Jimmy O. Yang plays a waiter who finds himself embroiled in a mystery in Interior Chinatown.

Mike Taing/Hulu

When actor Jimmy O. Yang first read Interior Chinatown, he felt a spark of recognition. Charles Yu''s National Book Award-winning novel tells the story of an Asian American waiter named Willis who becomes embroiled in a mystery after witnessing a crime. Though Yang hadn''t been central to a crime story, he could relate to Willis'' outsider status. 

"I really felt like [the novel] spoke to me as an Asian American, as an actor, as an artist ... who felt like I was always in the background of my life and I always have to find a way to sneak in," Yang says. "It almost sounded like the book was based on my climb and struggle in my career."

https://www.npr.org/2024/11/18/nx-s1-5192617/jimmy-o-yang-interior-chinatown