SNL and WICKED Star Bowen Yang for THEM Magazine

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 In his cover story with THEM, Bowen Yang opens up about the many roles he is currently balancing—from portraying celebrities on SNL to acting in WICKED to maintaining his podcast roots amid mainstream fame. While recent opportunities have allowed him to reach new heights of recognition and representation, Yang discusses the challenges of navigating the different audiences he is in front of, constantly straddling fan expectations. 

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On responding to backlash for his portrayal of Moo Deng as Chappell Roan on SNL: “I think all you can really do as someone who puts stuff out is stand by it. It’s not a workable standard to only comment on something if it has no potential to be misconstrued.”

On watching Hillbilly Elegy to better understand JD Vance before portraying him on SNL: “I was just like, Oh, this guy doesn’t have a personality because he’s never had the spine to claim it.”

On his appreciation for Wicked director Jon M. Chu: “I would lay down on train tracks for that man. One of our best straights.”

On the importance of Crazy Rich Asians for his career trajectory: “That was such a marked shift in Asian representation… Without that movie, honestly, my theory is that Lorne Michaels would probably have not been quite as motivated to put an Asian person on the cast of SNL.”

On breaking into the mainstream: “There’s something self-sabotaging about not wanting to raise your upper limit… I guess I wouldn’t mind just being gay famous for the rest of my life. I really wouldn’t.”

[Photo Credit: Oscar Ouk/Them Magazine]

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