Michelle Yeoh on Her ‘Trendy’ Goddess of Mercy in ‘American Born Chinese’: ‘We Agreed She Should Be in Hoodies and Sweatpants’
variety.comRachel Seo Chinese folklore gets a Disney spin in “American Born Chinese,” an eight-episode series created by Kelvin Yu, which landed on Disney+ on Wednesday.
An adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, the series centers on Bay Area teenager Jin Wang (Ben Wang), who becomes entangled in a fantastical quest after a new classmate, Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu), reveals himself to be the son of the Monkey King and recruits Jin to help him search for the Fourth Scroll.
Featuring an all-star cast that includes Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Chin Han, Yann Yann Yeo and Sydney Taylor, “American Born Chinese” recontextualizes ancient history for modern audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the original stories, bringing together the talents of some of the most prominent Asian actors, writers and directors in entertainment.
Yeoh, the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star who recently made history by becoming the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for best lead actress, says she was recruited for the role of Guanyin — the goddess of mercy — by Destin Daniel Cretton, who had already signed on to direct episodes of the television show.
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