

They Call Us Bruce
Jeff Yang & Phil Yu
Hosts Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present They Call Us Bruce, an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 10, 2019 • 1h 8min
Episode 78: They Call Us Manny Jacinto
Jeff and Phil welcome actor Manny Jacinto, best known for playing Jason Mendoza on The Good Place. They talk about his stereotype-busting breakthrough role, the work ethic of Tom Cruise, and what it's like to play the dumbest character on television.

Oct 3, 2019 • 59min
Episode 77: They Call Us Helen Zia
Recorded live at Cal Poly Pomona! Jeff and Phil welcome author/activist Helen Zia. They discuss the tumultuous forces of history and migration that inform her latest book, Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution.

Sep 30, 2019 • 37min
Episode 76: They Call Us Abominable
Jeff and Phil talk to Peilin Chou, Chief Creative Officer of Pearl Studios and producer of ABOMINABLE, currently the number one movie at the box office. They talk about the unique challenges of creating a Chinese animated feature with global appeal.

Sep 16, 2019 • 1h 5min
Episode 75: We Call Us Yang
Jeff and Phil check in and debrief The Good, The Bad and The WTF of This Week in Yang, including a certain clan competing on Family Feud, recent casting developments on Saturday Night Live, and the rising visibility of a presidential candidate.

Sep 3, 2019 • 1h 17min
Episode 74: They Call Us Constance Wu
Jeff and Phil welcome Constance Wu. She talks about skyrocketing to stardom on Fresh Off the Boat, the steep learning curve of being in the spotlight, the loneliness of her new film Hustlers, and yes, those tweets.

Aug 12, 2019 • 1h 13min
Episode 73: They Call Us The Terror
Jeff and Phil welcome Alex Woo, co-creator and showrunner of AMC's The Terror: Infamy. They discuss the responsibility and challenges of telling the story of Japanese American incarceration, and The Good, The Bad and WTF of scary Asian stories.

Aug 4, 2019 • 41min
Episode 72: They Call Us Lulu Wang
Jeff and Phil talk to Lulu Wang, writer/director of the acclaimed indie film The Farewell, now in theaters everywhere. She talks about telling a story "based on an actual lie" and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of making this deeply personal film.

Jul 24, 2019 • 56min
Episode 71: We Call Us Simu Liu's Shang-Chi Audition
Jeff and Phil debrief the big announcement out of Comic-Con: Simu Liu is Shang-Chi, Marvel's Master of Kung Fu! They also pour one out for the recent death of the live-action Akira remake (again).

Jul 21, 2019 • 57min
Episode 70: We Call Us Tzi Ma's Lost Daughters
Jeff and Phil discuss The Good, The Bad and The WTF of what's going on in Asian America, including The Farewell, Scarlett Johansson's dumbshit comments, and the perpetual gut punch of "go back to where you came from."

Jul 3, 2019 • 1h 15min
Episode 69: They Call Us Kulap Vilaysack
Jeff and Phil welcome actress/comedian/writer Kulap Vilaysack to talk about her deeply personal feature documentary ORIGIN STORY. They discuss unearthing family secrets, making art from trauma, and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of airing out your dirty laundry.