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

Episode Date: March 22, 2020

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. Originally aired August 21, 2019. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Please welcome, Aquifina! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome to the show. 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 all the time. Yes. I can't believe it though, man. 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 what I was most impressed by was you were, you, you, you, you, you, th, tha, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th..... And, th, th.. And, th. And, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thoooooooooooooo. And, thi, thi, thi watch the movie, and what I was most impressed by was you were just your character. You're just Constance. Yeah, my grandma says that like you're not even acting or just being yourself. Right. Yeah. It's like, thanks grandma, you know. Yeah. It's pretty good. Well, I think you were acting.

Thank you. I think you were. that. . . 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's character was that, yes, Constance is Asian, but she's not like, doing Asian things. She's like, no, this is a part of who I am.

Was that important to you? Yeah, it was, of course. And I think, like, the cool thing about Constance, 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, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was... And, was, was, was, was, the cool. the cool. the cool. the cool. the cool, like, like, the cool, the cool, the cool. the cool, the cool. the cool, was, the cool, was, was, was, was, was I still have never seen anything like her. You know, it's very unique. 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. Tell us a little 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 Monte Hustler, yes. She's kind, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind of th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's kind of th. She's kind th. She's kind th. She's th. She's th. th. th. th. th. that, th. that, th. that, th. that, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. theeeeeeee. theeee. thee. that that that that the. that that that that 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 like with this movie and they've gone, like, this

is exciting, this is OceansAid, and then you obviously have the negative people who are like, oh, it's 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 like, those people that say that, I think they need to watch the movie first and then go on Reddit, you know, so it's like, that kind of thing. It's like, watch it first, you know, 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 Crazy Rich Asians. Oh, I thought you meant Furry Asian Beavers. Yes, I was in Crazy Rich Asians. Wait, Furry, what? Furry, what? Furty, what? Ferry, thee,, okay. I'm not gonna go into that at all. I don't have to. Yeah, yeah, we can just go to crazy rich Asians.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, that's a movie I heard about because of Ronnie Chang who's on the daily show. Shout out Ronnie Chang, right? Ronnie Chang is in the movie. Yeah. And, um, and Ronnie was like, throwny person is going to be really cool. I was like, why, just say you want to go do them, that's how you pitched it, right? And then no, like when you see how the movie has been received, I think what's really cool about it is, so many people representing every different type of Asian person you can possibly imagine. That must have been a fun experience. It was, yeah, it was so fun. I mean, I mean, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, the cool, the cool, the cool, I, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, the cool, I the cool, I the cool, I the cool, I the cool, I the cool, I the cool, th. th. the th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. I th. I th. I th. I th. th. th. the thi, the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. it's like an Asian movie is that that conversation was never had you know with us right castmates I think that was a really beautiful thing because we were all that one Asian on set 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 that's an interesting place to be in roles like this on oceans eights 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 accept in Hollywood? Totally and I think it also is you know it's telling of like a larger shift in Hollywood right now and I think that like people will say like of crazy rich 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 get I was getting roles that they asked for accents that like weren't helpful at all they were just kind of a funny thing characters they're characters they're like like like like 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 a the the the the their I I I I I I their their their their. their. their. they they they they they their. their. their. I they they their. I'm their. I'm their. their. their. I'm their. their. I'm their. I'm their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. I I I I I I I. their. I. I. I. I. I. I's. I'm just just just just just just just just just just just just just like like like like like. I'm just. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their. their. their. the the that, you know, their Asianness kind of defined them. Yes. And I think that I'm seeing less and less of that. So there's a positive thing going on right now. That's a really exciting thing to see, especially if you're getting into the industry now. You are an actor and a rapper.

Do you know if one is going a very small niche group of fans. I'm never really going to try to push my rap to like a larger audience. It's just going to be like where it is, kind of vaggy, you know what I mean? I don't know if the audience doesn't know the context, but they're on YouTube. Yeah, badge. Thank you. Oh, thank you. The one question is like, I'm familiar with the vaguad. I, I, I, I, I'm, I, I, I, I'm, I, I, I, I, I, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, like, the, like, like, the, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like. Very, she's a, yeah. But I think like movies, like, I look at movies kind of like a blessing, you know? I don't really have control over what movies I'll do, you know. Whereas music, I'm constantly doing that, so it's like, I have more creative control over that. Movies are collaborative experience, so I'll do as long as I can.

I'll tell you this, from Ocean's 8, I th. 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, Incineries Trust, and Ocean's 8th, will be out on June 8th. Alcrophina, everybody. The Daily Show with Cover No. Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11. 10 Central on Comedy Central and Com. Watch full episodes and video. and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes. S, Seckon, the se.