When Awkwafina first brought her friend Sandra Oh the script for “Quiz Lady,” Oh, best known for her dramatic work, instantly realized that the role she coveted was not Anne, the lonely accounting clerk, but Jenny, the loud and impulsive older sister. The premise of the odd couple of two estranged sisters who team up to pay off their mother's gambling debt and recover Mr. Linguini, Anne's kidnapped pug, was based on screenwriter Jen D'Angelo and her brothers and was originally been written for white actors.
That changed through a series of brainstorming sessions (“like therapy,” is how Awkwafina characterized them) with director Jessica Yu, where everyone told personal stories, many of which D'Angelo incorporated into the final draft. “A lot of our input was about getting to the cultural sensitivity of certain things,” Awkwafina says. “And Jen really handled that carefully.”
The two actors joined The Envelope to talk about brotherly bonding, improv, and slapstick, literally.
Let's talk about helping shape the script for “Quiz Lady.” What were some of the key details you wanted to add?
Awkwafina: I personally wanted to do the [sisters] mixed asian. I am Korean and Chinese, and Sandra is Korean.
sandra oh: There are some on-the-nose jokes that Jen made that I personally loved. For example, how Jenny's character would simply use her Asianness to benefit her at all times, whether she fits in or not. For me, she was looking for a broad comedy about Asian characters who were losers, who weren't beautiful or rich or particularly smart or successful people. That's what also attracted me to this part. These two sisters come from a working class world, a place where their parents are divorced and their mother has a gambling problem. A place where they have not been in contact or are close. That exploration was important to us. But we also wanted to leave behind the beautiful example of showing culture through food. This wasn't the movie for that.
“I was looking for a broad comedy about Asian characters who were losers, who weren't beautiful or rich or particularly smart or successful,” Sandra Oh, right, says of joining “Quiz Lady” with Awkwafina.
(Michele K. Corto / 20th Century Studios)
How did you two go about developing that detectable undercurrent of connection that sisters can radiate?
Awkwafina: That part was really organic. I am an only child. I think as an actress, especially coming to [acting] later, [Sandra] She played a sisterly role. I was able to talk to her about extraordinarily profound things..
Sandra, what is it about Jenny that made you decide that training with a clown trainer would help your performance?
Oh: When I went to drama school, I did a lot of mask and clown work. Jenny is very broad, authoritarian, greedy and insecure. So physical. I wanted to get really comfortable with Jenny's physique before starting the set, so I called a [former] A classmate of mine teaches clowning internationally and said, “Matt, would you come to a couple of sessions and help me explore this character?”
To be clear, does working with a clown trainer mean you're acting things out in a physically exaggerated way?
Oh: It's quite a matter. If you are really greedy, how do you move in a greedy way? If you are really insecure, how do you move insecurely?
As an only child, Awkwafina, left, says her screenmate Sandra Oh “fulfilled the role of sister. I was able to talk to her about extraordinarily profound things..”
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
And Anne’s slumped-shouldered, “don’t look at me” body language? What inspired that?
Awkwafina: It's strange, but of all the characters I've played, the one I identify with the most is Anne. In fact, I feel like I'm fighting, fleeing, or frozen. [mode] all the time. Although I do a lot of comedy, I'm actually quite serious. This is a character who tries to avoid chaos, who feels that all responsibilities fall on her and who also has self-image problems. She doesn't want people [notice] his.
Paul Rubens makes a brief but charming appearance in “Quiz Lady.” It was her last performance.
Oh: Jen wrote [the cameo] specifically for Paul.
Awkwafina: Jen and I are the same age and obsessed with Pee-wee. [Herman]. He was our icon growing up. There's this crazy millennial appreciation for Pee-wee.
Is it true that Sandra recruited him after meeting him on the old-school, invitation-only variety show?Brookledge Follies”?
Oh: Yes, I met Paul there. We have friends in common. So [called] He and said, “Can I send you something?” Then, honestly, it was like, “Yeah,” and he was just as sweet and classy as you'd imagine. Excellent. She just came in and killed him. It was the first day and it set the tone for the rest of the film.
One of the funniest scenes involves Anne and Jenny using their childhood memories to win at charades on the fictional game show “Can't Stop the Quiz.”
Oh: All of that is completely improvised.
Awkwafina: In the script it says, “Anne does charades,” and I don't know why, but it just didn't fit. [that we’d be making it up on the spot].
Oh: there was certain [dialogue] I knew we had to get there. But we did cross shots, so I'm really just reacting to whatever she's doing. It was probably the third day of filming, which made it a challenge.
How many of your performances were improvised?
Oh: I would say that a lot. Jen comes from improv, so she was very understanding and relaxed. But the more and more we get into it, [Awkwafina] and it just wouldn't stop. We gave them a lot of material.
