When I was graduating college with an economics degree, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was kind of scared. So I was just trying everything.

Jimmy O. Yang

Categorized in : Everything Trying College Economics

I went to college as an economics major because that was the easiest major that could still please your Asian parents, and then, much to their dismay, I became a stand-up comedian.

your parents economics college

When I came to America, it was Dave Chappelle and a lot of comedians on ComicView. That was my first exposure to stand up comedy, actually.

stand-up stand comedy america

You'd see Asian faces on TV, but it was so rare, especially in the comedy space - that for me was Ken Jeong doing stand-up... it's amazing that I can call him a friend now and a colleague.

amazing me you space

But my comedy hero was Stephen Chow. His deadpan comedy, all the stuff he wrote like 'From Beijing with Love,' it's incredibly funny.

comedy hero love funny

I know Asian actors out there won't even audition for a role that have an accent. But for me, I was the kid with an accent. I still have an accent to some degree.

some kid know me

It's a fine line between hack and good comedy.

line good fine comedy

Nico Santos I've known from Bay Area stand-up, and he lives right by me so we hang out all the time.

right out me time

Normal people don't become stand-up comedians.

comedians become normal people

I went back to Hong Kong for the first time in 17 years and I was culture shocked in Hong Kong.

back first-time time culture

But I try to play everything very authentically, even if it is an accented immigrant, Jian Yang, that I play on 'Silicon Valley.'

immigrant everything try play

Why is it when a white actor or even a black actor does a British accent, it's considered art?

why black white art

When you're 1 out of 5 Asian people on TV, all the pressure is on you and you have to represent.

out you pressure people

If you think about writing a book, or when I did, it seems daunting, but when I began writing, it just started flowing.

think you writing book

I don't know why people feel the need to do this to me, but my friend asked my dad, 'Aren't your proud of Jimmy now that he's a successful actor?' And my dad was like, 'No, not really. I wish he was a scientist.' I guess scientist is more noble in the Asian culture.

me dad culture people

Usually when you're Asian and you're on set, you're the only Asian there. Either you're the token Asian or you're the Asian sidekick.

either only you asian

I've learned to not have expectations. I think the first movie I did, I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm going to win an Oscar!' You can't do that, you're going to let yourself down.

yourself win you god

My mom worked as a manager at a high-end fashion place, so she was always a pretty stylish woman.

woman stylish fashion mom

I was always pretty good with making deals. When I was in sixth grade, when Pokemon cards were hot, I might have started with, like, three or four cards, and then at the end of the year, through trading with my friends and everything, I ended up with the biggest card collection in my school.

good friends hot school

I worked at Big 5 Sporting Goods, selling shoes and stuff like that, for a couple of summers.

big like selling shoes

I guess I've lived my whole life as an outsider.

outsider lived guess life