One smuggled, one imported, and one brokenhearted (to say the least) describes a unique stand-up trio featured in “Asian American Eyz’d: An Immigrant Comedy Special.” Filmed pre-pandemic in Los Angeles, Ana Tuazon Parsons, Nicky Endres, and Aidan Park share their experiences of immigrant life and discoveries of self-acceptance in a one-night comedy special full of hilarity and empathy. I sat down with the trio to reflect on their creation of this project, the cathartic power of comedy, and the prospects of Asian American representation in the entertainment industry.
Producer and performer of the comedy special, Ana Tuazon Parsons, thinks back on filming “Asian American Eyz’d” one week before the world as we knew it shut down, stating “everything that happened during the pandemic with the Asian American community … makes it even more important for people to see and hear our stories. We really wanted it to be a night of storytelling … to be heartfelt and truthful.” What started as a project between three friends reached a momentous milestone as the special hit Amazon Prime, a triumph celebrated by the Asian American community.
In her set, Parsons shares memories of her formative years, being smuggled into the country as a child, and her family’s hope for the American Dream. With a fresh perspective on the challenges to assimilate, Parsons jokes about the benefits of poverty to stay slim, the healing powers of meditation and Maker’s Mark, and bringing lumpia to a white girl’s brunch. As a buoyant balance between poking fun at the immigrant growing pains and reconciliation with her Filipino identity (after desperately disclaiming being Latino and white), Parsons is a product of generational resilience. She emphasizes the value of turning ancestral pain into ancestral power, and we feel like we can also overcome ingrained diasporic guilt to attain our version of the American Dream.
When asked about her diversity of work — which includes…
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