They say that what goes around comes around, but that’s not always the case. Fortunately, for screenwriter and author Charles Yu, that’s exactly the case. Yu was a screenwriter on the sci-fi hit “Westworld” when he came up with the idea of writing a screenplay-style novel to explore the stereotypical roles that Asian actors filled on set. That book, “Interior Chinatown,” published in 2020, has come back around and is now premiering as a limited TV series on Hulu produced by Yu and Taika Waititi.
I talked to Yu about his experience adapting the book into a TV show, the importance of representation and character development, and the collaborative process of working with the cast to bring the story to life.
From Page to Screen: The Evolution of a Story
“What I have to remind myself is that it’s not just an opportunity. I don’t want to say responsibility, because that sounds kind of self-important. But if done right, the show could mean something to people,” Yu told me. “When I write books, when I write short stories, it’s to connect with people and to get to connect this way, in a different way for people that may not read as much or just aren’t going to pick up the book.”
But don’t expect the show to mirror the book exactly. Like the novel, the series follows Willis Wu (played by comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang) as the “generic Asian man.” While the literary Willis yearns to move up the ranks and finally become “Kung Fu guy,” the Willis on screen is seeking answers to the mysterious disappearance of his brother, a Kung Fu guy. Along the way, he gets looped into the background of what seems to be a standard police procedural show, and becomes friends with Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet), a junior detective. By chasing answers, Willis leaves behind his life as a waiter at Golden Palace, your standard Chinatown restaurant, and his friend and busboy Fatty Choi (Ronnie Chieng). Strange things happen to Willis and Fatty, allowing room for…
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