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- 'Interior Chinatown' Pushes You To Step Outside Your Lines
All 10 episodes are now streaming on Hulu. At some point, we all wonder: are we the star of our own story or just another face in the crowd? Through the journey of Willis Wu — a man stuck between aspiration and the reality he's expected to accept — "Interior Chinatown" (2024) delivers a tale that is both strange and achingly familiar. Willis exists in a world where everything is scripted, literally. Conventionally cast as Generic Asian Man in a fictionalized cop show, he dreams of transcending the background role he's been relegated to. But breaking free means confronting the invisible rules that shape not just his life but the lives of everyone around him. "Interior Chinatown" weaves together biting satire, surreal imagery, and poignant drama in a humorous and heartfelt exploration of identity, ambition, and the spaces between who we are and who we long to be. The novel that the show is based on bears the same name, and, ironically, is told through the unconventional framework of screenplay format, with shifting fonts and typography that mirror Willis's fragmented internal life. Despite the already-cinematic feel of the book, adapting it to the screen was no small feat. Author and show creator Charles Yu recalls the challenge of manifesting the novel's dual worlds outside of a reader's imagination without losing their complexity. "I might just type a few words casually, and then all of a sudden I have 50 people asking me, okay, so what color is that? Or what does that look like?" he says. "In a bigger conceptual sense, the challenge is the book plays in a kind of liminal space, I would say. How do you make it clear that Willis is caught between two worlds? How do you make the world of the cop show, make it feel very real and literal, and then drop Willis into that world?" Taika Waititi , director of the pilot episode, brings those coexisting planes to life with strikingly different visual languages. "If you're thinking about the world around [Willis] from his point of view and how he sees himself, it's kind of bland and muted colors," says Waititi. "And it's all handheld, so it feels a bit rough and clumsy. Then you contrast that with the world of the show-within-the-show 'Black & White.' We wanted that to be heightened. People are backlit, and it's all special lighting, and the camera work [is] always smooth and slick." "We worked really hard on trying to make it feel like a '90s-style police procedural," Charles Yu adds. "Sometimes a little bit off-kilter and hopefully funny, but real enough that you get it, that it feels like the world that Willis wants to enter." "The really interesting thing is that [the procedural] is a world that [Willis] aspires to get into," says Waititi. "Coming from New Zealand, that would be like how I imagined everything to look [in Hollywood]. But when you think about the closer you get to those dreams or the closer you get to being a part of that world, the more you realise the world you come from is actually more beautiful." For Jimmy O. Yang, who plays Willis Wu, the character's struggle to break free from stereotypical roles is deeply personal. Reflecting on his own career, Yang sees many parallels between his journey and Willis's. "I think I've actually done a lot of these characters that Willis ends up being assigned to or has gone through through," he says. "I was Generic Asian Man. I was Chinese Teenager #1 on ' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ,' a show that Chloe [Bennet] was a star in, funnily enough. I also snuck in as the tech guy, right? Like on ' Silicon Valley .'" While these roles were welcomed at the time, Yang recalls how he didn't fully realize he was being put in a box. "I think I kind of had a blind optimism about me in my younger self, that although I didn't see a lot of myself on TV or I didn't see people like me being the star, I was like, you know what? It's one thing at a time. It's one step at a time." As Yang's career evolved, so did his understanding of Asian representation in Hollywood. Reflecting on this particular project, he explains, "It means everything. I think I'm very fortunate to have actually gone through every single number on the call sheet to be able to inform and help tell this story. But just being able to be a part of this and bring my own self and my experience to bring this character to life was quite special." "I think people talk a lot about representation and seeing someone that looks like you on screen and how much that means, and I absolutely agree with that," Charles Yu confirms. "I also think it's important to see yourself in people that don't look anything like you. And I think we got to make this [show] with a really inclusive crew. Yes, I mean a lot of Asian Americans, but I also mean a lot of non-Asian Americans." "Getting to tell this story on a platform like Hulu with people like Taika and our cast and so many other people is an amazing chance to tell stories about people that don't normally get that treatment," Yu says. "To really humanize and add dimension to them." Just as the show spotlights characters who are often overlooked, "Interior Chinatown" also offers a critique of how women — especially women of color — are often defined by their relationship to men or reduced to a simplified version of their identity. Detective Lana Lee, played by "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." star Chloe Bennet, makes her grand entrance on screen in slow motion, hair blowing in the conveniently-aimed wind, glowing with the magical light of heroism behind her. Initially presented as Willis's ultimate fantasy — both as a woman and a main character in his story — Lana is promptly hoisted onto a pedestal of tokenized desirability with little attention paid to who she actually is and what she might want for herself or struggle with. Yet as Willis's story progresses, so does Lana's. She exists beyond her connection to Willis and the role she plays in catalyzing his so-called awakening, giving her character something far more complex and layered than the part that was written for her. "There's a mystery within Lana that is revealed throughout the season," says Chloe Bennet. "Tonally, I really wanted the performance to be something that you could watch the first time around and be like, oh, that makes sense. But then you could watch it again. And if you're really paying attention, there are cracks to her façade, whether it's just little glances or just acknowledging the larger truth of who she is or what she doesn't know about herself right away." "Each character has their own version of discovering who they are and ultimately finding where they belong," Bennet continues. "I think Lana is seemingly a real asset to help Willis figure that out. At the same time, she's stuck in her own world trying to find out where she fits, how she is her own main character." "I think it's relatable for women," Bennet adds. "The trope of your relevance depending on whether you're in tandem with a man or how you're servicing a man. For a lot of women in film and TV, that is a constant box that we are put in. And I think that the show addresses that in a really smart way." The mystery of Lana also cannot be separated from her race. Through her, the show points to how mixed-race characters navigate a tightrope of identity, forced to exist somewhere between idealization and marginalization. In the fictionalized cop show, Lana's purpose is to be proof that the police department is "culturally considerate" — a statement made openly and with poorly-hidden resentment. "She toes the line as being this icon that is ethnic enough," says Bennet. "Ethnically ambiguous. She's white enough that we can let her in." Bennet's connection to Lana's struggle with identity feels deeply personal, as she navigates her own experiences of balancing belonging and alienation as a mixed-race actress. "It's more than just not fitting in, not necessarily feeling whole," Bennet says. "Psychologically, you can start to tell yourself a lot of things about what you are or what you're not, especially if you're just constantly referred to as half of something. It's not something that fits into a box in a way that's satisfying for an entirely white world or an entirely Asian world. I didn't have to fake a lot of the feelings of frustration or feeling like an interracial pawn to satiate both sides of things." "And certainly, for [Lana], it's breaking out of that in a lot of ways," Bennet finishes. "For Lana, her bigger journey is trying to take another step closer to finding out where she belongs, what she wants, and what her story looks like if it's not about somebody else." Through "Interior Chinatown," Charles Yu reminds us that identity is never as simple as the roles we play or the labels we're given. Whether it's Willis striving to be more than Generic Asian Man or Lana's search for her own identity, the show peels back the layers of performance to reveal the intricacy of humanity. "It's about who we really are underneath and how we sometimes feel like we have to perform aspects of ourselves or aspects of other people's expectations — and then what happens when some of that starts to slip," says Yu. "Just finding those genuine moments of connection between people and authenticities is what I hope people really start to see the show is about." All 10 episodes of 'Interior Chinatown' (2024) are now streaming on Hulu. 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. CAST: Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, Archie Kao, Diana Lin Recurring guest stars include: Tzi Ma, Chris Pang, Annie Chang, Chau Long CREDITS: Series creator Charles Yu serves as executive producer, along with Dan Lin and Linsey Liberatore for Rideback; Jeff Skoll, Miura Kite, and Elsie Choi for Participant; Garrett Basch for Dive; John Lee; and Taika Waititi, who also directed the pilot. The 10-episode limited series is produced by 20th Television. Cover Photo: Courtesy of Hulu
- How Xenia Deviatkina-Loh Is Redefining Diversity in Classical Music
Many people think of classical music as a thing of the past. Its compositions have stood the test of time, holding a unique place in cultural history. Works by people like Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Schubert, and more still have the industry in a chokehold, dominating elite classical music institutions and programs worldwide. However, classical music is undergoing a remarkable transformation. The world today is immensely diverse, and musicians are reimagining classical works, infusing them with new perspectives and cultural influences. So, instead of fading into stagnancy, classical music is expanding thanks to the dedication of musicians who are reshaping its narrative and relevance in ways that continue to captivate. Dr. Xenia Deviatkina-Loh , a talented violinist, pedagogue, and advocate for diversity in classical music, is one of the individuals leading the charge for change. Born in Sydney, Australia, and now residing in Los Angeles, Deviatkina-Loh’s journey with the violin began with her mother. “I was a fidgety child,” she jokes. “And she thought, hey, let’s get her into violin. Maybe my kid will be less fidgety.” (That plan never worked out. Deviatkina-Loh is, she admits, still very fidgety.) While she found her passion for classical music early in life, Deviatkina-Loh’s pursuit of that track also revealed the inequalities entrenched within the industry. She became acutely aware of the challenges faced by musicians from low-income or underrepresented backgrounds. “It isn’t just down to basic costs, like violins,” she says. “Your strings, bows, maintenance, and lessons all amount to a big dollar sign.” “A kid in college, if they want to pursue [violin], the instruments probably go between a four-figure to a low five-figure. It shouldn’t be normalized,” she insists. “Where does that money come from? Not every family has the financial stability to do that.” Deviatkina-Loh is not one to shy away from a challenge. Recognizing the need for change, she got involved with the Asian Classical Music Initiative (ACMI). “It’d be easy if I just put my head down, which is such an Asian thing to do, right?” she says. “But I was always that kid who told my mom, ‘this isn’t fair.’” The ACMI is a pioneering effort committed to promoting the work of AAAPI classical music composers and musicians. Founded by graduate students at the University of Kansas, ACMI holds concerts and conferences to raise awareness and celebrate the cultural traditions of Asia, Asian America, and the Pacific Islands. ACMI’s work comes at an important time when conversations about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) are at the forefront of both the classical music industry and the wider world. The initiative aims to address the often-invisible racial inequalities within the classical music community, particularly for Asian and Asian-American individuals. As a platform, ACMI offers musicians of all backgrounds a place to showcase their talents and contribute to a more inclusive classical music landscape. “It’s hard,” Deviatkina-Loh says. “It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that’s a reality. People don’t get comfortable with you speaking up.” Deviatkina-Loh’s work with ACMI is part of a larger movement within the industry to make a positive impact on issues related to diversity, representation, and inclusion. While there has been some progress made in recent years, there is still much work to be done to make sure that musicians of all backgrounds are given equal opportunities. ACMI’s efforts, along with those of individuals like Dr. Deviatkina-Loh, are paving the way for a classical music community in which talent knows no boundaries.
- On the Edge of Extinction: 'The Last of the Sea Women'
Now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. On the rocky shores of Jeju Island, a remarkable culture hangs on by a thread, embodied in the lives of the haenyeo — South Korea's legendary female divers. "The Last of the Sea Women" (2024), a poignant documentary directed by Sue Kim, invites viewers into the underwater world of these resilient women, who have spent generations free diving for sea urchins, abalone, conch, and much more. But the traditions of the haenyeo face an uncertain future, as the film sheds light on the alarming environmental threats that jeopardize their livelihood and the delicate marine ecosystems they depend on. In exploring the intersection of culture and conservation, Kim's documentary serves as a powerful reminder of what is at stake — and the urgent need to protect both the haenyeo and the waters they call home. "I wanted to make this film because I wanted some sort of documentation out there and memorialization of who these incredible women were," says director Sue Kim, "whether or not we would continue to have them in future decades. So it was sort of an urgent mandate to make sure, at least for now, [that] the world knows who they are, even if they won't be around in the future, which I desperately hope is not the case. The history of the haenyeo goes back centuries — though it’s unclear how exactly the haenyeo came to be. Their legacy, however, is undeniably rich and complex, shaped by the ebb and flow of societal norms and economic pressures. Traditions passed down from generation to generation saw young girls starting their training at the tender age of 10, mastering the art of diving and navigating the unpredictable tides. Their risk-inclined lifestyle not only provided sustenance but also forged unbreakable bonds among the women, who continue to support each other through the myriad of life's challenges. Today's haenyeo possess a vibrant spirit that defies their age, with most women in their 60s, 70s, and beyond — yet their energy remains undiminished. These fearless divers are far from delicate figures; they are a force of nature, often seen teasing one another, sharing laughter, and singing songs that echo across the water. Their camaraderie is palpable as they squabble and jab at each other playfully while donning their gear, a testament to their enduring bond. Each dive is a reflection of their physical strength, fierce independence, and an unapologetic embrace of their identities as proud matriarchs. Their spirit is a powerful reminder that aging does not diminish strength — it amplifies it. Despite their tough nature, the haenyeo find themselves poised on the edge of extinction, confronting unprecedented threats from climate change and environmental degradation. "We had a scene where two of the haenyeo are [talking] about how dirty the water is and the pesticides that are running off and destroying the seagrass," Sue Kim recalls. "That's just part of their everyday conversation." Their connection to the ocean runs deep, intertwining their identities with the rhythms of the sea that have sustained them for generations. For the haenyeo, the ocean is not just a source of food; it is a vital part of who they are, fueling their determination to protect its fragile ecosystems. As they shoulder mounting pressures from a warming ocean, overfishing, and pollution — including the alarming discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima disaster — they are driven to activism. "When the Fukushima nuclear water crisis really kind of confronted them, we just covered it exactly as they were learning about it," Kim says. "We had no intervention in the actions of the haenyeo. And you can see that in the town hall scene, where they're first learning about what this decision might mean for the health of the sea, they [get] so angry, and then it turns into this sort of unified, collective determination to protest it. That's just who they are. And it was such a gift for us to be able to cover it as it was happening." In a remarkable display of courage, haenyeo Jang Soon Duk even traveled thousands of miles to speak to the U.N. on behalf of the community, seeking to shed light on the challenges the haenyeo face and rally support for their cause. Unfortunately, and the release of the wastewater will be continuing. The consequences of that decision may not be seen for decades — which is precisely the issue. What future awaits the haenyeo? In 20, 30, 50 years, will there be an ocean healthy enough to support the society these women built? And within their community, as younger generations' interest in the hard lifestyle wanes, how can the haenyeo preserve their culture? The documentary is able to comment on the latter. Sue Kim introduces Jin Sohee and Woo Jeongmin, two younger divers working to encourage other young women to keep the legacy of the haeneyo alive. "We thought it was important to highlight Jeongmin and Sohee's haenyeo occupation as young women," says Kim, "and how they've kind of rebranded it by using social media and TikTok and YouTube to talk about what they're seeing under the water, [and] talk about what a cool and fun occupation it is for them." "One thing I appreciate about them is that they bring a very postmodern sensibility to the occupation," she continues. "They are haenyeo because it works; it solves very postmodern problems. Jeongmin needs a flexible working schedule as a working mom, and she can have that being a haenyeo. Sohee worked for eight years in a stuffy office with a cubicle, and she really longed to be outside. So she came to the haenyeo occupation wanting to commune with nature and have a more fulfilling work life. So I love that they've put this sort of new youthful spin on this ancient culture." As for the other uncertainties, unfortunately, there are no concrete answers. But one thing remains clear: the spirit of the haenyeo is resilient. Their deep-rooted connection to the ocean transcends generations, reflecting a way of life that is both unique and precious. Haenyeo Geum Ok Lee says it succinctly, "Even in my next life, I will dive again. Just an old woman and the sea, forever." About "The Last of the Sea Women" (2024): Run: 87 minutes Director: Sue Kim Producers: Sue Kim, Malala Yousafzai, Erika Kennair Featuring: Soon Duk Jang, Hee Soon Lee, Joo Hwa Kang, Im Saeng Ko, Geum Ok Lee, Jeongmin Woo, Young Ae Jeong, Sohee Jin, In Sook Park, Soon Shil Seo, Soon-E Kim, Mari Chang, Joo Hyun Kim Directors of Photography: Iris Ng, Eunsoo Chu Underwater Cinematographer: Justin Turkowski Production Companies: A24, Extracurricular
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- Haiku Kwon
< Back Haiku Kwon Contributor Haiku Kwon, aka Laura Kruis, is a Korean American #importedAsian , writer, and wanderluster, who loves dogs, weightlifting, food, and connecting with others. Through her contributions to The Universal Asian , she hopes to demonstrate the importance of storytelling and sharing one’s personal truth to build community. Haiku has held many varied roles throughout her life and travels as much as possible, which has taught her that “home” isn’t always a place. Sometimes, it’s a moment. Blog: https://haiku-kwon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haiku_kwon/
- About | The Universal Asian
Our Mission The Universal Asian is an open and safe online database platform in a magazine-style to provide inspiration to Asian adoptees (#importedAsians) and immigrated Asians (#hyphenatedAsians) around the world. We strive to mainstream discussions on topics related to pop culture, politics, lifes tyle, and more importantly help make our community of Asian voices universally heard . Our Val ues Anti-discrimination and abuse The Universal Asian will not tolerate racism, discrimination, violence, or abuse of any kind. We embrace diversity and are committed to ensuring a space, culture, and platform that is free from discrimination or abuse in any form. If there are any instances of racist, discriminatory, or abusive language used in deal ing with The Universal Asian or any of our collaborators, then we shall block the account immediately and call it out publicly on our platform. Honesty The Universal Asian is committed to being honest about our diverse experiences without sugar-coating or diluting the voices of our contributors and collaborators for what is shared is our TRUTH. Integrity Trust is essential to any organization. We build that trust through the actions and judgment of all The Universal Asian team — in our social media platforms, in our workplace and in what we post on the site. Respect The Universal Asian aims to build and serve a global audience that is vast and diverse representing the Asian diaspora. To do that fully and fairly, we treat our community — our readers, contributors, collaborators, and our team with the utmost empathy and respect. Collaboration The Universal Asian does not place itself in competition with others raising voices or sharing stories, but rather gives respect to and raises up the creativity and expertise from every part of the diaspora to fulfill our mission. It is our greatest aim to work together and support each other to provide a sense of community and inspiration to those who engage with us.
- Essay | The Universal Asian
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