“Do you know who you are?
You are worlds clashing into each other.
You are all the pieces merging into one.”
Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, and Ben Wang on ‘American Born Chinese’.Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney
Between action sequences in the heavenly realm and Earth, the series also packs an emotional punch.
Identities, too, collide as Jin navigates his journey to self-acceptance.
I hand it to Gene and Kelvin.
Michelle Yeoh and Jim Liu on ‘American Born Chinese’.Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney
That even included production design, with the cast and crew foraging their own homes for props.
“They actually went to their parents' house to find things and bring things on.
I actually have stuff on the set that was from my parents' house as well.
Daniel Wu on ‘American Born Chinese’.Disney+
My father’s picture is [on] the altar someplace.
Everyone brought a piece of something, whether physically or emotionally.”
Yang adds, “A lot of stuff doesn’t show up on screen.
Ben Wang and Jim Liu on ‘American Born Chinese’.Disney+
We all know that!
We all know what that is!”
The soundtrack, too, mines from the duo’s upbringing.
I was recovering from Covid and my throat was in pain when I was singing.
They had to go one key lower so I could do it."
“I mean, she’s like a Chinese Barbra Streisand,” Mar says of the pop icon.
“That’s all I heard growing up.
There was something about when we were shooting.
I could never get that out of my head.
I kept saying to Kelvin and Destin and Gene, ‘We got to put Teresa Teng in.
It’s not going to be cheap, but we can do it.’
It was one of those things.
With the series now out in the world, Yang and Mar hope viewers feel seen.
And then whenever we showed up, we were either the villain or the comic relief.
So for us to be represented as three-dimensional is kind of an acknowledgement of our humanity.”
Mar agrees, adding, “I spent most of my adolescence feeling ostracized or unseen.
Her whole life, she’s been able to experience that.
American Born Chineseis streaming on Disney+.
