The American Born Chinese cast discusses finding and creating such a believable family dynamic for the new Disney+ series, in this interview.
American Born Chinese is a series that perfectly blends the real world with a fantasy world. But what works so well in it is that the family dynamics come across the screen as real and believable.
In this interview, the cast — Ben Wang (Jin Wang), Chin Han (Simon Wang), Yann Yann Yeo (Christine Wang), Daniel Wu (The Monkey King), and Jimmy Liu (Wei-Chen) — discuss how they found that family dynamic and brought it to the screen in a way that the audience can relate.
From the first moment you see them on screen together Ben Wang, Chin Han, and Yann Yann Yeo give off family vibes. The very first scene in the entire series is Christine Wang taking her son Jin back to school shopping, something we have all been through in our lives. It is funny and relatable all at the same time.
Then when we see Simon at home, he has very real conversations with his wife that we can also relate to. So we asked theses three how they found that family dynamic on set.
Ben Wang: I think at one point in real life I just showed up at Yann Yann’s house and she cooked dinner for me. The Chin Han showed up too so we took that and transplanted it and put it on set.
Chin Han: We went full method on this. When we weren’t shooting we were spending time together and going for meals. We went for a baseball game. Then we would go shopping. It was literally like a real family. It was quite special being able to have all this time with your co-stars because normally on a film or a TV set you’re isolated, or hiding in your trailer, or going home afterward, but we literally spent all our time together. It was like summer camp for us.
Ben Wang: That expands out to beyond the family too. Everybody involved with this production, it really felt like one big community. One big family. I think shows in the final product.
Yann Yann Yeo: You should have a look at Ben and my childhood photos. We actually look so much alike. We were both shocked at how much we looked alike as children. We’re always talking about how much we thank our casting people. They really bought that long lost family together.
At the same time, Daniel Wu and Jimmy Liu play father and son in American Born Chinese. While they are more at odds than the Wang family, and are often seen fighting one another, they are a family and the bond is apparent on screen. Daniel Wu explains how the two bonded.
Daniel Wu: We tried to bond as much as we could possible offset. It helps that Jimmy is a Warriors fan. If he was a Lakers fan, I don’t think I could have bonded with him as well. But because of that we watched the playoffs. The finals were going on while we were filming this. So we’re constantly in between fight scenes, watching the game on my iPad, and then going back out to fight. But yeah, I think it was a natural relationship.
Jimmy’s a good looking guy. Kind of like me, you know? And so we developed that bond over that. I really admire Jimmy. He’s a super hard worker. The fight scenes were not easy at all. I’ve spent years on wirework but it was the first time for him. And he was just like, amazing with it. Totally cool cucumber all the time, never stressed out. It was good to see his work ethic and it was easy to work with him.
American Born Chinese premieres on Disney+ May 24th.
NEXT: American Born Chinese Perfectly Blends Fantasy & Real World
About American Born Chinese
Based on Gene Luen Yang’s groundbreaking graphic novel that chronicles the trials and tribulations of a regular American teenager whose life is forever changed when he befriends the son of a mythological god. This is the story of a young man’s battle for his own identity, told through family, comedy, and action-packed Kung-Fu.
All episodes of American Born Chinese premiere on Disney+ May 24, 2023.
