In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the Prime Video Limited Series X-Pats and I'm talking with the cast. Ready? Let's go!
Welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from I Heart Radio.
Your Pop Culture News, Views, Reviews, and Celebrity Interviews on all the movies, TV, music, and Pop Culture you crave. Weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon.
Hello and welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I of course am Kyle McMahon and I am so excited because we have a brand new episode for you and this one is all about X-Pats which is an incredible limited series on Prime Video and it is really, really amazing.
It stars Nicole Kidman and Soraiu Blue, G Young You, Brian T. Jack Houston and it is the creator, director, and writer.
It is Lulu Wang who she is absolutely incredible too. If you're unfamiliar with Lulu Wang for some reason, come on.
You're a Pop Culture lover, that's why you're hanging out with me on this show. But Lulu is best known for I would say the Farewell, a film that was released in 2019 that is really incredible if you have not seen it. Go watch that as soon as you're done here.
One of the top 10 films of 2019 by the American Film Institute received an independent Spirit Award for Best Film. It was actually one Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Aquafina for it.
Critics Choice, I mean it just was really an incredible film that you got to watch. Lulu Wang is an incredible creator, writer, director, and that really shows an X-Pats.
So what X-Pats is about, it basically centers on around these X-patriots. It is based on a book called the X-patriots by Janice Waike Lee.
It centers around this X-Pat community over in Hong Kong in 2014. And these three women's lives that have, you know, are kind of forced to intersect through this tragedy.
It is really, really, really incredible. It's six episodes on Prime Video really, really, really worth your time. Nicole Kidman is amazing. The whole cast is amazing.
And today I talk with Lulu Wang herself, as well as G-Young You, who plays Mercy Jack Houston, Sarayu Blue, and Brian T.
So I am talking with the cast and we've got lots of good stuff to get into. So let's get right into it. All right.
First up, let's talk with G-Young You and Sarayu Blue, all about X-Pats. Here we go.
Thank you both for speaking with me. I really appreciate it.
Thank you.
So first of all, X-Pats is incredibly powerful art. It is all I can describe it as. It is so thought-provoking. And, you know, for me watching you as artists is really a treat in so many ways.
What was it like for both of you to be a part of such a powerful story?
I mean, I think I can safely say it was a dream come true, you know, to get to play characters that are so layered and complicated and complex and being a world of humans who are layered and complicated and complex.
And to just be a part of a show that leaves you with so many questions and few answers is always exciting and kind of I think why so many artists gravitate to storytelling in the first place.
And how do you do that?
I would totally agree. I think it's always a privilege and kind of a miracle when you're able to work on something with incredible writing and with an incredible team.
So to be able to do this show is just like it's honestly like winning the lottery.
And, you know, in one of the other interviews I had kind of likened the story to, you know, as an expat, you're already kind of isolated in many ways in like an island.
And then with some of the, you know, things that are going on in the series is even more isolating and like being on an island.
And it's so layered and rich. Where did you pull from? I mean, obviously you're a very talented artist and that's what you do. But how do you get to a place like that? You know, for your character.
I mean, I would say emotionally it can be very exhausting and very hard to do a show that is as intense as this show is.
But in many ways it's very easy when you have good writing. Great writing makes it very easy to find the emotions and I think the show has phenomenal writing.
So a lot of the scenes that honestly do it themselves. I would read them and think about it and cry. My goodness, it's just one of those things.
I also think, you know, it's interesting. We've gotten this question a few times and every time I kind of am like grappling like what is it?
Part of it is what Gying is saying for me. It is very much at the writing was all there and so we were very lucky to just have this.
The life is there and all we got to do is step into it. There's also another element that I'm realizing is most of us feel very alone.
And that's just this really deep truth. And there is that experience just of being alive and being a human in the world that we all connect to and part of it is feeling alone.
And what's really great is there is this point where you start to realize that's universal and that's why you're not alone.
But I think many of us in the world resonate with not feeling seen, not feeling understood and feeling like little baby fishes out of water.
And I think that's the universal truth of our show.
That's so powerful. I love that. That's like a big aha I think at least for me where.
Yes, you know, and so many people find so much uncomfortableness in that fact of being alone that they fill it with maybe things that aren't healthy or whatever it is.
And where as you're saying so so beautifully.
And it is kind of a human condition to feel alone, you know, and maybe more so at some points than others in the course of our lives.
And maybe more so some person may feel more alone generally than another, but it is a human condition.
And we have to live with that and live through that in many ways.
Yes, very much that.
And sort of the reason I find what is it that's why this art is so amazing, right? Because it's very specific, but that's also that specific is what makes it universal.
Yeah, yeah, thank you both so much. It is an absolute.
I can't wait for everybody to see expats. You both are such incredible artists, the cast, Lulu itself.
It's just perfect and I can't wait for everybody to see it. Thank you for speaking with me.
Thank you so much.
Are you blue and G young you two incredible actors really great in this.
I can't wait for you to see expats and then talk to me about it. It's really good.
Next stop we are talking with Lulu Wang herself again.
You know, I talked about Lulu Wang at the top of the show.
So an incredible visionary as a creator, writer, director and she really, really, really has done an incredible job with this, you know, bringing it from the book to a series.
It's just beautifully told and you got to watch it. So anyway, here is my interview with Lulu Wang.
Thank you so much, Lulu, for speaking with me.
I really appreciate it. expats is an incredible work of art that I am deeply moved by and I can't wait for everybody to see it.
Thank you.
Of course, I feel like we've trauma bounded even though I've never met you with especially the farewell all of your work.
I found so much, you know, such a connection through your storytelling and the farewell and I've noticed in your work that there seems to be some recurring themes.
Relating to trauma and family and connection. Is that purposeful for you?
Yeah, absolutely. I think that I obviously come from a family with a lot of trauma as many of us do.
And also a lot of humor, so there's always that intersection of, like, you know, kind of laughing through the pain. It's the only way.
And in connection, I think my biggest fear in life, I've come to realize, is being misunderstood because in a way I've always been misunderstood.
And no matter which circle I'm in, I'm the outsider. And so I have the reason that I create art in a way is to be heard and to hopefully, you know, kind of process some of my own thoughts and traumas and just be seen.
And so I think like I definitely explore characters who probably deal with some of those same fears of being misunderstood.
That's powerful. And that's to me, that's what great art does. Both for artists and for, you know, viewers watching expats, you know, in one of the other interviews I mentioned that I feel like, and I'm not, but I feel like if I was an expat, I kind of feel in many ways, at least to a point, kind of on like an island, if you will.
And then the, you know, some of the situations that the characters are dealing with kind of puts them even on an island on their island. You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And all of the range of human emotions in the human condition that all come with that too. Is that part of what drew you to telling the story?
Yeah, that's such a perceptive comment because, you know, I think I always thought about expats as a bubble. And why do we create bubbles, right? We create bubbles because it's familiar because it's safe because we're afraid.
And so when we're in foreign places, it's very easy to kind of retreat back to what you know, even though there's this great opportunity right outside your door to experience a whole new world.
We often don't. And in many ways, we are all living in a bubble, right? Because we are marketed to, there's algorithms that tell you how to think, what to read, what to listen to, what to watch, what to eat.
And so I wanted to break out of that bubble. It was really important that, you know, we were looking at the bubble from the outside as well to show these different perspectives and to show what can happen when we really expand our perspective.
Yeah, so, you know, what you're saying is so profound to me and comes through beautifully through the series, it's scary outside of that bubble, you know. And I feel as you're saying this, I feel like I'm realizing that it can also be scary inside of your bubble, you know.
expats kind of puts us, interestingly enough, in the world of somebody who is in a kind
of their own bubble being an expat, but then their own bubble of isolation or pain or
trauma and how our bubbles sometimes-- whether we want them to or not-- have to intersect.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I mean, the other scary thing about being in a bubble, which you don't recognize, is that
you can also get kicked out of that bubble, right?
If you become-- we stay in our bubble because we feel like it's safe, but the minute that
you deviate, then you become the threat, you get kicked out of that bubble.
And so, like, in my life as somebody who's always in between worlds, I never fully belong
in any one bubble because I have so many different bubbles and pockets of people.
And so there's a part of me that just like is like, no, you're all more alike than you
think, just collide, just have a communion of some sort.
I love that.
Lulu, thank you so much for speaking with me today and thank-- I cannot wait for everybody
to see this series.
It is so powerful and you have just, as always, creating elevated art.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I really appreciate it.
Lulu Wang!
Incredible.
I really love her. I'm so happy for her that she is getting her flowers.
And I think she'll be doing that with expats as well.
All right.
Next up, Jack Houston and Brian T. Brian, I've talked to before for-- I believe it was one
of the fast-- no, it was for PBS, a capital fourth or National Memorial Day concert.
That's what it was.
National Memorial Day concert.
This time, obviously, I'm talking to him about expats.
And he's here with Jack Houston, who you may know as Ben Hurr from the 2016 series, is
also in Fargo on FX.
I believe it was the fourth season.
And again, two incredible actors that I'm really excited to talk to.
Brian, of course, has been playing Dr. Ethan Choi on all the Chicago series, Chicago med,
and all the spin-offs.
He was in Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift, the Wolverine Jurassic World Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles out of the shadows, and he's a great guy.
So there you go.
So let's get into my conversation with Jack Houston and Brian T.
First of all, thank you, Brian and Jack, for speaking with me.
This series is incredibly taught and thrilling.
It's incredible.
What was it like to be a part of a project like this that is so many things?
I think it's one of those projects as an actor, as an artist, that you dream about being
a part of, to be completely honest.
I think the elevation of story and character, and especially the very strong, talented, brilliant
women that we were able to write the co-tales on in that sense, was something for me that
I've never been a part of, and just a dream of mine.
So it's just one of those things as far as an artist is concerned as far as an actor.
Because of the quality of work, because of the quality of people that you really strive
for, and I'm very blessed to be sitting here with Jack and to be a part of this whole journey.
Yeah, completely agree.
So you feel the same, Jack?
I do.
It's just so nice when you go to work and you sort of love every second of it.
It's a real treat.
That is the privilege for us.
It's like when you're working on material that you truly care about, written and directed
and produced and just put together by these incredible women who, you know, with such complexities
and such tragedy and so funny and all of the layers that you're looking for when you go
to work and you really get to explore it.
And that's the great thing about TV these days is you really get to go further and really
sort of like flesh out these characters.
You have six hours, you know, six and a half hours in this case, to really go on a journey
and I think it's...
I even watching it from the other side.
I always like reading things that I say, oh, I watch this and it far exceeded what I...
When I saw it, I was like, this is wonderful.
This is brilliant.
I don't even want to call it television.
It's so elevated.
No, you're right.
You're absolutely right.
I think it's a cinematic experience.
Yeah, it is.
What we've created is a six and a half hour movie.
And that sense.
And, you know, to be able, like Jack was saying, to be able to delve deeper into those particular
characters for an extended period of time is such a gift, such a gift.
And it's a gift for the viewer as well.
For me, this...
You know, there's many things that I'm trying to be as spoiler free as possible.
But one of the big things for me is is that you're away from home and that's isolating in
itself.
And you have so many of these characters that are also, I feel, on their own kind of
island in their own isolation.
What is the series for you, for both of you?
It's very cute, isn't it?
Because it is very much...
It's a very lonely show because everybody's going through their own trauma and they're
dealing with it in their way, the only way they know how.
So it is.
It's almost like they are trying to break out of their own island.
They're sort of like subdued for you, whatever it is.
It's very astute to pick it out like that.
Yeah.
I think when dealing with tragedy and hardship and pain, it's a very lonely place to be.
And I think anyone can really relate to that.
I think that's the brilliance of this show.
Each one of their characters are going through their different aspects, right?
And almost like you were saying in an island type of way.
But yet audiences can really gravitate towards and relate to these particular characters
with the experiences that they're going through.
So I think audiences are going to enjoy this as much as we do.
I mean, I think it's such an elevated piece of art, right?
That far exceeded our expectations and both of us are sit back here gleaming with them
and wanting to talk about this and share this to the world.
Thank you both so much, Luloo Zajinis and how you have brought her vision and the book's
vision is an absolute must see in my opinion for everybody.
I can't wait for everybody to see it.
Thank you both so much.
Thank you, God.
And that's awesome.
Thank you for saying that, man.
That's awesome.
Of course.
It's my pleasure, truly.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you, bud.
Jack Houston, Brian C. All right.
That's our episode for today.
Go and watch X-pads.
I believe the first two episodes are on Prime Video right now and you will really, really,
really, really enjoy this series.
So see it, hit me up on socials or through the talk back button on the IHR radio app or
however you want to hit me up and let's talk X-pads.
All right.
I love you.
I'll see you next week.
Yeah.
Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Weekly.
You're all the latest at popcultureweekly.com.
[MUSIC]