Bowen Yang Says “It’s a Miracle” That ‘Wicked’ Is Out Given the Political Climate: “It’s About Racism and Fascism”

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Bowen Yang is getting real about starring in Wicked and being the face of Saturday Night Live.

On Thursday, an American actor captivated crowds at the BFI Flare, the London festival celebrating LGBTQIA+ films, with a captivating Q&A session in the city.

Or simply:

An American actor charmed audiences during a Q&A at the BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, on Thursday in the British capital.

During a conversation with his podcast partner Matt Rogers, Yang was questioned about the extent he could improvise on the set of Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” and the intimidation he felt in the presence of the fervor displayed by co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

As a gamer, I found myself overwhelmed by the intricate detail and the fervor everyone was putting into this project. To be honest, it seemed like we were all swimming against the current, except for Jon. He was the captain who stood tall above the waves, navigating our course forward. The rest of us were just trying to keep afloat amidst the sea of challenges.

Yang shared an amusing story about how Chu used to playfully trick him. Specifically, he would unexpectedly ask him to ad-lib following prearranged scenes, as evidenced by the scene where his character nervously inquired of Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero: “Do you frequent here often?

I remarked, ‘Alright, let me try something light-hearted, it won’t be useful anyway. I’m definitely not competing with screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. Not a chance.’ However, Jon incorporated every one of my improvisations!

The individual expresses that he continues to view “Wicked” as if he were a college student when dissecting its themes. He finds it both politically tragic and captivating, as well as aesthetically pleasing. The star marvels at the success of “Wicked,” considering its storyline tackles issues such as racism and fascism. He can’t help but be amazed that it exists and flourishes in the world, commenting, “It’s amazing that Wicked is out there… It’s only through causing problems for others that the wizard possesses power.

As a fan, I’d share that Yang candidly discussed his imposter syndrome while working on SNL. He confessed that it wasn’t until he took LSD during a vacation that he could envision himself being part of the show. He admitted, “I doubted myself, wondering ‘Can I really do this? What am I doing here? This feels surreal…’ It was on the beach where I took the LSD. But then, watching sketches of Stefon on my phone helped me conquer that notion. I hallucinated myself as Stefon and thought, ‘I get it now.’ And I had the chance to tell Bill about it.

In his upcoming leading part is Andrew Ahn’s film titled The Wedding Banquet, alongside Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, and Han Gi-chan. “Andrew excels at this,” he remarked, “He understands the romantic comedy formula. He amplifies it to the extreme, only to abruptly change directions. It’s a writing technique in comedy as well. You loosen a thread, and that’s the initial move. Then you tug it again, then you cut the thread. You think it’s finished, but you tug it one more time.”

– The original sentence is grammatically correct but can be made easier to understand by rephrasing some parts, such as changing “dial it up to the mass” to “amplifies it to the extreme”, and explaining the writing technique in comedy for clarity.

Additionally, Yang shared that working alongside the “Korean Meryl Streep,” Youn Yuh-jung, was an electrifying encounter: “She’s a legendary figure in Korea. During a scene where we filmed a Korean wedding, there were numerous Korean actors and crew members present. When she entered the room, she seemed to vacuum up all the air. Everyone straightened up instantly.

Initially, Young wasn’t confident about the role after reading the script, but her son encouraged her to read it again. “He essentially told me, ‘I’m gay,'” Yang explained, “and it appeared that the characters had their unique aspects.” However, they seemed to have a very touching storyline as they embarked on their journey towards unity.

The Wedding Banquet hits theaters Apr. 18 in the U.S.

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2025-03-20 18:54