BOWEN YANG
MASTERING HIS CRAFT
FromSaturday Night Livecomedy stalwart to burgeoning film actor with roles inWickedand the upcomingThe Wedding Banquetunder his belt, Bowen Yang’s star continues to rise
Words Gary Grimes
LUKA CYPRIAN BLEECKER STREET
FROM THE OUTSIDE
looking in, you would be forgiven for assuming that Bowen Yang has been on top of the world these past few years. Since being promoted from the writing team to the on-air cast of Saturday Night Live in 2019, the comedian and actor’s career has gone from strength to strength. Yang fast became a fan favourite on the legendary live comedy hit and has been credited with bringing a new, decidedly queer flavour to it. Then, in 2021, he made history as the first cast member to land an Emmy nomination for his work on the show.
Parallel to his SNL success, his weekly pop-culture podcast Las Culturistas with best friend and fellow comedian Matt Rogers grew exponentially in popularity. What began as something of a lark, recorded in his producer’s apartment with a mattress over the window for better sound, metamorphosed into one of the biggest entertainment podcasts in the world, landing exclusive guest appearances by everyone from Mariah Carey to Cate Blanchett to Dua Lipa.
And then came the big screen. A memorable supporting role in Billy Eichner’s ill-fated but underrated gay romcom Bros was swiftly followed by a lead part in the Andrew Ahndirected Pride & Prejudice interpolation, Fire Island. In the latter, he starred opposite real-life pal Joel Kim Booster as the insecure, lovelorn friend struggling to find an identity for himself in the sex-fuelled, image-obsessed landscape of the eponymous queer utopia.