I was wondering if after all these months you’d like to read this…

Hello from the other siiiiiiiide 

As I sat down to write my first post in months, Adele’s opening lyrics from “Hello” came into my head and I realized the above paraphrased version perfectly captured what I was feeling. This site has always been where I share fun news, but 2020 made it hard for me to write or focus on much besides maintaining sanity and not getting Covid-19.

But now we’re on the other side and I wanted to poke my head back out and say hi! And I have a fun reason to do so.

Shielded and masked on set

Toward the end of last year, I had the great pleasure of being a Vietnamese consultant and dialogue coach on several episodes of This Is Us, which featured a storyline involving a mysterious Vietnamese man named Hai and his relationship with Randall’s birth mom, Laurel.

When I first read episode 506, “Birth Mother,” cowritten by Kay Oyegun and Eboni Freeman (Oyegun also directed it), I thought it was the most beautiful TV episode I’d ever read that centered a Vietnamese character. And I couldn’t have been more thrilled when Vien Hong and Kane Lieu were chosen to play Hai at different ages.

Courtesy of Vien Hong

When “Birth Mother” aired January 12, viewers fell head over heels for the kind and generous man who, for over 40 years, never stopped loving Laurel. Fans on social media demanded to know and see more of the two actors who played Hai. I’m happy to oblige with an interview Vien and Kane graciously agreed to do for PCN.

Vien holds a degree in drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts (something he shares with This Is Us stars Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson), and appeared on series like ER, 7th Heaven, and JAG. After taking a hiatus from acting, he aged himself drastically—by dehydrating himself and skipping sleep—to audition for the sixtysomething version of Hai. This Is Us marks his first time in front of the camera in 15 years.

IMDb

Young Hai is played by Kane, an actor and filmmaker who first made his mark at the 2017 My Rode Reel competition, where a film he produced took the People’s Choice Award. Prior to This Is Us, Kane’s credits included NCIS: Los Angeles, Orville, and Rosewood.

Pop Culture Nerd: What were your first thoughts after reading this episode?

Vien Hong: Wow, I’m out of tissues. That’s some great storytelling! So visual.

PCN: It made me very emotional. Kane?

Kane Lieu: I knew it was something special. I was extremely excited that they were bringing an Asian individual to this story. I felt it was a bold choice that worked out perfectly.

PCN: Hai broke boundaries. I can’t remember when a Vietnamese man, much less a Vietnamese grandpa, has ever been shown as a romantic lead on network TV. What did it mean for you to book this role?

Vien’s first day on set, with Brandilyn Cheah. Photo: PCN

VH: That this would showcase me—an Asian actor—in a light Hollywood isn’t accustomed to. That if I keep the moments truthful, people would relate to him or know someone like him.

KL: It definitely meant a lot to me. Someone asked me: “How did you prepare for this role?” Honestly, when I first read the audition material, I immediately connected with it. I mean, my mother and father are both immigrants and they came to America just like Hai. Didn’t know a single word. So I related to Hai very much.

PCN: Besides the personal impact, did you consider Hai’s larger impact on Vietnamese viewers?

VH: I had a feeling viewers would take notice that this is something fresh, that this character is not a carbon copy of all the stereotypes and clichés from other projects.

Kane on set, courtesy of the actor

KL: I knew a lot of Vietnamese people would be watching, so with you, Elyse, the accent was very important to me. I wanted to be as authentic as possible.

PCN: And you nailed it! What were your favorite experiences on set?

KL: My absolute favorite moment was right after we filmed the crawfish scene. The director, Kay Oyegun, came up to me and gave me some very kind, encouraging words. She said, “Kane, you’re a leading man and America is going to see that.” That hit me to the core. Someone who wasn’t Asian wanted to see an Asian leading man. That was an extremely important moment to me. I will never forget that.

PCN: She’s right. How about you, Vien?

Vien with Angela Gibbs, who plays older Laurel. Photo: PCN

VH: I loved the transformation with makeup and hair and costume. As each layer of Old Age clove was applied and each strand of hair grayed out, I felt myself transforming into a grandfather.

PCN: What were the challenges, if any, and how did you overcome them?

VH: My biggest challenge was getting back into acting after not being in front of the camera for at least 15 years. It took a bit of time to get used to, lots of conversations with a dear actor friend whom I respect. She helped put things in perspective, and got me to not beat myself up too much as I tried to get back on the bike.

KL: A lot of the challenges were Covid-related. I had to make sure after I got home from set that I kept any interactions to a minimum, if any at all. Every time I took a Covid test, I would just pray I didn’t catch it going to the grocery store or something.

PCN: Same. I was so nervous opening the lab results every time! What did you discover about yourself in the process of playing Hai?

Kane with Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall. Courtesy of Kane.

KL: I discovered I am very much enough. There were times when I had made certain choices and the director would provide only simple notes for me, and I realized most of the time, she wanted nothing more than just me.

VH: For me it was patience and listening.  My 14- and 11-year-old asked for me to be Hai from here on instead of Dad.

PCN: Ha! This Is Us fans are clamoring for more Hai, too, even a spin-off with him and Laurel.

VH: Oh, that would be tremendous!

PCN: How are you absorbing all of the public reactions? What has surprised you most?

VH: I had no idea Hai was going to be this well-received. Surreal is the only word that comes to mind. It’s extremely flattering to hear what fans of the show are saying. It’s quite a humbling experience, indeed.

KL: It is kind of nuts. I seriously did not expect this feedback. I’ve read a lot of the comments and messages, and it’s really so sweet what people are saying, like just how my small gestures made such an impact on them. I also had lots of messages from Asian individuals telling me how they really felt seen because of Hai. That meant a lot.

*****

Have you seen Hai on This Is Us? Episodes 503 through 506, in which he appears, are available on Hulu. If you’ve seen the extraordinary “Birth Mother,” leave some love for Vien and Kane in the comments!

Follow Vien at Vien Hong, Actor on Facebook and @vientheactor on Instagram, and Kane @kanelieu on Instagram and Twitter.

Years ago, I got to meet Carrie Fisher. I cried, because there was no way I could’ve conveyed in words how much the Star Wars movies meant to me as a child. The experience was surreal and mind-blowing and full of joy.

This past weekend I got to meet another of my longtime idols. It started when my very talented friend Eileen Galindo posted on Facebook that she was doing a stage reading of Nora & Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore, adapted from Ilene Beckerman’s book. Among her castmates: Stephanie Zimbalist. Laura Holt herself.

The reading was one weekend only. I scrambled for tickets and Mr. PCN and I drove to the Laguna Playhouse on Saturday. I even wore my Holt-ish hat.

I looked at this trip as going to support Eileen, with no expectations I’d get to meet Ms. Zimbalist. I’m no good at walking up to famous people and telling them I used to idolize them. I mean, I recently stood about twenty feet away from Harrison Ford and didn’t say a word to him.

The reading was funny and poignant, and afterward Mr. PCN and I waited in the lobby for Eileen. She came out, we shared hugs and congratulations.

Then, because Mr. PCN (unbeknownst to me) had told Eileen ahead of time about my rabid Laura Holt fandom, she said, “Wait right here. I’ll get Stephanie for you.”

From StephanieZimbalist.net

Before I could compose myself, Stephanie walked out, shook my hand, was as nice and gracious as can be, and I started getting that verklempt feeling.

Since the stage reading had been about fashion and the clothing we wear during significant moments of our lives, I told her that in college, while some of my friends were dressing like Madonna with their underwear as outerwear, I liked hats and classic clothes and pencil skirts because of Laura Holt. Her style was timeless, and while I’m not sure I have any fashion sense, to this day I shy away from trends and stick with items I can wear for years. Stephanie said she still has the hats and suits, and that they were her idea.

I didn’t want to take up too much of her time because she needed to rest up for another performance that evening, so I just asked for a photo and thanked her.

I didn’t tell her how much seeing her play a smart, independent woman on TV meant to me, how I admired Laura for being her own boss and teaching her male partner the tricks of the trade, not the other way around. How Laura inspired me to briefly work for a detective agency in L.A.

This is my keep-calm-and-don’t-freak-out face

To Stephanie, I was just another fan. But to me, it was a special afternoon.

Now I just have to find out where Lynda Carter and Lindsay Wagner hang out.

Any other Remington Steele fans here? Who have you always wanted to meet? What would you say to them?

Every year for the past three years, I’ve published a list of 10 nerdy hot celebs as a response to Maxim‘s Hot 100 list, which focuses only on physical perfection. The magazine released its selections a couple weeks ago, so it’s about time I got mine out.

The men chosen here are sexy for being incredibly good at playing goofy or awkward. You can have your Magic Mike beefcake; I’d rather watch these guys in action.

1. Benedict Cumberbatch. He not only manages to bring Sherlock Holmes into the twenty-first century, he makes the detective’s antisocial behavior highly entertaining, leaving fans panting for more.

2. Jean Dujardin. Yes, he has leading-man looks and played a movie star in his Oscar-winning role in The Artist, but George Valentin was also a giant ham, mugging for his audiences and doing tricks with his dog, Uggie. The actor himself is also committed to being silly, as he cameos on Saturday Night Live and “auditions” for these villain roles after winning his big prize.

3. James Marsden. The actor has shown glimpses of buffoonery before as the prince in Enchanted, but lately he’s been holding his own against Tina Fey on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon’s hapless boyfriend Criss. Criss looked like yet another loser at first, but Marsden imbues him with such joy and sweetness that his cluelessness is forgiven. Now I hope he and Liz last for a while, and maybe even have a “plant.”

4. Josh Hopkins. Though he regularly popped up on different drama series, he never left any traction in my consciousness until he showed up on Cougar Town as Grayson. When his character started singing silly songs (many of which the actor says he wrote himself), sometimes accompanying himself on a ukulele, I sat up and paid attention. And realized he’s hot.

5. Matthew Lewis. He played Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter’s awkward, chubby friend, for most of his childhood, and made me cry in the final movie. But when he showed up at the premieres, I realized the little nerdy boy was all grown up.

6. Blake Shelton. He acts reasonably normal as a coach on The Voice, but his goofball side gets unleashed in his crazy Twitter feed, which is filled with “drunk” tweets and TMI about the inner workings of his privates. Sometimes he goes too far, but his unapologetic wackiness gets him nerdy hotness points.

7. Michael Fassbender. He, uh, was kind of nerdy as Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method. Is that reaching a bit? OK, fine, he’s not nerdy at all, but dang it, I wanted to put him on this list, and it’s my blog, so there.

Fassbender as Jung

Fassy all purrrty

8. Max Greenfield. When we first met his character Schmidt on New Girl, any hotness he had was strictly in his mind. There’s a reason his roommates have a douche-bag jar, to which Schmidt seems to contribute the most money. But Greenfield has managed to somehow make Schmidt insecure and sweet beneath the DB exterior, and more importantly, he regularly makes me laugh.

9. Jon Hamm. Yes, he made my very first Nerdy Hot List three years ago, but he has risen to such new heights of ridiculousness recently, I had to put him back on here. Did you see his shirtless, saxophone-playing, hair-weave-wearing cameo in Saturday Night Live‘s 100th digital short? Or his ignorant actor playing a black character in a vintage skit on 30 Rock? He is SO stupid in that. How about his Italian singing in the opening skit of the recent SNL finale, which he did not host? (Mick Jagger did.) The man takes such delight from playing fools, I might as well induct him into the Nerdy Hot List Hall of Fame.

I got to number 10 and realized I didn’t have one more, so I thought I’d open it up to you—who should complete this list??

[cincopa AsOAq4qH3caS]

I was a radio DJ at a top 40 station in 1985 when a single by a new singer named Whitney Houston was added to the rotation. I was told she was going to be huge, something I always took with a grain of salt (remember Timbuk3?). Then I listened to “You Give Good Love.” Though I didn’t love the song, I was knocked out by her voice. I remember thinking, “That is a gift from heaven.” I hope she’s there now.

Rest in peace.

Ready? Here goes.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

How many can you name? Hit the comments and show off your nerdy stripes. If there are answers before yours, you don’t have to copy them because they’re not necessarily all right!

Joy, an incredibly talented, funny, all-around amazing person, is the voice of Julie De Longpre, the adopted sister of the title character, an impossibly precocious seven-year-old boy (voiced by Jonah Hill). Allen’s two gay dads buy Julie off the Internet as if she’s an accessory and you can tell by the way she’s drawn that she’s thrilled.

You can get to know Julie and Joy a little better in this video:

Being the in-depth investigative journalist that I am, I had additional burning questions for Joy.

Pop Culture Nerd: If the De Longpres hadn’t bought Julie online, how much do you think she would’ve gone for on eBay?

Joy Osmanski: I have no doubt that Julie would have inspired a serious bidding war. Maybe for all the wrong reasons, but nonetheless.

PCN: How does she feel about fellow Cambodian baby Maddox getting adopted by Angelina and Brad while she got the De Longpres?

JO: Maddox got totally shafted.

PCN: If she rented out her forehead as a billboard, what product(s) would she advertise?

JO: She probably wouldn’t have an ethical dilemma with, say, Halliburton ad space, but if Apple came knocking, Julie would get a tattoo of Steve Jobs on her forehead.

PCN: Since this is a voiceover gig, what do you wear while working, if anything?

JO: I’ve found that I work best in a filmy negligee worn over a hair shirt. It’s not a formula, per se, but it unleashes my creative genius in a way that no one dares question. Probably because they fear me.

PCN: Oh, man, I’m going online and buying a hair shirt right now.

Thanks so much to Joy for stopping by! Check out Allen Gregory tonight and we’ll be like this:

If not, we’ll give you these faces:

Which would you prefer?

My sister Thuy and thirteen-year-old niece Aline caught the Sunday performance and below are their thoughts on it. As you read, you might accuse me of putting words in Aline’s mouth but I assure you I’m not quite sophisticated enough to use “ennui” and “tropes” in everyday conversation.

If you need a synopsis of the play (you weren’t the only one who fell asleep in tenth-grade English), click here. Read on for a discussion that covers Blanchett’s performance, how boring middle-aged people’s problems are to teenagers, and how Glee compares to Chekhov.—PCN

************

Thuy: Dad warned me about taking you to see Uncle Vanya. He was concerned this play is not exactly a picnic. So, did you like it?

Aline: In general, I liked it. However, on a deeper level, I didn’t find myself really emotionally invested in the characters and their problems.

T: Is it because the characters are middle-aged people?

A: No, I don’t think so. I think it might have just been a matter of taste, but I just couldn’t bring myself to really care about the situations they were in (maybe because of how mundane they were?)

T: Have you seen Cate Blanchett in any of her films?

A: Yes, I saw her in the Elizabeth movies and Lord of the Rings.

T: What do you think of the characters she played in those movies, as compared to Yelena in Uncle Vanya?

A: I thought that all of those characters shared a certain grace or elegance in the way they moved; her physical movements are usually smooth and languid. She also tends to play characters with an air of regality about them.

T: So would you say that she seems remote in both her film and stage roles?

A: While I’m not saying she’s not passionate, her characters always seem to be expected to carry power and beauty, while acting calm or in control. I think as Yelena she was good enough—she undoubtedly played the part gracefully—but I feel like Yelena wasn’t given much to work with character-wise, other than being the object of several men’s affections. Stripping away her appeal to the other characters, she seems to have almost no other clear defining traits.

T: I agree. I think Cate Blanchett is really stunning…with her cheekbones, great carriage, the way she moves across the stage and that low-octave, beautiful diction. But as Yelena, I don’t find her very compelling, which is kind of odd, as you would think an actor’s portrayal should be inseparable from her physical self.

Anyway, what do you think about the other characters? How about lovelorn Sonya who is in love with the doctor but knows she’s too plain to catch his attention? Surely any play about frustrated characters who can’t get what they want is something that anyone can relate to?

A: That may be true, but to truly empathize with the characters, I need for them to be explored more. Many of the characters could be summarized by only a few traits, e.g., Yelena—admired but bored, or Sonya—loving but plain.

T: You mean the production didn’t reveal them to you on a deeper level? Are they too broadly drawn, on the level of slapstick or sitcom, so to speak?

A: I don’t think they’re slapstick, just that any character could fit into the same categories as these Chekhov characters.

Blanchett and Weaving

T:  What about Astrov and his concern for the environment? His fear of man’s tendency to destroy nature for the sake of his own survival? Don’t you think that’s something we can relate to?

A: Yes, but I felt his passion for conservationism is overshadowed by his love for Yelena.

T:  You may be right. And I don’t quite see the chemistry between Hugo Weaving and Cate. But you said you did like the scene when they all got drunk.

A: Yes, the getting drunk was good! I felt like for most of the play, the characters liked to keep a tight lid on their emotions, and that might have caused some of the conflict in the story.

T: But if everyone acts out, then there is no tension, right? For example, in Hamlet, only Hamlet acts as if he is mad, so the tension comes from everyone else not acting crazy and thinking that only Hamlet is crazy.

A: True, but I think part of the tension in Hamlet is caused by higher stakes being set by the emotions—it’s for the crown of Denmark rather than the ennui of some people on a Russian farm.

T: You don’t think day-to-day ennui is a great enough topic for tragedy?

A: I feel this isn’t exactly a tragedy, though. The characters in the beginning are basically the same as in the end; their fortunes haven’t risen or fallen…None of the characters seem deliberately malicious toward others as they are unable to reveal themselves to those around them. Thus, the play is not a tragedy, more like a series of events caused by the characters hiding their emotions.

Blanchett & Hayley McElhinney as Sonya

T: Would you say it’s more like a black comedy, then?

A: Yes, more so than a tragedy, at least, because of the moments of humor and the fact that no long-term misfortune has been caused by the end.

T: So there must be a dead body for it to be labeled a true tragedy?

A: Not necessarily, but I think it’s implied in the ending that all the characters would recover from the events that have taken place and return to normal life.

T: But what is “normal” life? Is it possible that these characters die a little by making compromises?

A:  I think the characters would heal….Chekhov’s theme of “idleness breeds dissent” is reflected in how, throughout the play, all the characters state their boredom, and how, in the end, it looks like the first genuinely peaceful scene when everyone starts getting back to work.

T:  You said earlier that you couldn’t relate to the characters in the play, since their emotions don’t seem to be based on high moral or political stakes. But how is it different from, say, enjoying Glee?

A: I love Glee for both the melodrama (so addictively fun!) and for the fact that the characters and their issues can be reflected more in contemporary society. Or maybe I just feel invested because I like these worlds and I want to be lost in them and exploring them, and that could apply to any show. I want to be in bright, poppy McKinley High, or in the TARDIS traveling across the universe with Dr. Who, or slaying demons in the Hellmouth with Buffy. I don’t deny that Uncle Vanya’s world is complex and interesting, but maybe I can’t bring myself to care so deeply for these characters because I can’t truly imagine living with them.

T: So you don’t imagine that your parents may be a little like these Chekhov characters? You know, once you reach your forties, you tend to regret a bit. Of course, I have tried to spare you from my own neuroses [laughs].

A: Of course! And I don’t doubt that. I honestly think it’s a matter of taste. Because of my mindset, I couldn’t honestly connect with them.

T: Fair enough. Now I’m wondering if I should have waited until you’re older to introduce you to Chekhov. I just figured since you like Shakespeare, you would like Chekhov, since they are both about the human heart.

A: I like Shakespeare because of the wittiness and verbal sparring in the comedies and also the historical settings. I’m a sucker for things that took place in English courts or imperial Rome, and somehow I find those situations—usually on the stakes of other people’s heads or which person gets to wear a crown—so much more interesting simply because of how disproportionate and immoral plotting and punishment could be back then, compared to more nuanced, smaller tragedies that happen on a less grand scale.

T: Would you say that’s the difference between classical and modern? In some way, you could say that Glee depends on good old-fashioned narrative structure, and Chekhov is modern because he is so spare.

A: I think that’s a fair point, though we often equate “modern” with “contemporary.” I suppose in some cases it’s not true. What we see today still depends on old tropes, character archetypes, and plot devices.

T: That’s an excellent point, Aline. I suppose Glee or popular entertainment in general, while “contemporary,” is pretty traditional in scope, whereas something like Chekhov is not for everyone because it does not try to please or change anything. You could say that Chekhov’s plays, like Yelena’s beauty, are “useless.” But I’m still glad that I took you to see the play, if only for the fact that we could have this conversation.

A: Thanks! I thought it was fun, too, and maybe I’ll try revisiting Chekhov again in a few years. Heh.

Vanya photos: Lisa Tomasetti, Glee: FOX

1. Never disrobe, especially if the scene doesn’t call for it and no one asked you to.
2. If you’re Caucasian, do not try to pass yourself off as African-American or Asian.
3. If you’re in your 40s, do not pretend you’re 16. Pigtails won’t fool anyone.
4. Don’t say you’ve read the script if you haven’t. It’ll make you seem really clueless after you read a comedic scene as melodrama.
5. Don’t rip off moves and mannerisms from famous actors like Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. Bring in your interpretation of the character.
6. Don’t bring a bag of props, especially if it includes your boxers, which you then place on the casting director’s desk. It doesn’t matter how clean your undies are.
7. Bold acting choices should not include actual violence.
8. Don’t crash the audition, beg to be seen, and then suck.
9. Don’t make the casting director hold your baby or pet while you audition.
10. If your palms are sweaty and clammy because you’re nervous, don’t offer to shake hands with the casting director.

1. Emma Stone. If she wasn’t such a good actress, we probably wouldn’t believe her as an outcast in movies like Easy A. But she’s hot because she’s so funny and convincing as the goofy girl, and one who’s never dumb.
2. Kat Dennings. She’s beautiful, but she never leads with that. The most appealing things about Dennings, now appearing in Thor, are her dry wit and intelligence.
3. Anne Hathaway. When we first saw her in The Princess Diaries, she practically had a unibrow pre-makeover. She recently promoted Rio while wearing giant glasses and will play nerdy again in the upcoming One Day. We know she’s actually quite stunning, but her apparent enthusiasm for portraying awkward characters makes her sexy.
4. Emily Deschanel. Her Dr. Temperance Brennan defines social ineptitude on Bones, but she’s hot because she’s always the smartest woman in the room.
5. Sofia Vergara. Yes, it’s obvious she’s gifted physically, but I never thought she was gorgeous until she made me laugh out loud week after week on Modern Family with her hilarious antics and constant mangling of English idioms.
6. Julie Bowen. She usually shows up on the red carpet looking amazing, but her funny comments about her “full-body Spanx,” which she wears even while sleeping, cement her status as nerdy hot. Her ability to make neurotic behavior funny on Modern Family also qualifies her for this list.
7. Rachel McAdams. Last fall’s Morning Glory was so ridiculous, it made me roll my eyes often and hard. But McAdams was its one saving grace, even if her character Becky lacked grace, getting herself into more than one embarrassing situation. The scene in which Becky freaks out when first meeting Harrison Ford’s legendary character is cringeworthy, but only because McAdams nailed the nerdgasm many of us would probably have if we run into Han Solo in an elevator.
8. Emily Blunt. She’s attractive enough to be cast as one of the models in The Devil Wears Prada but I’m glad she plays the bitter assistant instead. Blunt is much more fun as the outsider or misfit, in movies like Sunshine Cleaning and Dan in Real Life, in which she has a small memorable role as a woman nicknamed Pig Face.
9. Jayma Mays. On Glee, Emma’s OCD tendencies and virginal status could easily make her tedious. As Mays plays her, Emma is heartbreaking and beautiful.
10. Kristen Wiig. She could have just been another pretty blonde, but her commitment to cracking us up with her goofy characters on SNL and in Bridesmaids (out today) makes her stand out from the crowd.

Who’s on your nerdy hot list?