Put your hot dog-fingered hands together and scream because Stephanie Hsu is joining the cast of David Leitch’s The Fall Guy. Hsu’s star is burning brightly after starring as Michelle Yeoh’s daughter in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which in my opinion, is one of the greatest films of 2022. Hsu shines in the bizarre fantasy-action film, and now she joins Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson for Leitch’s reimagining of the 1980s adventure television series.
When The Fall Guy came to television screens, the show starred Lee Majors as a stuntman moonlighting as a bounty hunter. In Leitch’s version, written by Drew Pearce, an out-to-pasture stuntman (Gosling) finds himself back on a movie set with the star he used to double that replaced him. However, the star is missing, providing the stuntman with a unique opportunity.
Stephanie Hsu plays the assistant to the movie star, who Aaron Taylor Johnson plays. Meanwhile, Blunt portrays a makeup artist who was once romantically involved with Johnson’s character. Before she played a daughter with dueling personalities in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hsu played Mei in the multi-award-winning drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She’s taking a lead role in the untitled Lionsgate feature from Adele Lim and appears in Rian Johnson’s Peacock series Poker Face.
The Fall Guy is one of several exciting opportunities for Hsu, who is a delight every time she steps onto the screen. She’s also attached to the Disney+ series American Born Chinese, starring Michelle Yeoh.
Per Amazon, American Born Chinese tells the story of three unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he’s the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny’s life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable.
American Born Chinese is the winner of the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award, a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature, the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, an Eisner Award nominee for Best Coloring, a 2007 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, and a New York Times bestseller.
In addition to being a powerful story about heritage, fitting in, and stereotypes that have left a negative and lasting impact on society, American Born Chinese has become a touchstone release for many fans. I’ve spoken to several people who say that Yang’s book is an outstanding and eye-opening read, and I could not agree more.