Afterparty Stars Poppy Liu and Vivian Wu Discuss Unreliable Narrators in Season 2

In the exciting new season of The Afterparty, Aniq and Zoë find themselves embroiled in a thrilling murder investigation. Desperate for help, they turn to Detective Danner, but this time, the case hits close to home for Zoë. The murder occurs at her sister’s wedding, and the list of suspects includes her own loved ones. Determined to clear their names, the trio delves into the lives of the wedding guests, including the groom’s family and business partner, in a relentless pursuit of the truth.

Chris Miller, the brilliant mind behind The Afterparty, serves as an executive producer alongside Phil Lord and Anthony King. Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, and Zoë Chao reprise their roles from the first season, and they are joined by an incredible ensemble cast for the second season. Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Paul Walter Hauser, Poppy Liu, Anna Konkle, Jack Whitehall, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong, and John Cho bring their immense talent to the show, making it a star-studded affair.

FilmmakerFocus had the privilege of speaking with Poppy Liu and Vivian Wu about their experiences in The Afterparty season 2. Liu shared how each episode offers a unique perspective, as memories are not always accurate. Wu and Liu also discussed the improvisations from the cast members with comedy backgrounds and revealed their favorite episodes.

Now, let’s dive into the fascinating conversation with Poppy Liu and Vivian Wu as they shed light on the captivating world of The Afterparty season 2.

[Image: Poppy Liu & Vivian Wu Talk The Afterparty Season 2]

FilmmakerFocus: You both are phenomenal in this! I love The Afterparty! I think I watched the whole thing in 24 hours. It’s so good. The Afterparty allows you to explore multiple genres and shift how you portray the character in each one. How do you change your approach in each episode while staying true to who the character is?

Poppy Liu: I think the genres did a lot of the work for us in just immersing ourselves in that world. It’s fascinating to think of each genre as being told by unreliable narrators, where everyone has their own subjective and skewed version of events. That’s how real life works too. So, we had the freedom to be over the top or portray a version of ourselves as seen by someone else, or even an extreme version.

There’s so much elasticity in how we could portray our characters because continuity doesn’t matter when it comes to people’s memories. How you behave in one person’s memory can be completely different from how you behave in another’s. And I think that’s what makes it even more fun.

Vivian Wu: It’s incredibly liberating for us as actors.

Poppy Liu: Absolutely. Reality is a subjective experience, after all.

With such a unique and dynamic approach to storytelling, it’s no wonder that The Afterparty has captivated audiences. As Poppy Liu and Vivian Wu shared, the freedom to explore different genres and perspectives allows the cast to deliver truly unforgettable performances.

So, which genre was their favorite? Stay tuned to find out!Are you looking for a genre to play in?

Vivian Wu: I absolutely adore the 80s soap opera genre because I believe that being dramatic is often underestimated. It’s just so good. And, of course, I have a deep love for Jane Austen’s genre, which is incredibly extravagant. There’s a larger-than-life elegance to it that easily makes it my favorite.

Poppy Liu: I also love Jane Austen! It’s simply too good. It’s like stepping into a fantasy world. But I must say, I really enjoyed John Cho’s episode, which had a lot of dancing. There’s dancing throughout the series, but that episode was particularly fun. We did a lot of choreography and dance practice. It was just a blast. I haven’t danced in such a long time, so being spun around was pure joy. It brought out the childlike glee in me.

Vivian Wu: It was absolutely delightful.

Can you tell me about the improvisation on set? It seems so cool, especially when there’s no continuity between episodes.

Vivian Wu: Well, for me, this is my first comedy and there are so many incredible comedians on set. It’s like a non-stop laugh factory. They’re having such a great time, laughing and laughing. And these comedians are unstoppable. There’s so much improvisation, even after the scene is over. Sometimes I would be like, “What? It’s not in the script. It’s not in the sides. What? What?” But it’s unbelievable. It’s incredible.

Poppy Liu: There are so many talented people with improv backgrounds, stand-up backgrounds, and comedy backgrounds in the cast. Everyone is so witty. Every take, they would change the button or the punch line. Meanwhile, I was pregnant throughout the entire filming process, so it took all of my energy and concentration just to physically be there and do what’s on the page. Coming up with additional lines and making them funny was a challenge for me. But I really admired everyone else’s improvisation. I focused all of my scattered mommy brain cells on my own lines. I was like, “These are my lines. I am here. Grace. Wedding.”

Vivian Wu: Same here. I had to stick to my lines too because I’m not a stand-up comedian or anything like that. So for me, it was like, “Whoa!” It was eye-opening.

Poppy Liu: Everyone was doing their tight five, even off-camera, even in the cast chairs. The banter and the verbal sparring were just incredible to witness.

Vivian Wu: It was like being in a gym!

Poppy Liu: Just watching everyone verbally spar, I was like, “Wow!”

About The Afterparty Season 2

Aniq and Zoë call Detective Danner for help when they are once again swept into a murder investigation when the groom of the wedding they are attending is killed. The trio must search for rnrnClues and question suspects to clear Zoë’s family from suspicion. The suspects include Zoë’s family members, star-crossed lovers, and the groom’s business partner, who each tell their own version of the events leading up to the groom’s murder.

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