as the “real” story is interrupted now and again by a pan out and the implication that this is, in fact, a detective show. In this detective show, Willis the Waiter is indeed a side character. Sometimes, props enforce this, such as when Willis is unable to open the restaurant door when the detectives are outside. He can’t open it, it would seem, because he doesn’t have a part to play there or any lines to say. He can’t open it because he is a waiter in Chinatown—invisible to the big shot detectives. Willis wants to change this. He realizes that not everyone is a hero, yet he at least wants his life to be more impactful to others. Maybe it’s his dad that he wishes would center him more. Maybe it’s the attractive new Asian detective, Lana (Chloe Bennet), that he wishes would notice him.
The Chinatown in “Interior Chinatown” is the idea of a Chinatown—that place according to the dictionary—where “expatriated Asian people” live. That place where, of course, you work for your relatives. That place where opportunity in general is low—not just for Willis, but for everyone. That place where crimes tend to be overlooked by the rest of the world. The same applies here. Lana, in fact, is on a mission to bring more attention—more lasting attention, not just a one-time photo op for the celebrity detectives—to the bad things that happen in Chinatown. This kind of reminded me of the not-very-politically-correct, yet still had a point 1974 movie, “Chinatown,” which made this exact statement—the police don’t care about what happens in Chinatown. This attitude radiates out to the rest of the populace who then also don’t care. And it reinforces the stereotype that the people actually living in Chinatown don’t matter. Gosh, this is all sounding pretty close to home right now!
The acting in “Interior Chinatown” is great. We’ve seen Chieng attempting more serious roles; yet this feels like a first for Yang. For them to both be together, front and center in the show, if not in the life they live in the show, is a real treat worth watching. Turns out, they excel in this environment—and they both are pretty good fighters! You’re watching Willis practice his moves and you’re thinking, yeah right (even Fatty makes fun of his physique, yet also admits that “in his mind” Willis sometimes resembles the mythical older brother). Then, his big moment comes, and Willis actually delivers! He busts out the kung fu and it’s pretty legit! Thing is, he’s lacking follow through—but that’s something he’ll be working on. And it’s one of the most relatable parts of the show. We all want to be more, yet we often lack the gumption to go for it. We watch Willis working up that gumption, trying to break out as if there is an actual wall in front of him.
Waititi is never afraid to “enhance” reality and the same applies in “Interior Chinatown.” He will dim the lights or brighten them to let you know when you should be paying attention. The stellar cast and the award-winning story (Yu was heavily involved in the creation of the show) is in turn irreverent, poking fun, and heartbreakingly serious. Will Willis become the man he wants to be? Will he escape his own “interior” Chinatown? You’ll have to watch to find out.
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.