Jimmy O. Yang goes from bit player to hero in Interior Chinatown

The Chinese-American actor says he could relate to the Disney+ satirical comedy series

- Alison de Souza

Asian-American stars Jimmy O. Yang and Chloe Bennet have not forgotten what it is like to struggle in Hollywood and be stereotyped because of their ethnicity.

So they strongly connected with their characters in Interior Chinatown. The satirical comedy series debuted on Disney+ on Nov 19 and is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Taiwanese-American author Charles Yu.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, 2019), it follows Willis Wu (Yang), a background character on a police procedural show who dreams of being the hero.

Then he witnesses a crime and is asked by police detective Lana Lee (Bennet) to help solve it.

At a press event in Los Angeles earlier in 2024, Yang says that the part hits close to home.

"This guy is a background actor, but he's really the lead," says the Hong Kong-born stand-up comedian, whose breakout was a small but scene-stealing turn on acclaimed comedy series Silicon Valley (2014 to 2019).