The Afterparty Season 2: Unraveling the Unreliable Narrators With Poppy Liu & Vivian Wu

In The Afterparty's new season, Aniq and Zoë seek the assistance of Detective Danner when they become embroiled in a fresh murder investigation. This time, the case hits close to home for Zoë as her family becomes entangled. During her sister's wedding, the groom is discovered dead, leaving Zoë's loved ones as prime suspects. Determined to prove their innocence, the trio meticulously interrogates all wedding guests, including the groom's family and business partner, to uncover the true murderer.

The Afterparty's creator, Chris Miller, assumes the role of executive producer alongside Phil Lord and Anthony King. Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, and Zoë Chao reprise their roles from the first season. Notably, the second season features the addition of acclaimed actors Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Paul Walter Hauser, Poppy Liu, Anna Konkle, Jack Whitehall, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong, and John Cho.

Screen Rant spoke with Poppy Liu and Vivian Wu, who shared insights about The Afterparty season 2. Liu highlighted the flexible nature of continuity in each episode, emphasizing that memories are never precise. Additionally, Wu and Liu discussed the delightful improvisations by the cast members with comedy backgrounds, and also revealed their personal favorite episodes.

Poppy Liu & Vivian Wu Talk The Afterparty Season 2

Screen Rant: The performances in this are outstanding! I'm completely hooked on Afterparty! I binged the entire series in just one day. It's absolutely fantastic. Afterparty provides the opportunity to delve into various genres and alter the way you depict the character in each instance. How do you modify your approach in each episode while maintaining the authenticity of the character?

Poppy Liu: The genres played a significant role in immersing ourselves in that world. It's intriguing to consider all genres as stories told by unreliable narrators, resulting in each person having subjective and skewed versions of events, often not completely truthful. This mirrors how real life works. Therefore, it was enjoyable because, within the world of Afterparty, we were allowed to embrace exaggerated or alternate versions of ourselves that others perceive as extreme.

There was great flexibility in the portrayal, as technicalities didn't matter much since there is no consistency in people's memories. Your behavior in one person's memory could be completely different from another's. This factor actually adds to the fun of it all.

Vivian Wu: It's very freeing for us as actors

Poppy Liu: And reality is a subjective experience.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say. It seems like everyone perceives their life as either a film noir or a period piece. Which genre did you prefer to act in?

Vivian Wu: Personally, I really enjoyed working in the 80s soap opera genre. I believe that being dramatic is often overlooked, so it was fulfilling to explore that. Additionally, I have a deep affection for the Jane Austen genre, which is characterized by its opulence and grandeur. It easily stands out as one of my favorites.

"I absolutely adore Jane Austen too. It's simply captivating. Although, I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed John Cho's episode which involved a lot of dancing. There's plenty of dancing throughout the series, but that particular episode was exceptionally enjoyable. We put in a lot of effort into learning the choreography and practicing the dance moves. It was pure fun. I haven't danced in ages, so being spun around was incredibly euphoric and brought me immense joy. I felt a sense of pure glee."

Vivian Wu: "That was absolutely delightful."

Can you tell me more about the improvisation on set? It seems really interesting, especially considering there is no continuity between episodes.

Vivian Wu: This is my first time doing comedy, and there are so many talented comedians on set. It was like a non-stop laughter factory. They were having such a great time, constantly laughing. And even after the scene was done, these comedians just couldn't stop improvising. Sometimes I would be surprised because the improvisation wasn't in the script or sides. But it was truly amazing and incredible.

Poppy Liu expressed admiration for the talented and quick-witted cast members with backgrounds in improv, stand-up, and comedy. She noted that during filming, every take had variations in the delivery of punch lines, which required her to put in a tremendous amount of effort and concentration, especially since she was pregnant at the time. Coming up with additional funny lines was a challenge for her, as she felt mentally drained. Despite this, she enjoyed being a fan of her fellow cast members' improv skills and focused her scattered thoughts on delivering her own lines, such as "Grace. Wedding." Vivian Wu echoed similar feelings, acknowledging that as someone without a background in stand-up comedy, observing the cast's abilities was an eye-opening experience for her.

Poppy Liu noticed that tight five performances are happening everywhere, not only on camera but also during breaks in the cast chairs. It seems like everyone is constantly practicing and refining their material. Vivian Wu compared this situation to people working out at the gym.

Poppy Liu: Just verbally sparring in a way where I was just like, "Wow!"

About The Afterparty Season 2

Detective Danner is called upon by Aniq and Zoë once again, as they find themselves immersed in yet another murder investigation. This time, the unfortunate incident takes place during a wedding they are attending, leaving the groom dead. The trio embarks on a mission to uncover crucial clues and interrogate potential suspects in order to exonerate Zoë's family from any suspicion. Among the individuals under scrutiny are Zoë's relatives, star-crossed lovers, and the groom's business partner, each of whom vividly narrates their own perspective on the events leading up to the tragic murder.

Check out our other The Afterparty season 2 interviews:

Phil Lord, Chris Miller & Anthony King

Sam Richardson & Zoe Chao

John Cho & Ken Jeong

Tiffany Haddish & Zach Woods

Jack Whitehall & Paul Walter Hauser

Anna Konkle & Elizabeth Perkins

Anna Konkle

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

Source: Screen Rant Plus