Ronny Chieng and Chloe Bennet took real shots for a drinking scene on Interior Chinatown

In 2020, former attorney-turned-writer Charles Yu released his second novel Interior Chinatown. Presented as a screenplay, Interior Chinatown tells the story of Willis Wu – a man dubbed “a generic Asian male” who longs to be promoted to “kung fu guy”.

Interior Chinatown quickly became a hit, with many praising its unique format and biting commentary on Asian-American roles within Hollywood and the US. It went on to win the National Book Award for Fiction that year. 

Four years later, Interior Chinatown has been adapted into a 10-episode TV series – airing on Disney+ on Tuesday (Nov 19) – with Hong Kong-American comedian Jimmy O Yang cast as Willis Wu. 

CNA Lifestyle recently spoke with its stars Chloe Bennet and Ronny Chieng, who play Detective Lana Lee and Fatty Choi respectively, to see what drew them to the project.

For Chloe Bennet – whose father is Chinese and mother Caucasian – the desire to join the project was due to her feeling represented.

“I read the book and I was so freaked out because I felt so seen and understood by the way Charlie wrote about these inner monologues that you have with yourself about who you are,” she said.

“I felt very seen by the character – Karen in the book, Lana in the show – so I felt like I had to do it. I felt like she was me when I read it.”

Ronny Chieng, on the other hand, thought joining Interior Chinatown was a “no-brainer”.

“The book was great and when the project came in, the people attached to it were great: Taika [Waititi] and Charles Yu. The source material was awesome, the pilot script which I read was awesome,” he said.

The two stars proceeded to brag about how they had both read the original Interior Chinatown novel before the genesis of the TV adaptation – with Bennet letting slip that Jimmy O Yang had not.

Chieng added: “In fact, I didn’t think it was gonna become a TV show. I just thought it was gonna stay a book because it looked impossible to adapt.”

Nonetheless, Interior Chinatown managed to get adapted with author Charles Yu at the helm as showrunner. CNA Lifestyle got the chance to watch its first five episodes ahead of the show’s premiere and despite the stark differences, the project’s DNA remains intact.

One of the more memorable scenes with both Bennet’s and Chieng’s characters takes place in the fifth episode which sees them going on a drinking binge with Jimmy O Yang’s Willis Wu – and the dancing aftermath that ensues.

Chloe Bennet revealed that she made Chieng and Yang take real shots with her while filming the scene – a titbit that drew huge laughs from Chieng during our interview.

“It was the end of the day and we all had drivers, so it was kind of asking for it,” said Bennet.

“We had a lot of fun that night. I had so many good memories.”

Chieng recounted another scene earlier in the episode which saw him throwing up.

“I was very hungry because I skipped breakfast. So [in] that scene, I was eating my lunch. So I just kept eating and eating, and I ended up throwing up afterwards,” he said.

“No, you threw up in the middle of it,” interjected Bennet.

“And I continued eating after that,” added Chieng.

Given the original Interior Chinatown’s themes on Asian roles within the US and Hollywood, how much did Chloe Bennet and Ronny Chieng – both of whom are seasoned entertainers – draw from their personal experiences in forming their characters?

Bennet, who starred in Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD for seven seasons, answered that it was “harder to find where [she] didn’t pull from [her] real life with Lana”.

“I think Lana is an amalgamation of the people I’ve played but with a wink…The format of the show and the way it is set up as a satire – I think she is this kind of quilt of the various characters I’ve played. The fun part about it is getting to play her while knowing I’m playing kind of a quilted trope of various roles I’ve done in the past.”

Calling the experience “cerebral”, Bennet added: “My brain hurt every day but it was very fulfilling.”

Chieng, who is best known for his stand-up comedy, revealed that he had the opportunity to give his input on his lines.

“The writing was very solid, so it wasn’t like it had to [improvise]. The directors gave me the green light sometimes. I would pitch stuff…and they would say yes or no, and I’ll give it a try. They did give me some leeway but it’s all mutual respect,” he said.

“Fatty is a bit of a performer in the show. So when he is being a performer in those moments, I would have to put some of myself into there and just figure stuff out on stage.”

Despite the Asian-centric discourse surrounding Interior Chinatown, Ronny Chieng insists that it has universal ideas.

“[Interior Chinatown] talks about social themes but in an accessible way. It doesn’t try to hit you over the head with it,” he opined.

“It has themes that everyone can relate to, like not feeling in control of your life; feeling like a background character; feeling like you have no voice.”

“And it’s shot beautifully,” he added.

“The show is really weird and fun,” said Chloe Bennet. “We talk about serious things in an unserious way. If you’re able to let this transcendent, weird, fun, quirky world wash over you, it’s an extremely enjoyable commentary and fun project.”

All 10 episodes of Interior Chinatown will drop on Disney+ on Nov 19.