HBO’s Silicon Valley is one of the funniest shows on television at the moment, much thanks to its depth and plethora of talented comedic cast members.
One of the more pleasant surprises of season three has been the use Jimmy O. Yang, who plays Jian Yang, as comedic relief. As the only tenant of the incubator not directly involved with Pied Piper, Jian Yang’s commitment to making Erlich’s life a living hell has been one of the brighter spots in a very excellent season so far.
On the latest episode of my podcast, Brunch, Yang joined to talk about his role on the show. (Interview starts at 32:45.)
(Show artwork by Kathy Polo.)
Some topics we hit on:
- How much of the character is based on himself when he first came to America
- The amazing prank calls to Erlich
- Which actor on set is the best at improv? Who breaks most often?
- Why he turned down another series before becoming a regular on Silicon Valley
- The use and perception of Asian actors & accents in Hollywood
- His role in Peter Berg’s upcoming Boston Marathon bombing film Patriots’ Day
- Whether Jian Yang and Erlich could save True Detective
If you enjoyed the podcast, you can feel free to subscribe and review on iTunes. We also spoke to Chris Diamantopolous, the actor who plays Russ Hanneman on Silicon Valley, so feel free to check that out as well. I’m available on Twitter (@PeteBlackburn) and would love to hear feedback.
