Stephanie Hsu has joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ series American Born Chinese in a guest starring role (via Variety). The role reunites Hsu with her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan who both star in the series based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name. Production on the series began in February and is directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton. Kelvin Yu serves as showrunner.
American Born Chinese tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When he meets a new foreign exchange student, Wei-Chen, on the first day of the school year, even more words collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The show is a genre-hopping action-comedy that explores issues of identity, culture, and family. In the series, Hsu will play Shiji Niangniang, the Goddess of Stones, who works in a modern-day jewelry shop with her magical dog. Yeo plays Guanyin, the unassuming auntie who helps nephew Wei-Chen (Jim Liu) navigate American high school whilst maintaining her own secret identity as the powerful bodhisattva of Compassion. Quan plays Freddy Wong, a fictional character from a popular sitcom.
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“Reading Kelvin’s riveting adaptation of Gene’s incredible novel had me laughing and crying and jumping out of my chair on every page,” Cretton said previously. “I feel deeply connected to the characters in this story and the brilliant team bringing it to life. This show is going to be unlike anything we’ve experienced on TV, and I can’t wait for the world to see what we’re cooking up.”
“Gene Luen Yang’s book is a staple in American literature, and deeply important to a whole generation of readers,” Yu said. “Destin and Melvin are storytellers working at the highest level imaginable. It’s all so exciting and so humbling to be a part of.”
In addition to her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Hsu has also appeared as Mei in Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She’s also appeared on Hulu’s The Path and will next be seen in Peacock’s series Poker Face as well as Adele Lim’s untitled comedy feature for Lionsgate.
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Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images for SXSW
