One of the reasons Fresh Off the Boat is the number one watched show among Asian Americans is that the actors and the people behind the scenes understand the significance of their program to the Asian American community.
Not only is it the first show to feature an Asian American family in 20 years, the show is presented in a way that presents the cultural nuances in a positive and entertaining light.
Two recent interviews by Randall Park and Constance Wu illustrate the two understand their positions in the community.
“Ultimately just having the goal of making sure that first and foremost the show is funny — and really, I mean, not going there in terms of the stereotypical jokes, the easy jokes, the racist jokes, said Park to NPR’s Ann Marie Baldonado on Fresh Air. “That was easy for us to avoid, because to us that’s not funny. We weren’t going to go there — and do those tired, cliché, stereotypical jokes.”
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Wu told Fusion she wants to go beyond the boundaries and limitations set for Asian Americans by Hollywood.
“I want to support uniquely Asian American stories. I don’t want to just play the hostage in some big studio movie. If I get that, that’s great. But if it coincides with an opportunity about the Asian American experience that pays me, like, a quarter of the salary, I’d rather do that.”
You can read the interviews in their entirety on NPR and Fusion.
