They Call Us Bruce

They Call Us Bruce episodes:

• 04.20.2024

  237: They Call Us 3 Body Problem

  Jeff and Phil welcome co-creator/executive producer Alexander Woo and director Derek Tsang, two of the key creators behind the Netflix series 3 Body Problem. They talk about the challenges of adapting Liu Cixin's epic science fiction novels for a global television...

  
• 04.12.2024

  236: They Call Us Monkey Man

  Jeff and Phil welcome their old friends Sujata Day (Definition Please, Heroes' Feast) and Dino-Ray Ramos (DIASPORA) to talk about the action revenge thriller Monkey Man, written/directed by and starring Dev Patel. They discuss this new take on storytelling from...

  
• 04.06.2024

  235: They Call Us Asian American Studies

  Jeff and Phil welcome Pawan Dhingra, associate provost and associate dean of the faculty at Amherst College and current president of the Association for Asian American Studies. He talks about the newly minted AAPI Studies program at Amherst -- the...

  
• 03.22.2024

  234: They Call Us Avatar: The Last Airbender

  Jeff and Phil welcome Albert Kim, showrunner of Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. He talks about the epic challenge of adapting the beloved animated series, "remixing" the original show's story elements for the streaming format, the cultural considerations that go...

  
• 03.09.2024

  233: They Call Us Asians in Baseball

  Jeff and Phil welcome Kim Cooper and Scott Okamoto, co-hosts of the podcast Asians in Baseball, just in time for spring training. They discuss the current renaissance of Asian and Asian American players in Major League Baseball; becoming a baseball...

  
• 03.01.2024

  232: They Call Us Olivia Cheng and Dianne Doan

  Jeff and Phil welcome Olivia Cheng and Dianne Doan, stars of the badass action series Warrior (now on Netflix!). They talk about how the show has embodied the fighting spirit of Bruce Lee; some of the initial trepidation and concerns...

  
• 02.26.2024

  231: They Call Us Past Lives

  In this special conversation recorded live at Asia Society in New York City, Jeff welcomes newly minted Academy Award nominee Celine Song, writer/director of Past Lives. (Spoiler warning!) They discuss the real-life autobiographical moment that inspired her film's bilingual, bi-cultural...

  
• 02.22.2024

  230: They Call Us Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

  Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Sean Wang, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary short Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, a love letter to his own grandmothers. He talks about making an unapologetically personal film about the everyday lives of these...

  
• 02.16.2024

  229: They Call Us The Most Asian Costco

  Jeff and Phil ring in the Year of the Dragon and welcome back friend, journalist and fellow podcaster Ada Tseng to talk about her Los Angeles Times piece which asked and answered a very important question: Which are the...

  
• 02.09.2024

  228: They Call Us Lunar New Year Love Story

  Jeff and Phil welcome graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham, who have joined forces for Lunar New Year Love Story, a heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love. They talk about Gene's real-life origins of merging...

  
• 02.02.2024

  227: They Call Us The Greatest Night in Pop

  Jeff and Phil welcome back filmmaker Bao Nguyen, director of the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which goes behind the scenes of the fateful, once-in-a-lifetime night in 1985 when music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." He...

  
• 01.26.2024

  226: They Call Us Justin Chien and Sam Song Li

  Jeff and Phil welcome Justin Chien and Sam Song Li, the stars of the Netflix family crime drama The Brothers Sun. They talk about getting their big shot to play Charles and Bruce -- the titular Brothers Sun; acting opposite...

  
• 01.20.2024

  225: They Call Us The Brothers Sun

  Jeff and Phil welcome back their favorite usual suspects, Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA, to do a deep dive into the Netflix family crime drama The Brothers Sun, starring Michelle Yeoh (but not before...

  
• 01.09.2024

  224: They Call Us New Year 2024

  Jeff and Phil welcome back their pals Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA to take one last look back at the year that was, plus a look forward, with a special super-sized edition of The...

  
• 01.02.2024

  223: They Call Us K-Culture

  Jeff and Phil close out 2023 and welcome critic and commentator Jae-Ha Kim to talk all things K -- from K-dramas to K-pop, and all the other ways Korean pop culture has spread its infectious K-embrace across the globe. They...

  
• 12.22.2023

  222: They Call Us Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom

  Jeff and Phil welcome James Wan, filmmaker behind iconic movies like Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7, Aquaman and now, its sequel, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. He talks about his journey from making indie horror flicks to tentpole blockbusters,...

  
• 12.18.2023

  221: They Call Us Blue Eye Samurai

  Jeff and Phil welcome two of the creators behind the Netflix animated action series Blue Eye Samurai, co-creator/co-showrunner Amber Noizumi and supervising director/producer Jane Wu. They discuss some of the personal connections that sparked the tale of mixed race warrior...

  
• 12.09.2023

  220: They Call Us The Golden Screen

  Recorded live at Bās Bookshop in Honolulu, Hawaii! Jeff and Phil celebrate the release of Jeff's new book The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America, which explores the history of Asian Americans on the silver screen, and...

  
• 11.24.2023

  219: They Call Us The Mash-Up Americans

  Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend Amy S. Choi of The Mash-Up Americans, who talks about starting her podcast/media company with a question ("Why not us?"); bringing the Mash-Up lens to the images and stories that don't get told...

  
• 11.17.2023

  218: They Call Us Mustache

  Recorded in partnership with the Hawaii International Film Festival. Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Imran J. Khan, writer/director of the indie coming-of-age film Mustache. He talks about facial hair, Alicia Silverstone, telling culturally-specific stories without having to simplify or over-explain for...

  
• 11.10.2023

  217: They Call Us Quiz Lady

  Jeff and Phil welcome Jessica Yu, director of the comedy Quiz Lady, starring Sandra Oh and Awkwafina. She talks about bringing her diverse directing experience -- including her Academy Award  -- to a wacky feature comedy; assembling and working with...

  
• 11.03.2023

  216: They Call Us The Clones of Bruce

  Recorded in partnership with the Hawaii International Film Festival. Jeff and Phil welcome actor/filmmaker Daniel Wu and HIFF artistic director Anderson Le -- fellow Bruce Lee superfans -- to discuss the fascinating documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce, which explores...

  
• 10.27.2023

  215: They Call Us Albert Pyun King of Cult Movies

  Recorded in partnership with the Hawaii International Film Festival. Jeff and Phil welcome Lisa D'Apolito, director of the forthcoming documentary Albert Pyun King of Cult Movies, and Anderson Le, Artistic Director of the Hawaii International Film Festival, to talk about the...

  
• 10.14.2023

  214: They Call Us Kishi Bashi

  Jeff and Phil welcome singer, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Kishi Bashi, whose latest project is the album and "songfilm" Omoiyari, a musical journey to understand World War II-era Japanese American incarceration, assimilation, and what it means to be a minority in...

  
• 10.06.2023

  213: They Call Us Here Lies Love

  Jeff and Phil welcome Arielle Jacobs and Jose Llana, the stars of the revolutionary new Broadway musical Here Lies Love, an immersive roof-raising disco musical that tells the story of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos. They discuss the unique thrill of...

  
• 09.22.2023

  212: They Call Us Magnificent Jerk

  Jeff and Phil welcome Maya Lin Sugarman and James Kim, producers behind the podcast Magnificent Jerk, "the true story—of a fake story—about a real life." They talk about the fascinating life and career of Maya's late uncle Galen Yuen,...

  
• 09.15.2023

  211: They Call Us Liquor Store Dreams

  Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker So Yun Um, director of the feature documentary Liquor Store Dreams, an intimate portrait of two Korean American children of Los Angeles liquor store owners. She talks about confronting popular media depictions of Korean American...

  
• 09.08.2023

  210: They Call Us Dear Alana

  Jeff and Phil welcome Simon Kent Fung, creator and host of the podcast Dear Alana, an eight-part limited series that tells the story of aspiring nun Alana Chen, who tragically ended her life at the age of 24 after seven years in...

  
• 09.01.2023

  209: They Call Us On Strike

  Jeff and Phil welcome actor Parvesh Cheena and writer Liz Hsiao Lan Alper to discuss the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which have brought the entertainment industry to a standstill. They discuss the conditions and contract issues that necessitated these...

  
• 08.17.2023

  208: They Call Us Love Boat Revisited

  Jeff and Phil rewind and revisit their 2019 conversation with filmmaker Valerie Soe, director of the documentary Love Boat: Taiwan, and writer Abigail Hing Wen, author of the bestselling young adult novel Loveboat, Taipei -- now adapted for the screen as...

  
• 08.04.2023

  207: They Call Us Shortcomings

  [NOTE: This episode was recorded before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike. They Call Us Bruce fully supports the actors and writers unions and their fight for fair contracts.] Jeff and Phil welcome Randall Park and Justin H. Min to...

  
• 07.21.2023

  206: They Call Us Hoon Lee (+The Official Warrior Podcast)

  [NOTE: This episode was recorded before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike. They Call Us Bruce fully supports the actors and writers unions and their fight for fair contracts.] Jeff and Phil welcome actor Hoon Lee, who stars as Wang...

  
• 07.14.2023

  205: They Call Us Nicole Chung

  Jeff and Phil welcome writer Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know, which tells the story of her adoption and search for her birth family, and A Living Remedy, her memoir about grief and the death of her...

  
• 07.07.2023

  204: They Call Us Joy Ride

  Jeff and Phil welcome director Adele Lim, screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, and stars Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu and Sherry Cola -- the team behind the hilarious new comedy JOY RIDE. Recorded the morning after the film's world premiere...

  
• 06.23.2023

  203: They Call Us Hari Kondabolu

  Jeff and Phil welcome comedian Hari Kondabolu, whose latest standup special VACATION BABY is available on YouTube. He talks about how becoming a parent -- during the pandemic -- informed his act, why Father's Day should be observed on a...

  
• 06.16.2023

  202: They Call Us Elemental

  Jeff and Phil welcome Peter Sohn and Leah Lewis, director and star, respectively, of the new Disney/Pixar animated feature ELEMENTAL. They talk about drawing from Peter’s own immigrant family and upbringing to tell a deeply personal story, how even anthropomorphic...

  
• 06.09.2023

  201: They Call Us American Born Chinese

  With Jeff on vacation, Phil flies solo and welcomes back Gene Luen Yang, author of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, and actor Ben Wang, who stars as Jin Wang in the Disney+ series adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel. They talk about...

  
• 06.05.2023

  200: They Call Us 200

  Jeff and Phil celebrate 200 episodes of They Call Us Bruce by welcoming back some good friends and returning guests from Episode 100: actor Daniel Wu, who stars as the Monkey King in Disney's adaptation of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, and...

  
• 05.31.2023

  Bonus: They Call Us Modern Minorities

  In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, They Call Us Bruce is putting a spotlight on some of our podcast friends, so we’re featuring an episode from Modern Minorities, one of our sister podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective....

  
• 05.30.2023

  Bonus: They Call Us Asians in Baseball

  In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, They Call Us Bruce is putting a spotlight on some of our podcast friends, so we’re featuring an episode from Asians in Baseball, one of our sister podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective. Hosted by...

  
• 05.26.2023

  199: They Call Us Tze Chun

  Jeff and Phil welcome back Tze Chun, showrunner behind not one, but two new shows: the animated prequel series GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI and the Boots Riley-created absurdist coming-of-age comedy I'M A VIRGO. He talks about spinning new lore...

  
• 05.19.2023

  198: They Call Us Connie

  Jeff and Phil welcome two of the legions of Asian American women of a certain age who were named after journalist Connie Chung: writer Connie Wang, whose New York Times piece "Generation Connie" put a spotlight on this phenomenon,...

  
• 05.14.2023

  197: They Call Us Girl Taking Over

  Jeff and Phil welcome writer Sarah Kuhn and artist Arielle Jovellanos, whose new original DC young adult graphic novel GIRL TAKING OVER: A LOIS LANE STORY re-imagines Lois Lane as an Asian American teen tackling a summer internship in the...

  
• 05.04.2023

  196: They Call Us Ten Thousand Things

  Jeff and Phil welcome Shin Yu Pai, award-winning poet, museologist, and host of TEN THOUSAND THINGS, a podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life. They discuss the personal objects and collections that say who we are and where we've...

  
• 04.30.2023

  195: They Call Us Shib Sibs

  Jeff and Phil welcome amazing sibling duo Alex and Maia Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalist ice dancers and authors of the children's picture book AMAZING: ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS WHO INSPIRE US ALL. They discuss their unique journey growing up...

  
• 04.19.2023

  194: They Call Us K-Pop Dreaming

  Jeff and Phil welcome Vivian Yoon, host and writer of the podcast K-Pop Dreaming from LAist Studios, a journey through the rise and history of K-pop in the United States, mapped against Vivian's own coming-of-age as a second generation Korean...

  
• 04.11.2023

  193: They Call Us Beef

  Jeff and Phil welcome back the Bruce Crew, perennial favorite guests Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA, to slice, dice and discuss the Netflix series BEEF. They talk about the evolution and future of Asian...

  
• 04.01.2023

  192: They Call Us Sexy Asians

  Jeff and Phil welcome Susie An and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, hosts of WBEZ Chicago's Shoes Off: A Sexy Asians Podcast. They talk about scheming up the podcast as a shameless, naked excuse to talk to sexy Asians; the public radio...

  
• 03.21.2023

  191: They Call Us Everything Everywhere All Asian Oscars

  Recorded the day after the 95th Academy Awards, Jeff and Phil welcome perennial favorite guests Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA to debrief and discuss a historic night at the Oscars, for Everything Everywhere All...

  
• 03.11.2023

  190: They Call Us Unseen

  Jeff and Phil welcome Yoko Okumura, Midori Francis and Jolene Purdy, the director and stars, respectively, of the horror/thriller UNSEEN. They discuss the challenges of crafting a story about two people connecting via FaceTime; the unique storytelling dynamic that occurs...