Scene-stealer Jimmy O. Yang is stepping into the spotlight with one of Netflix's new holiday rom-coms. That vulnerability, he says, is something he's still getting used to.
wound up playing Josh’s brother.) Moreover, when Tag had to be recast , Yang himself made it clear to the producers that the third lead should remain Asian American; the role went to Darren Barnet.
In our second conversation, Yang carries his phone out to the garden again, where he snips off a few basil leaves and Thai chilis, tucking them inside his hoodie pocket to bring inside. In the kitchen, he grinds up a single serving of homemade pesto against a backdrop of teal-ish cabinetry. It turns out it’s the same paint color covering the Lin house’s walls inBenjamin Moore’s Narragansett Green.
It reminds him of a conversation he had with his girlfriend—the relationship is fairly new; she works in tech—about how you knowis a great actor because he’s always by himself onscreen. “He’s just so in the moment and truthful, and you get lost in it.” Yang says. “The magic really happens when you forget you’re onstage. You’re not thinking about the next joke. You’re making a connection with the audience and just rolling. To get into that zone, it takes a little practice.