In the new film Quiz Lady, available to watch on Hulu, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play estranged sisters who come back together to help cover their mom’s gambling debts.
The film’s director, Jessica Yu, sat down with ABC Audio to chat about the film and its all-star cast. Seeing Awkwafina and Oh work together, Yu says, was like watching two actual sisters interact.
“You could really see there was a true trust and connection between the two of them,” Yu said. “I remember at one-point Awkwafina said … this was the first time she actually felt related to somebody that she’s supposed to be related to on screen. And I think that that really shows.”
This is a different kind of role for Oh, who is often cast as more serious characters. Yu says Oh was more than prepared to take a turn playing the comedic relief.
“Sandra, the way that she works, you know, her process, she wants to know everything,” Yu said. “She was very involved – down to, you know, ‘What are the earrings,’ ‘What’s the eyeshadow that she wears,’ ‘How thick are the lashes.’ So, you know, she came ready to go.”
Oh has even said that Quiz Lady was one of her favorite on-set experiences of her career, which means a lot to Yu.
“It’s like the biggest compliment,” Yu said. “I always feel like having a good time and doing good work shouldn’t be, you know, mutually exclusive. But in this case, I think because we had a lot of time to connect, to talk, to absorb the material beforehand and create those bonds, then when we were out there, it was like we all had confidence and room to play.”
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