In a Digital Spy interview, Wu Assassins star Byron Mann discussed the racism scene featured in episode seven.
Wu Assassins follows San Francisco Chinatown chef Kai Jin (Iko Uwais) who gets caught up with the Chinese Triads who search for deadly ancient powers known as the ‘Wu Xing.’
Mann plays Uncle Six – the head of the Chinatown Triad and the Fire Wu. In the seventh episode, Uncle Six and Kai Jin encounter a racist waitress at a diner during their road trip. The pair respond by giving the waitress a lecture on American history including Chinese railroad workers in the 19th century and the Geary Act.
Discussing the scene, Mann said, “It’s funny because when you do these shows, you never know which scenes are going to pop for the audience. I certainly don’t. You just don’t know until it comes out and the audience responds.”
“The audience have certainly responded to this scene, which catches me by surprise a little bit actually. I thought, ‘Oh, this feels like a history lesson, and I don’t know how people are going to respond to a scene that’s laced with racism’.”
Mann added that the scene seems to have been a favorite for many on social media.
“From reactions online, on Twitter, on Instagram, almost everyone has been responding to that scene,” he said. “It’s the highlight for a lot of people.”
In related news, Mann’s co-star Li Jun Li recently responded to Wu Assassin’s mixed reviews – including one that compared it to Panda Express.
