Dancing into Season 2: John Cho & Ken Jeong Share Their Afterparty Moves

The Afterparty, a brilliantly funny murder mystery series, makes its much-anticipated return with a fresh new mystery for Detective Danner, Zoë, and Aniq to unravel. When Zoë's family falls under suspicion for the murder of her sister's new spouse, she and Aniq reach out to Detective Danner for assistance. Determined to clear her family's name, Zoë diligently searches for clues and alternative suspects. Meanwhile, Detective Danner and Aniq diligently interrogate witnesses, including the groom's family and his business partner, all in the hopes of uncovering the true culprit.

Created by Christopher Miller, executive producers Anthony King and longtime collaborator Phil Lord, The Afterparty features the return of Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, and Zoë Chao, reprising their roles from the first season. Joining the cast for Season 2 are Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Paul Walter Hauser, Poppy Liu, Anna Konkle, Jack Whitehall, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong, and John Cho.

Screen Rant interviewed John Cho and Ken Jeong to get insights on season 2 of The Afterparty. During the conversation, Jeong discussed his collaboration with Lord, Miller, and King and also delved into why he considers the series to be "the best acting conservatory ever." Cho drew a comparison between learning dance choreography and mastering martial arts, while also explaining the challenges that The Afterparty presents to actors.

John Cho & Ken Jeong on The Afterparty Season 2

Screen Rant: This show is absolutely phenomenal! I binge-watched it all in just one day. I'm completely smitten with it! Both of you deliver outstanding performances! What I particularly adore about Afterparty is the opportunity to explore numerous genres and portray the characters in such distinct variations. So, how do you approach portraying your character differently for each episode while still staying true to their core essence?

John Cho explained that sometimes when you are acting, you are not really portraying your character, but rather someone's memory or perception of you. It can be confusing and challenging to keep everything straight. Cho admitted to struggling with this due to his lack of intelligence, but found it helpful to communicate with the director, Chris, or Anthony to understand his role and attitude for the day. Therefore, he often seeks help and asks for guidance. On the other hand, Ken Jeong mentioned that he was often late in starting his scenes, apologizing and asking for permission before beginning.

Which genre did you enjoy playing the most?

Ken Jeong: I believe it was the found footage episode. Being the focus of the episode means being responsible for advancing the story and ensuring that my performance aligns perfectly with both the overall plot and the murder mystery. Thus, there is a great deal of responsibility associated with your own episode.

I want to give a big shout out to Eric Appel for his invaluable guidance. Whenever people ask, I always say that I learned everything on the job, but this experience felt like attending the best acting conservatory. I had the opportunity to learn from amazing directors like Chris, Anthony, and Phil, as well as from John and the rest of the cast. [John points to himself] Yes, and [points at John] he generously offered me a friends and family discount for tuition, which was incredibly reasonable. That's why I have so much respect for him.

John Cho: It's the least I could do for a friend.

Ken Jeong: Yeah, it was so good. Paypal.

John Cho: $1,500 dollars a day.

Ken Jeong: Oh, my god Paypal. They had the friends and family discount. It was so great. I thank you for that. Thank you. Tuition was not that bad.

I absolutely adore it! Could you possibly share some insights on working alongside Anthony, Phil, and Chris?

Ken Jeong: They are truly brilliant individuals. That's how I would characterize them. They persist until we achieve perfection, with a strong emphasis on portraying the story accurately. They possess genuine motives in their approach.

John Cho: Because of the financial benefits!

Ken Jeong: Let's take a moment to appreciate their reasonable tuition. Personally, I greatly admire their perspective showcased in all their movies. They have a wide range of films that come from a place of understanding and affection, whether it's their comedy or animation. Working in such an atmosphere of love was truly wonderful.

John, you had the opportunity to showcase your incredible dance moves in this show. Can you tell us about your experience?

John Cho: It was a moment of great relief to finally demonstrate to the world my exceptional dancing abilities. The anticipation had been building up for an extensive period of time.

Ken Jeong said that John kept telling him, "Hey, I can't wait." Ken responded by saying, "I'm right there with you, buddy. But I still have a question about the tuition."

John Cho expressed how awesome it was to confront his fear of dancing and be taught by some of the world's best instructors. He found the whole experience to be fascinating and compared it to learning martial arts for another project. John emphasized that not only was it intellectually stimulating, but it was also physically demanding. In the end, he found it incredibly satisfying.

Ken Jeong: Same with me. I had to learn how to sit down and eat. So yeah, there's a lot of stuff going on in my head.

About The Afterparty Season 2

Aniq and Zoë enlist the assistance of Detective Danner when they once again find themselves embroiled in a murder investigation. The unfortunate demise of the wedding groom, during the very nuptials they are attending, prompts them to seek answers. Together, they endeavor to unravel the truth, exonerating Zoë's family from any suspicion cast upon them. Suspects in this perplexing case encompass Zoë's relatives, star-crossed lovers, and the groom's business partner, each offering their unique perspective on the events leading up to the tragic murder.

Check out our other The Afterparty season 2 interviews here:

Phil Lord, Chris Miller & Anthony King

Sam Richardson & Zoe Chao

Tiffany Haddish & Zach Woods

Jack Whitehall & Paul Walter Hauser

Anna Konkle & Elizabeth Perkins

Poppy Liu & Vivian Wu

Anna Konkle

The first two episodes of The Afterparty season 2 are now streaming on Apple TV+.

Source: Screen Rant Plus