The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Awkwafina Talks Going from Hip Hop to Acting with "Ocean's 8" and "Crazy Rich Asians"

Episode Date: August 21, 2019

Rapper and actor Awkwafina chats about tackling her film roles in "Ocean's 8" and "Crazy Rich Asians" and reflects on her ongoing music career. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show. It's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting. You'll be saying to yourself, TGID. Thank God it's Thursday we're going to be talking about. All the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election.

Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E, earnings. E, earnings, earnings, earnings, earnings, earnings, earnings, earnings, earnings, the the the th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the the, the, th, thi, the, the, the, the, the, the e, the e, the ea, the ea, the ea, the ea, the ea, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, the e, thi, th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, they, they, we we we we're thi, we're thi, the thi, thi, they, thoan, theyarnings, theyarnings, theyarnings, their, their, their, their, their, their thi listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative.

Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Please welcome, Aquafina. Welcome, Aquifina. Welcome to the show. Thanks. And congratulations. Thanks. And congratulations. First and foremost, I mean, I saw you blow up from a few videos that you had online, you know, you had some great rap songs that you put out online, you

blew up, and now you are in Oceans 8, one of the most anticipated movies. Has it sunk in? No, not at all. Yeah, I'm in constant disbelief, yes. I feel like you deserve it though, man. You're really funny. you're great with your music with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with with the music with the music with the music with the music with th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thia. th. It's, to, to, th.a. I's, thi. I'm, thiole. I's, th. I's, th. th. th. I's, the th. I's, the the the the the the the the thi. the the the th. th. th. th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. Yeah, thi. Yeah, thi. Yeah, thi.a.a.a.a.a. toea. Yeah, th. I'm, th. th. thia. thi. Yeah, th. Yeah, th. You're really funny. You're great with your music. As an actor, you've been killing it as well. This was one of those roles where I feel like you were perfect for it. And I got to watch the movie. And what I was most impressed by was you were, you were just, you were just, you're just, you're just constant.

Yeah, my grandma says, you know? Yeah. It's pretty good. Well, I think you were. Unlike your grandmother, I think you are. Not that your grandmother's wrong, I'm just saying, I think you were. But what I found interesting was this. Like, I've heard you speak a bit about roles for Asian characters or Asian people in movies. And what was cool about Constance am Yeah, was that important to you? Yeah, it was of course and I think like the cool thing about constant is like I watched the movie and like you know, you know, I was thrown. And she's from that environment. She's from Queens. She's from New York. We shot that park scene like very close to where I grew up. tel tel the th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th th. th. th th the the the the the the the the the thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool the cool th. I th. I the the the the that the things. I things. I things. things. things. things. things. things. I things. things. things. things. I things. I the the bit about Constance because like I know that everyone in the Oceans franchise will always have like a skill. She's like a three-card Monty hustler, right?

Yes, she's kind of a low rent pickpocket, right, that they need at that moment. She is from Queen, she's a New Yorker, and yeah, she's very elemental in the heist. Right. You have a lot of people who have come out with this movie and they've gone like, this is exciting, this is Oceans 8, and then you obviously have the negative people who are like, always an all-female reboot, but it's just a kickass movie, that's all it is. Yeah, I mean it's a fun movie. I think those people that say that, I think they need they need they need they need they need need need need they need need need they need need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need they need the the the the the the their their to the the the to to to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their th. the. theat. theat. theat. theat. theat. th. theat. th. theat. th. theat. th. theat. theat. th like that kind of thing. It's like watch it first and then you know start your sub your subredits. Right and it's it's Oceans 8 which is going to be a mega blockbuster but you are also in another movie that many people didn't see coming it was widely anticipated in some ways though as well it was a crazy rich Asian Beavers yes I was in crazy rich Asians. Wait furry what? Furry Asian beers that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's like th. It's like th. th. It's like th. It's like th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. th. th. It's th. th. It's is is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's. I I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I is. I. I. I's. I's. It's. It's like. It's like. It's like. It's like. It's like. I was like. It's like. I was like. I was like. I was like. I was. I was. It's like. It's like. It's like. It's. I was. I was.ry Asian Beaver's. Yes, I was in Crazy Rich Asians. Wait, Furry, what? Furry Asian Beavers, that's like the other movie that I, that's like, it's like, he's me, straight to, straight to D.V.

Straight to D. Okay, okay. Okay, okay. I'm not gonna go into that at all. We don't have to. Yeah, yeah, we can just go to crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's like, that's like, that's like it's like straight straight straight straight straight straight. That's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's that's that's that's straight straight straight straight straight straight. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's straight straight straight straight straight. It's. It's. It's. It's straight straight. It's. It's. It's straight. It's. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight. It's straight straight. It's straight straight straight, straight, straight, straight, straight, straight, straight, straight, straight, straight, straight to. Straight to. Straight to me. Straight to. Straight to. Straight to. Straight to. Straight in the movie. And Ronnie was like, hey man, I'm going to do this movie, and I think it's really important for myself as an Asian person is going to be really cool. I was like, just say you want to go do them. That's how you pitched it, right? And then no, like when you see how the of Asian person you can possibly imagine. That must have been a fun experience. It was, yeah, it was so fun.

I mean, we, I mean, the cool thing about Crazy Ridge Asians and, you know, the aspect that it's like an Asian movie is that that conversation was never had, you know, with us. Right. Right. It was a really beautiful thing because we were all that one Asian on set, you know, and thia, you, thia, thia, thia, thian, thian, thian, th. And, th. And, thi, th. And, thi, thi, thin, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that, that, that, thi, thi, thi, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm the the the the the the the the thin, thin, the the th th th th th th thi.. th th th th th that that that the that, that, that, you know, and then collectively we're together and that just didn't come up. So that was really cool to experience that. That's an interesting place to be in. And like, when you get to be in roles like this on Ocean's Aids or in Crazy Rich Asians, do you think it changes how you see your roles going forward? Do you think it changes what

rules you would shift in Hollywood right now. And I think that like, people will say like of Crazy Ridge Asians like, well, you know, if it, the Asian American cinema should not be based upon Crazy Rich Asians. And, you know, it should just be a thing. And so I think in the same thing with Oceans, like we should have all female cast, not dependent on like how well these movies do. Right, right. But you know, I think that also the roles have changed. I remember when I first started auditioning, we were getting roles that they asked for accents, that like weren't helpful at all. They were just kind of tempted for like kind of a funny thing. Right. And characters that, you know, their Asianist kind of define them. Yes. And I think that I'm seeing less and less of that. So there's the positive their th. th. th. th. th. thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the the the the thi. thi. thea the the the the the the the the the that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi thi thi thi the the the the the the the the the that the that that that that that that that that the the the the a the a the a theaaa. thoun. theaaaa. thoueaaa. theaaa. theaaa. thou thea thea the you're getting into the industry now you are an actor and a rapper

Do you know if one is going to overtake the other? My rap career is kind of mine, you know, and I have a very small niche group of fans I'm never really gonna try to push my rap to like a larger audience. It's just gonna be like where it is Kind of vague, you know, I mean, I don't know if the audience doesn't know if I don't I the audience, I the audience, I the audience, I the audience, I the the the the th, I th, I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I'm kind kind kind th. I'm kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind th. I th. I th. I'm kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind of, kind the doesn't know the context, but... Check you out on YouTube. They'll give me the the Vag. Thank you. Oh, thank you. The one question is like, I'm familiar with the Vag. Yes. Yes. Very, she's a, yeah.

But I think like movies, like, I look at movies, I'm kind of likethat. So it's like, I have more creative control over that. Movies are a collaborative experience, so I'll do as long as I can. I'll tell you this from Ocean's 8 and from Crazy Rich Asians. I think you'll be having a lot more control than you think. Thank you so much for being on the show. Really great having you want. The EP, Inc., Inc., Inc. everybody. The Daily Show with Cover Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central

app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. to the Daily Show and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election earnings calls.

What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart wherever you get your podcast.