![]() ![]() It’s always the same two guys because there’s not a lot of choices out there. John Malkovich helped him get the job because that episode, we had to hire a couple of authentic older, Chinese people. He’s good, huh? Without giving too much away, he’s standing toe-to-toe with John Malkovich.Ībsolutely. I was like, “I want to see what his dad looks like.” From there, it was just basic detective skills. How’d you find out? Did I talk about it in some other interview? They don’t give him credit, which is some bullshit. On IMDB? Because I wasn’t sure if this was a secret or not. We get to learn a lot about your parents, particularly your dad in this special but he’s in another project you’ve got coming up: Space Force. But now, because of the irony, it’s a joke in itself. I want this special to be funny ten years from now. I never really do stuff that’s extremely topical because I don’t think there’s longevity in that. Is that statement even true anymore?” But then somebody tweeted me, “Yo, it’s nice to remember that we did have a couple of good years.” And that’s the world doing the comedy for me. My set literally starts with, “Asian’s, we’ve been having a couple of good years,” which is so funny, because I don’t think this year now is our best year. It’s easier to laugh at it now too after the success of Crazy Rich Asians and Parasite. If they cast me in Mount Rushmore - but that’s the bit. And I get it because I’m an actor - it’s a job. It’s not all like, “Hey, fuck Matt Damon. Early on in my career I don’t think I brought up those kinds of things, but I think it’s just my life right now, what I’m going through, the stuff I’m thinking about, my perspective on it. He’s an actor and it’s a shitty thing that happened, but I ain’t mad at it. Well, the joke is, it’s not Matt Damon’s fault. You tackle Asian representation really well in this special, specifically how Hollywood often miscasts Asian stories. Maybe you forget about the bullshit that’s going on outside. So with this comedy special, I was just happy that it could serve as some kind of escape for an hour. Wow, what a better time.” I think there’s so much conversation about the important stuff that’s going on right now and the reporting of it. It’s like, “Oh, look at how joyful the audience was. Maybe there’s something nice, during these bleak times, to see something that was done before the pandemic. Has the timing of this special been on your mind? It’s a very weird form of therapy, my friend. I’m like, “Oh man, I feel like my voice is being heard.” And that’s hilarious.” It made me feel a little more, I guess relevant. I remember every time seeing any Asian comedian talk about family or whatever, thinking “Yo, that is so true. It’s something I really want to share, especially with the Asian audience, because there isn’t a lot out there. No, I think every standup starts by telling dumb dick jokes and masturbation jokes and then as you grow, you become more vulnerable and you’re able to open up a little more to the audience. That’s the only way I know how to make friends, self-deprecation. How do you hype yourself up to share those kinds of embarrassing, personal stories with an audience of complete strangers? In your first stand-up special and right out of the gate, you’re tackling Asian stereotypes with penis jokes. ![]() We chatted with Yang about the challenge of cracking jokes at his family’s expense for his new special, why he’ll never do virtual stand-up, and how Malkovich campaigned for his dad’s biggest role yet. (To be clear, he’s joking about his own dick, not Matt Damon’s.) And his Space Force character, an Asian scientist much too smart to be taking orders from Carell’s Air Force general, is one of the show’s standouts – especially as the series moves forward and an unlikely romance begins to blossom. It’s more than deserved, especially after watching how the comedian is able to weave cultural commentary of Asian stereotypes seamlessly amongst Matt Damon digs and dick jokes. So, for now, we’re going to let Jimmy have his moment. Yang’s dad, is in fact, funny, but unlike his son - who’s spent the past decade crafting material for his first streaming stand-up set and acting on cult hits like HBO’s Silicon Valley - the senior Yang is just getting started. He jokes about it in his new special on Amazon Prime Video, Good Deal, and when we talk about the surprise cameo his dad pulls off in the upcoming Netflix comedy Space Force, with Steve Carell and John Malkovich… but the fear is real. Yang is worried his dad might be funnier than he is.
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