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“Do you know who you are? You are worlds in conflict. You are all the pieces merged into one.”
worlds collide American born ChineseDisney+’s modern retelling of Chinese myths and characters introduced in the classic 16th-century novel journey to the west. In Kelvin Yu’s riveting series adaptation gene linkageIn the 2006 graphic novel of the same name, the son of the Monkey King, aka the Monkey King (Daniel Wu), stops the heavenly rebellion Ben Wang (Ben Wang) with the help of his human friend Jin.
Between the celestial and earthly action sequences, the series also packs an emotional punch. As Jin moves toward self-acceptance, identities collide. Feeling neither truly Chinese nor American, but a tourist of both worlds, Jin does his best to juggle a social life with a family life – which can sometimes be overwhelmed by Yeo Yann Yann and Chin Han’s belligerent but full of love. It’s complicated by the loving parents who provide much of the show’s emotional rhythm as hard-working, wayward immigrants chasing the American dream.
Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han and Ben Wang on “American Born Chinese”
Equally influential, though, are small but strong cultural traits familiar to other American-born Chinese: Mama Wang’s herbal powder and chicken feet soup (a Taiwanese delicacy, she told her son at the dinner table);Michelle Yeoh) hoarding packets of soy sauce while she moonlights as a human on Earth; stale 2-year-old candy in a candy bowl at a Chinese restaurant in an unassuming strip mall; a karaoke sequence, dragging a tambourine; , tit for tat.
“A lot of it comes from our own upbringing,” Yang, the series’ executive producer, tells EW of those influences.
“What Gene said earlier today resonated with me,” executive producer Melvin Marr said. “That was, the graphic novel started out as his my story and became our story after it was adapted for the screen. I gave it to Gene and Kelvin. It was totally them, they were able to figure out the transition from the graphic novel to the TV and build a core [where] anyone [came and worked] At this point, they’re also able to bring their own stuff into it. “
Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney Michelle Yeoh and Jim Lau talk about “American Born Chinese”
This even includes production design, with the cast and crew foraging for props in their own homes. “Michelle and Cindy [Chao, production designer] Just mining from their own house,” shares Mar. “They actually go to their parents’ house to find stuff and bring stuff. I actually had some stuff from my parents’ house on set as well.My father’s picture is [on] An altar somewhere. Everyone brings something to the table, both physically and emotionally. “
Yang added, “A lot of stuff doesn’t show up on the screen. I’ll give you an example: by the sink, they have an empty tofu container with a sponge in it. We all know that! We all know what that is! “
The soundtrack also comes from the growth experience of the two. Teng — a beloved Asian pop diva adored for her classic renditions in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and English — is featured throughout. During Jin’s commute with her mom, Christine (“sweet honey,” which roughly translates to “good for you”), she croons on the radio and serves as Christine’s go-to karaoke song at strip mall restaurants (“I just care about you”).
Disney+ Daniel Wu on “American-born Chinese”
Yann, herself a karaoke enthusiast, recalls filming a segment of Christine’s touching song to Teng after a heated argument with her husband Simon (Han): “It was a very difficult time because I lost my voice. With Covid and my body recovering I had a sore throat when I sang. They had to turn it down a key so I could do it.”
“I mean, she’s like China’s Barbra Streisand,” Marr said of the pop icon. “That’s all I heard growing up. There was something when we were filming. I can never get it out of my head. I kept saying to Kelvin, Destin and Gene, ‘We have to let Teresa in. It won’t Cheap, but we can do it. We have to. It’s one of those things. Every time I see them transition from fighting to [Jin] Turning around in the car with my headphones on, I burst into tears. “
With the series now in theaters, Young and Marr want viewers to feel cared for.
Disney+ Ben Wang and Jim Liu on “American Born Chinese”
“Telling Asian-American stories is a way of telling Asian-Americans that their lives are worth telling, that they are three-dimensional characters, that what they’re going through matters,” Yang said. “When I was a kid, most of the time, we were just not anywhere in the story. Then whenever we were, we were either villains or comedians. We were two-dimensional. So we were going to be three-dimensional. Representation is an acknowledgment of our humanity.”
Mar agrees, adding: “I spent most of my adolescence feeling excluded or neglected. Now that I’m a father and have a 9-year-old daughter, I realize she never felt that way. Feeling – specifically, I did, just being the only Chinese kid around, or not having anyone look like me on screen. All her life, she could experience that. I wish there were some Chinese kids, Or any kid out there, being able to relate to that in that way.”
American born Chinese Now streaming on Disney+.
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