Interview: J. Elijah Cho Satirically Color Corrects MR. YUNIOSHI's Yellow Face

Playwright/performer J. Elijah Cho's award-winning MR. YUNIOSHI comes to the Santa Monica Playhouse November 11th and 14th as part of CRAZY WOKE ASIANS' KUNG POW FESTIVAL and as a guest production December 5th, 12th and 19th. The titular character was the supporting character in the otherwise classic 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. Mr. Yunioshi was beyond stereotypically portrayed by Mickey Rooney.

Had the chance to discover the backstory to Jonathan's (J. Eljiah) long path to MR. YUNIOSHI.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Jonathan!

How old were you when you first became aware of Mickey Rooney's yellowface portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast At Tiffany's?

I was maybe nine or ten when I saw Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and there's a scene in that movie where Bruce Lee and his wife go to see Breakfast at Tiffany's and they walk out of the theater when Mickey Rooney appears on screen. So, there was a small sense of "Oh, this is bad," but I don't think it was until I was in college that I gained a better understanding of what it was that I watched.

What finally nudged you into writing your play MR. YUNIOSHI?

The idea for Mr. Yunioshi actually came from a meme. The former artistic director of a theatre company in Tampa had made an Asian massage parlor "joke" on Facebook that a friend of mine responded to with a picture of Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi with the caption "SATIRE." I commented that I would write a one-man show where I play Mickey Rooney developing that character and I had a lot of my friends say, "You know, that's not a bad idea." I submitted that seed of an idea to the New York Fringe Festival in 2016 and when it was accepted, that was the nudge that made me start writing.

What would your three-line pitch for MR. YUNIOSHI be?

"An Asian actor plays Mickey Rooney developing his character for Breakfast at Tiffany's." That usually seems to be enough for people that are familiar with the subject matter to have their interest piqued. The tricky part for me has always been trying to create a show that lives up to that pitch.

Have you worked with your MR. YUNIOSHI producer Ari Stidham before?

Yes! I met Ari through a mutual friend of ours, Gil Baron, who is a producer on Your Late Night Show Tonight, a comedy late night show with a different host every month. When Ari hosted, he invited me to be a writer for him (we had done a few Zoom reads together), and since then we've collaborated on several projects, including his Star Wars parody musical, The Fandalorian, and an outdoor production of Theresa Rebeck's MAURITIUS.

You've performed MR. YUNIOSHI at the 2019 Hollywood and 2016 New York Fringe Festivals. Any audience reactions take you by surprise?

There was actually a very sweet, older woman that attended one of the Hollywood shows that left a review that I still have mixed feelings about. I believe the review started with, "If you love Mickey Rooney, then you have to see this show." I'll admit that one surprised me, I wonder a lot about what exactly she took from the show. But I also think of it as a small reassurance that I do play a really convincing Mickey Rooney.

What perks did you get for winning Hollywood Fringe's Best Solo Performance for MR. YUNIOSHI in 2019?

As a Hollywood Fringe Scholarship recipient, I was able to get a very nice video of one of the performances, shot and edited by Nathaniel Beaver. That video has been a wonderful bit of media to have during the past year of lockdowns because it allowed me to be a virtual part of the Tampa Fringe Festival and the Sydney Global Fringe last year.

What originally brought you into Kiki Yeung's world of CRAZY WOKE ASIANS?

You know, I don't really know how Kiki found me? Kiki Yeung emailed me after the Hollywood Fringe asking if I might be interested in being a part of their solo festival. I've since come to find out that Kiki knows nearly every Asian-American stand-up comic and she produces incredible showcases for them with her show, CRAZY WOKE ASIANS. I'm so excited to be a part of their KUNG POW FESTIVAL happening this month and I can't wait to check out all the other performers!

When you were growing up in Tampa, Florida, what career did you want to pursue - acting or writing?

I'm actually a military brat! My parents were both in the Air Force, so I was born in Florida, and we moved around a lot until I attended college at the University of South Florida in Tampa. My degree is in theatre performance and my passion has always been for acting. For me, writing has always been a way to facilitate getting to play the types of roles that I want to play but that I don't always see out there.

Who were your Asian idols growing up?

Ke Huy Quan in The Goonies and Temple of Doom is the reason that I wanted to be an actor. I loved Mako in Sidekicks. I watched a lot of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but I think I always felt I'd have more fun doing movies like Victor Wong, who has such great roles in Tremors and Big Trouble in Little China. I always thought Lucy Liu got to play such cool characters. John Cho and Kal Penn in Harold & Kumar made me more comfortable doing comedy as an Asian-American. Also, my parents.

How has the Los Angeles improv scene influenced you?

I was in a comedy musical show at Second City Hollywood. Los Angeles has such an incredible sketch and improv scene and I'm fortunate to have studied at a few of them. The theater that I consider my home would be the Pack Theater. I was a guest in a show there called BLACKVERSE, and the director, Dwayne Colbert, invited me to audition for a show he was directing at Second City. It was a really fun experience that required a lot of play, and I made some great friends there.

What has Some Sort of Show, the sketch comedy group you co-founded, been doing during this lockdown?

Some Sort of Show is alive and well in Tampa! They just did a Halloween show, I believe. There was also a Some Sort of Show Los Angeles at the Pack Theater prior to all the theaters closing. I don't want to rule out the possibility of getting the band back together once the Pack reopens, but that depends on everyone's schedules. I had so much fun creating that show with my friends and I was always surprised by the level of talent that would come out to collaborate with us.

What can podcast listeners expect to hear when they tune into the Hi Chingoos podcast?

Hi Chingoos is a podcast hosted by three Korean-American friends, Sarah, Jess, and my sister-in-law, Crystal. I was a guest on the podcast a few months ago sharing my experiences as a Korean-American actor living in Hollywood and we had a very, lovely conversation. If you're interested in viewing American life through a Korean-American lens, Hi Chingoos is an incredibly charming podcast and you can find it on Spotify (and other places, but that's where I listen to it).

Tell us about your drag debut as Scarlet Chohanson on THE BACCHUS at the Pack Theater Pride Month 2020.

This was so much fun! THE BACCHUS was a sketch ritual at the Pack Theater that presented amazing content from female and non-binary writers and performers. I think in 2018, I had mentioned that I would be interested in doing drag one night while hanging out at the Pack, and Nicky Urban invited me to make my drag debut on their show. I picked a really pretty song from the game, Final Fantasy VIII, and then a lot of people came together to make the performance possible. I was a very pampered drag queen and I have such respect for all those that slay the art form.

What influenced your choice of your stage name J. Elijah Cho instead of your birth name Jonathan Elijah Cho?

Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead! When I was in Florida, I had a friend that used to work conventions and she was chatting with him and mentioned my name, to which he responded, "You know John?" That's when I realized that my name might get me confused with the other John Cho. Although, I still get congratulated for his work sometimes, from friends that usually just see a headline and not a picture, I hope. I had an acting professor in college named C. David Frankel and there's also F. Murray Abraham, so J. Elijah Cho felt like a good actor name.

What is in the near future for J. Elijah Cho?

I'm eager to get another chance to perform MR. YUNIOSHI, especially because I didn't really get a chance to do so after winning the award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I write comedy songs on occasion, and I've been performing those at live shows. I'm eager for the Pack Theater to reopen and I'm also working on a few other writing projects. Finally, I'm an avid Xbox gamer so I've always been fascinated by the idea of streaming.

Thank you again, Jonathan! I look forward to meeting your MR. YUNIOSHI.

Thank you so much for your time and interest in my show and me! I really enjoyed answering these questions and thinking about all these projects, places, and people from my past. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy the show!

For tickets for the live performances of MR. YUNIOSHI November 11th and 14th as part of KUNG POW FESTIVAL, log onto www.eventbrite.com/e/crazy-woke-asians-kung-pow-festival-in-santa-monica-artists-entrance-tickets-191516660487

For tickets for the live performances December 5th, 12th and 19th, log onto www.eventbrite.com/e/mr-yunioshi-live-tickets-190818622637