Ronny Chieng Spotlights Top Asian Voices in Film
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Welcome to the Cooper residence. Cooper McAllister. I'm surprised you put my name first. Come on in. From the brains behind the Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, CBS is excited to welcome back some beloved, familiar folks. I am so glad that you and Cece are here. And Georgie. Atta girl. It's a whole new chapter. Georgie and Mandy's first marriage premieres CBS Thursday, 8, 7 Central and streaming on Paramount+.

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You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey, this is Roy Chang. The Daily Show is off this week, but don't worry. We put together some of our favorite moments from the show in case you missed them. We'll be back with brand new shows on September 10th. Until then, enjoy today's episode. Welcome back to The Daily Show. My next guest tonight is an Oscar-nominated actor who stars in the new film, The Instigators. Please welcome Hong Chao.

Oh, watch this step. Hey, Jody on the show! Thanks for being on the show! You're the first Oscar-nominated actor I get to interview. Really? Yeah. That's really shocking. It's pretty hard to get nominated. I mean, you have like a... I feel like you're in a great place in culture right now because you're in all these shows that are...

I wake up every morning and think, I'm in a great place in culture right now. Yeah, I think you are. You were nominated for your work in The Whale. You were in Asteroid City with Wes Anderson. You were in The Menu. You were in Watchmen. There are all these kind of really arty, critically acclaimed...

and TV shows. And, I mean, I feel like... Are you purposely going a little bit under the radar, or is the system suppressing Asians? Like, which one is it? What is... I try not to wake up every morning thinking that the world is against me because I'm Asian. But, no, I...

I honestly wish that I knew that I had more control over what I did, but all of the work that comes to me, it's come really organically. Every job that I've gotten has been because the director has seen me in something prior. I got Watchmen because Damon saw me in Downsizing, and those two characters are very different. I was in Kinds of Kindness, which came out recently because

Your Ghost saw me in Kelly Reichardt's movie showing up. Again, two very different movies. So just by being super talented and you just plowed through. Yeah, it's amazing. It's super cool. Because I say that just because I feel like you're not on social media really or you're not, you know. Who has the time? I mean, a lot of people have the time apparently. This guy.

There's nothing but time for social media. No, I agree with you. I think it's different. Like, it's so nice to be able to pour yourself into your craft. I feel that's my impression of you. It's my first time meeting you. But just based on how you conduct yourself, you know, like, the--

I feel like you devote some more to the craft than, like, the show business side of things. I mean, is that a conscious decision, or is that just naturally? No, I mean, I guess it's because I never grew up wanting to be an actor. I never saw myself in front of the camera. I was very introverted. I'm still kind of introverted, if I'm being honest. And so I just always...

Whenever I do my work, I just show up and I just want to be of service. You're so introverted, you decided to become the greatest actor of all time for millions and millions of people in hit films. No, I believe you. I'm not saying you're lying. I believe you. It's just funny that how do you reconcile being introverted? And I believe that you're genuinely like that with...

you know, being... You're with Matt Damon, you know, you're messaging him, you're in his films, and you got nominated for an Oscar, and all the press that goes with that. Like, how's that? Well, Matt suggested me for The Instigator. So you're on first-name basis with this guy. Introverts don't do that. Introverts don't go, oh, my friend Brad. You mean Brad Pitt? Yeah, yeah. But, yeah, like, was acting your way of, like, getting out of your shell, or what made you...? Yeah, I, um... I took...

I took improv classes and public speaking classes after work. After I graduated college as a full adult, I was doing this. And it was just something that I did because I knew it would-- you know, I would be standing in my own way. Right. So you forced yourself to kind of overcome it a bit. Yeah. I felt nauseous before every improv class.

like really sick to my stomach. - But obviously you, something-- - I got over it. - I don't know how, because I wasn't, again, I don't know you that well, so I don't know how much you're exaggerating how introverted you were. - No, no, no, it was bad, it was bad. - It was pretty bad? - Yeah. I'm sure you could find some people that I used to work with or went to school with and they would tell you like, ugh.

Oh, she's so quiet. Yeah. And the next you know, you're getting normal. So what is it? Can you talk about process a little bit? Because I think it's very interesting. Like when you're being so shy and introverted, how does that translate into... I don't know. I think I just really love movies. I love films. I love directors. And so whenever I'm working on something, it really excites me who the director is and what the script is. And my preparation is just reading the script over and over again. That's really all it is. Right. Yeah. Okay, well...

I guess it's easier for some people than, uh... All I gotta do is just... I was just shy, and I just... So I read a script, and Matt Damon put me in the mood, and then next thing I know, I got nominated for an Oscar. That's just easy. It's like you...

It's like you tripped and fell into the best career of all time. Yeah. Yeah, and it truly does-- like, your work kind of speaks for itself, which is really nice, you know? Like, you don't have to-- I feel like you don't even need to promote it that much, because everyone knows the face and the name and the work. Oh, that's good, because I've been doing a lot of promoting all week. I wish I had known. I wish I had known. And can you talk a little bit about

your background, because I just find it very interesting. You? - Yeah, I'm Vietnamese, and my parents left Vietnam after the war in '79. They left by boat, part of the whole boat people, boat exodus. And my mom was actually six months pregnant with me. - Oh, wow. - And my dad got shot that night as they were leaving, and so they were on a boat for three days. My brother was five, my older brother.

And somehow they ended up at a refugee camp in Thailand, and that's where I was born. And we had a sponsor family in New Orleans. -New Orleans girl. -And now I'm here talking to you. -Oh, that's great. Okay. That's amazing. That's such a huge glow-up. From Vietnamese refugees to New Orleans residents to Oscar-winning. -I know. I know. I'm very scary, aren't I?

And my wife's family is-- she's Vietnamese. Yeah, I just found that out. Yeah, she's Vietnamese. The same thing happened to them. They escaped South Vietnam, Saigon, and went to Australia instead. And my wife always tries to reconnect

with the Vietnamese culture and she bakes these cakes and she baked this when she found out, my wife Hannah, when she found out that you were on the show, she was like, "Okay, can I make her a Vietnamese cake?" And she made you a traditional Vietnamese bumble cake. Yeah. Look at my wife Hannah's bumble cream cake.

That'd be OK. Would you try some of this? Yeah, of course. I got the spoons here. All right. OK. I hate to go into the stereotype of-- This is one of my worst nightmares, is eating on camera.

It's OK. You got nominated for an Oscar. You can pretend to like this. This could be like your thing. Like, what's the chicken wing show? Oh, the hot ones? Yeah. But yours could be like-- or Hannah could do a Vietnamese. Yeah. She got this featured in The New York Times. This is a New York Times bumble. Wow. Wow. Can you tell her how delicious it is?

- Okay, The Instigators will debut in select theaters August 2nd and then will be available on Apple TV Plus August 9th. Everybody, please give up for Oscar nominated Hong Kong.

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The 2024 presidential election is here. MSNBC has the in-depth coverage and analysis you need. Our reporters are on the ground. Steve Kornacki is at the big board breaking down the races. Rachel Maddow and our Decision 2024 team will provide insight as results come in. And the next day, Morning Joe will give you perspective on what it all means for the future of our country. Watch coverage of the 2024 presidential election Tuesday, November 5th on MSNBC.

My guest tonight is director of Wicked and Crazy Rich Asians. I hope he remembers me. He's the author of Viewfinder, a memoir of seeing and being seen. Please welcome Mr. John M. Chu. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

So good to see you here. It's great to be here. This is your new book? Yes. I immediately look for where I was mentioned. And do you mind just reading this out so I have this on video? Perfect. Ronnie Chang. Sorry, look in the camera. Sorry. Ronnie Chang had caught my eye when he did a piece on The Daily Show that mocked a racist Fox News segment about Chinatown.

I love that he was smart and hilarious and clearly wasn't trying to please anybody. Thank you. Just for my Instagram. No, but this is a crazy full circle moment. It is. Because I guess you, I never heard this story from you, but you apparently saw me on The Daily Show and that's how you cast me on it. Yeah. And now here we are. Here we are. We're just talking on The Daily Show and you're the guest and I'm hosting. It's nice. It's nice. Everything is nice. When we were casting Crazy Rich Asians, yeah, right? Come on.

When we were casting, I just wanted to cast Asians that I wanted to be like or had the confidence to be like. And you had all of it. And we were casting an asshole, so it was perfect. Yeah.

I take it. Yeah. Dude, the story was, for me, was I saw you making the movie, and then at that time, I just moved to America. Hollywood was such a faraway thing. I didn't even, not even my wildest dreams would I be in a movie. You know, I was just some asshole comic, like, running from bar to bar telling dick jokes. And, um...

And so I didn't even think about it. I just thought, oh, it's cool that John Chu is doing a story set in Singapore. I was like, oh, that's cool. I can't wait to watch this movie. And then I read this article that came out a few weeks later that you said, like, that

The headline was, John Chu having trouble casting authentic accents in Crazy Rich Asians. And I did the most Hollywood thing ever. I just called my agent. And I was like, yo, I will never do this. I told my agent, I'll never pull this card. But if you get me an audition, I promise you I'm going to book this. I promise you. And then he got me to send an audition in. I taped it. I sent it in. A few weeks later, it got cast. Come on. I mean, the reality is you were already on our list. Yeah, I know.

So, and then I meet you on set and you're like, oh yeah, you were always on our pitch deck. Literally my pitch deck. I would flip around and we're going to get Ronny Chieng. That's going to be the Asian Avengers. Okay. That's great. And now you are part of the Marvel Universe.

That's great, but then that would never got back to me No one told me I was on the pitch deck. So I was auditioning. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we gotta make you work for it Yeah, I was happy to audition for it. And the first thing you told me When I got on set was I just I loved how positive you were on set It's my first time on any movie said I was just like some small role in it I didn't you know, I wasn't trying to make about me at all, but you're so you're so positive. He didn't at all

Never, never. And you came up to me, and the first thing you said was like, "Hey, man, you know, I see auras." And-and I go like... I-I'm like, "I don't want to know my aura. Please don't tell me." And you go, "You have... You got pink dots on your arm." And-and that arm... Like, I have an injured right arm. And so I don't know how you saw that. Well, you shouldn't be on Edibles when you meet your actor for the first time.

But if you're outing me as a spiritualist, then I don't know if I believe in all that stuff. But I do see colors. Yeah. I've never said that publicly. I'm trying to get you to say stuff you didn't say on Colbert. It is true. It is true. Yeah, I see it. You have a lot of blue spikes right now. Right now? All over your head. I don't know what it means, so I cannot actually tell you what it is. I think it's just the lighting, man. It's true. But you know what it means. And I'm on edibles, so no, I'm not. Okay.

Yeah, but you were always relentlessly very positive, you know? And that was a tough film to make. And, I mean, when you were making it, did you -- did you know that it was going to become what it was? -No, I don't think any of us could have known. I think when we were there and we were all together, we were talking about our experiences of being an Asian person in entertainment from all around the world, wherever anyone came from, I think we shared something that was really powerful, that, "Hey, this is actually really important.

Whether people see it or not, we didn't know. We didn't really care. It was like for us to show off what we could do. We could make fun of ourselves and our culture and our people. And we could show them as beautiful and as heroes and as villains in any way we wanted. And I think it was when we were making it is when I felt like if people get a load of this, they're not even ready.

So you could feel it on set. I could feel it on set. But you don't know until the audience shows up. And that first weekend when people brought their grandmothers and people who hadn't gone to the movies for all these years and were crying outside and would just congregate in the lobby. You just felt that like we were part of something, something bigger than us. And I guess I want to talk about this relentless positivity that I felt

back then and I still feel now. And I guess, I don't know if you have any words of how to stay positive in these times, 'cause I feel like, if anything, the world has gotten less positive after we made this movie, but you never stopped with the positivity. So I don't know if you have any perspective on that. - That's part of the reason why I wrote the book is,

You know, I grew up in an America where people believed in their dreams that you could achieve these things. My parents have a Chinese restaurant. I grew up as a restaurant kid doing my homework at the bar. Yeah, you go there all the time. Chef Chu, follow Alto. That's right, that's right. Hello, Uncle.

And I feel like, you know, the American dream still exists. Yes, it was maybe not what our parents said it was and maybe not what we hoped it would be, but the idea of it still exists. And we have the power to control what that narrative will be in the future. And I really want in the book to show any young dreamer out there or old dreamer, when you're on the cusp of chasing your dream, that it can happen.

and that it's hard and that there's ups and downs and it's not overnight, but if you just keep walking, you'll end up at some place. And I think that's necessary in this world right now. -Yeah. I mean...

I did read this and it's a page. I did read it. I did. I was looking for my name. I was like, hold on. It's already at the end. So I had to read the whole book before I could find out what you said about me. But no, this book is a very positive book. I feel like I almost feel like you wrote it for kids to read almost in a way for them to read and see, you know, how to navigate life.

kind of dream chasing. I also think like everyone has a camera now. Everyone's a creator. Everyone has a, you know, on their phones or editing for TikTok or whatever it may be. And

That's power. That is a very powerful thing in your hand. And when I started making videos, it was for weddings and bar mitzvahs in high school, and I was like the only kid doing it. And now everyone does it. So I think there's a responsibility when you realize the power that you have. And I think there's understanding what that grammar is of audiovisual storytelling and what you want to say is more important than ever and owning who you are. That's why it's called viewfinder, is to find who you are and how you want to express that.

And you may have mistakes that you make along the way, but that's okay. It's a constant. It's a routine. Chasing your dreams is a routine. It isn't a goal or destination.

And I do want to talk about this next project you're doing. So you've helped Asian representation in film, and you've helped Latino representation in film, and now you're helping green people be represented in film. So this next movie project, Wicked. Yeah. When is it coming out? It's coming out November 22nd, and we have Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo playing the two witches. Yeah.

And I mean, just to set it up, what made you want to choose to work on Wicked? Well, it's about the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West. So Cynthia Evo plays Elphaba, who in the story of The Wizard of Oz, which is probably one of the greatest American fairy tales out there, she is seen as like the Wicked Witch. But there is a deeper plan, a darker plan that has made her the Wicked Witch. And when you get to meet her as Elphaba,

as a young dreamer, that you find out that she more than meets the eye. And seeing that story in a totally different point of view is fascinating, interesting, and you get to almost take apart the American story and put it back together. And I loved it. So it had a lot of meaning to me in terms of

You know, anyone who feels different and what does it feel like to come through? And also for Galinda, who's Galinda the Good in Wizard of Oz, that she goes through a transition, that she could live in a bubble her whole life and never have to fight for anything because she has that privilege. But at some point, Galinda also has to pop her own bubble. And I think that is as much bravery as anyone else to get off your privilege for a moment to confront some of the things that we have to confront these days.

Yeah, it's the way you talk about all your projects. It's all like that. That's how he talks about everything on set. He's always... It's real. It's real for him. It's in here. And I just want to say, you know, thanks so much for believing in me on your project. I love you so much. You changed my life by putting me on. And thanks for trusting me. And thanks for making all these really great films. John Chu, everybody.

Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount+. Paramount Podcasts.

Welcome to the Cooper residence. Cooper McAllister. I'm surprised you put my name first. Come on in. From the brains behind the Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, CBS is excited to welcome back some beloved, familiar folks. I am so glad that you and Cece are here. And Georgie. Atta girl. It's a whole new chapter. Georgie and Mandy's first marriage premieres CBS Thursday, 8, 7 central and streaming on Paramount+.

Okay, want to know where to find brands on brands on brands this fall? At Ross. Mm-hmm. They've got big savings on the latest fall styles. Seriously, you'll find the brands you want at prices you'll love. At Ross. Yes for less.

Hey there, fellow globetrotters and destination dreamers. If you're anything like us, you know that life's too short for boring toasters and towels. That's why we decided to ditch the traditional wedding registry and went with HoneyFund.com. Imagine your friends and family chipping in to send you on a dreamy exotic honeymoon. Practical? Check. Meaningful? Check.

Join the revolution at HoneyFund.com and start your adventure today.