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Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest to night is an actor who starts in a new.
Broadway play Yellow Face. Please welcome my good friend Daniel day Care.
Wow, what a warm house. Everybody loves you, man, you're the man. Well, everyone loves Ronnie. Who doesn't love Ronnie Chang?
That's that's forcing it, that's forcing it. So yeah, you uh, one of those guys who's become so rich and famous to do Broadway now to get your kicks.
Yeah, that's it. I'm slumming it in theater because you came. You came from theater I did.
Yeah, I started my training here in New York.
Uh and uh.
I went to drama school here at n y U and uh.
That's where oh yeah n yu.
Uh and so uh and so yeah, I did theater for a number of years before heading out to l A.
Right. And so this was that your that's where you learn your craft. And you were running around town just being a theater kid in New York City.
Yeah, whatever, little I know I learned here?
Yeah, well I learned about little, but definitely I wish, you know, we all could learn as little as union fact and what does this play about.
Uh so, it's a semi autobiographical play. I don't know if you know the playwright, David Henry Wall.
Legend legendary what I want.
Yeah, Uh, he wrote a play called m Butterfly that ended up winning a Tony and uh and uh. At the time, in the late eighties, there was a play called Miss Saigon that came to the US, and that play was famous because it was a white actor playing an Asian role with taped.
Up eyelids and all that kind of stuff, as they should. That's right, that's right, and that's no, that kind it kind of is. So he ended up protesting that, David David Henry Wong.
Yeah, so he ended up protesting that and then ended up this this play is about him writing a play where he actually, for his next play, it's a little bit meta, he ends up mistakenly hiring a white actor to play an Asian lead in his own play. And so that's what this show is about, right, I play David Henry Wong.
Sure, and that actually is based only a true story, right.
Yeah, So, so much of this play is actually based on true events, the Mess Saigon stuff, and uh, you know, he actually wrote a play called Phase of Value right after that, which was based on Miss Saigon, and that play the story of the casting of that play is in this play.
Okay, so this is an inception.
This play inception, and I guess you just get attracted to extremely convoluted plot lines.
I lost, And that's right.
And the idea, one of the main themes of the play is the idea of whether or not people of different races can play other races as actors. So the if we go to the source of the inception, the genesis of it was Jonathan Price playing Asian a half Asian man in Miss Saigon. That's right, and that's what caused the initial and David Henri Juan, being an Asian American activist, kind of spoke out about it. Yeah, and then he accidentally casted a white guy to play Yeah.
Because but I guess what is your stance on that as a as a actor, a respected actor in the theater community.
Well, I think it requires a lot of thought whatever whatever you decided to do. And I think part of the reason there was so much controversy around it then and now is because it was just assumed that people of color would not be able to play themselves, and that it was okay for people who were not African Americans, say, to be to put on blackface and then you know, pretend to be African American. And it's the same thing
with Asian Americans. But you know, we're in a situation right now where there's so many great Asian American performers, you being among them, you know.
Right, And so.
There is absolutely no reason why Asian performers should not be playing Asian characters now, you know. I think the thing that gets a little bit more nuanced now is whether we should be nationality specific among Asian Americans. And that is an interesting question too, like should people of Japanese descent only be able to play people characters who are Japanese, or even more nuanced, should they be able to Japanese American characters who have no connection to being
Japanese nationals. So these are really interesting questions and one's worth exploring.
Yeah, and as as president of all actors, what is the answer?
Can we played or not? Well?
Honestly, like, I have an opinion about it, and it's kind of a hot take, but I.
Think so, clicks, let's go, here's what I think no. I think I think that we shouldn't be limited.
To playing people of our own nationality because you know, I always think about the eight year old who's watching TV. Can an eight year old or ten year old watching TV tell that I'm not Japanese or you're not Chinese or you know, if they cannot, And there are a couple of criteria that I actually think about. Is this
character historically based? Is there a cultural significance to a particular country in the character that's been played, or is there a language requirement that requires a level of authenticity, or is it based on a real character that that that is of that ethnicity. If those things are in place, I do think it's really important that the actor be of that same nationality or of that same specific ethnic origin.
But if not, and we're talking especially about Asian Americans, then I think it's perfectly fine for someone who's not, say, Korean, to play a Korean American because if we're just playing Americans, that's the emphasis, right, because you know, we're not talking about people of specific countries and those specific things.
So for example, someone who looks like me, why can I play extremely good looking person? Well, you know, why should I be limited.
That's a different conversation.
Yeah, yeah, so you know you've been you've been in show business for like almost eighty five years now, So like what based on your you know, I hate to ask the generic questions, but.
Like you actually have the authority and perspective to talk about this.
So what how have you felt.
The industry has changed since when you first started when you're running around Hell's Kitchen.
Oh, back in the old days, running around with Charlie Chaplin, that's right.
So when movies just started getting sound. Uh, you know, we've made a lot of progress, we really have. Like when I first started in this industry, there was a common uh uh misunderstanding that Asians were not funny. Like like back in the nineties, people thought, oh, Asian people are not funny.
It's but there are no Asian comedians out there.
And it took people like Margaret Cho Ken Jung and you and and Jimmy o'yang and so many others just to show that, yeah, we we've always been out there, we just haven't been seen that way. So, you know, so we had that misperception. You know, there's been a lot of stereo types that we've worked under. For a long time, but we're breaking through them. The fact that you're here right now hosting this show is a big break through it, you know, it's true.
True.
Yeah, well yeah that's great.
Yeah, what can I What can I say?
I'm making history of every dig.
Joke and bow and yang on SNL for instance, like first Asian American cast member and there you know, well.
Yeah, that's the context in which I know you. You've always been very supportive everyone. I first met you at the Comedy Celler. You're always very cool to the new guys, and so I really appreciate, you know, you being a mentor and showing us the ropes and looking out for us and all that.
So thank you to yourself and the old.
Jews and that they Kim And uh, you know this this one, this one play was actually a yellow face was was already Uh it's been mounted before in two thousand and seven, right, so this is like a re.
Mounting of the play.
So do you feel like it's it just as you feel the relevant the context of it is different now, yeah, like it was first put on in two thousand and seven.
Yeah, that's only twenty twenty four now.
Yeah, And I actually think it's as relevant, if not more so, because the stuff David was talking about and trying to address in two thousand and seven wasn't really topical. Then. He was actually ahead of the curve and talking about things like you know, ethnic authentic casting. You know, people now kind of see like, well, of course, that's that's what we should be doing, but back then they didn't
think that. So now, in the wake of George Floyd and BLM and you know, stop Asian Hate, there is more of an awareness of, you know, what's appropriate culturally and what we should be trying to aspire to.
And so what's crazy.
About this show is that there are a lot of real life figures, very prominent people like Dick Caviott and Frank.
Ollu here in the Yeah characters.
Yeah, And during the time when David was protesting, they were on the other side of the issue. They were supporting yellow face casting. But you know, now they've all changed their minds and said, you know what, we've evolved one the subject, and they they're a direct barometer of how far we've come. It's a great testament to all of them that they're willing to be in this play and and say.
Yeah, we we we made the wrong call on that one.
And you know, anything you want to say that Jonathan Price putting tape on his eyes or you want to call him, I will say it's the platform. This is a direct quote.
From the play. Jonathan.
Mister Price is an excellent actor.
Okay, wait enough to play Asian.
But I feel bad for him too because he you know, he he was doing what he thought was right at the time.
I bet we just put tape on your eyes and play Asian. But I think if you were to ask, hasn't tried to do that? I'm doing it right now. Well, well, yeah, thanks so much.
You know I could talk two hours, but you got the plate, actually do We're taping this before the play, mister Kim, very gracious for the great act Dollar generation, the Shopper cheek Bones on television.
We'll go away.
Production of Yellow Face.
It's curently in previews and we'll open Ontober first. Have a card names theater now they Kim, everybody. My guest tonight is the former head of the secretive Pentagon unit that studied UFOs. He's written the best selling book Imminent Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs. Please welcome, Louis Alesondo. Okay, so you know, thanks for coming on the show, Louis.
Thank you for having me my honored privilege.
Yeah, it's really nice to take a break talking about American politics to talk about what is going on as aliens.
Well, first of all, we don't call them aliens anymore. That's kind of a politically incorrect term. Who we now call them in the Pentagon NHI non human intelligence.
Okay, maybe you should probably give you your bona fides a bit. Well, you ran you in intelligence and count intelligence.
Yeah, so after college, I spent some time. I went into the United States Army, spent some time in military intelligence, and then from there I was recruited into some special activity programs where I became a special agent in counter intelligence,
investigating terrorism and espionage. In two thousand and nine, early two thousand and nine, I was brought in to run counter intelligence for that program what is now known as a TIP, the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, and later on I wound up being one of its senior members.
Right, so you a military man, veteran, you are intelligence officer, content intelligence officer, a grown adult by your own words, You're also a fat based person.
You've you've said that in in interviews, but.
I'm also proof that you don't have to be intelligent to be an intelligence.
Well no, I wouldn't go.
Let me just put that out there.
Okay, Well, let me put this out there.
What is going on?
These aliens? Aliens? So? What is alien? What's going on? That's aliens?
What? What is this? So?
The US government for many decades has been investing a lot of tax payer money looking into this this topic here, and it turns out that there are absolutely technologies that are coming into our controlled US airspace, over our sensitive military installations, may have the ability to interfere with the nuclear equities. And yeah, it's real. And not only are pilots picking it up and reporting it. Also we've got on electro optical data like gun camera footage, flear footage,
and also radar data. And it's not just here. It looks like it's pretty pervasive all over the world.
Now, So what there's aliens? Aliens aliens on right now and doing shit? What they're doing?
How you put those two words together, I'm not sure that I'm not necessarily aliens.
Come go, Okay, so what they're doing? What they're doing here, what are you doing?
So it appears that they're very interested in our technology. We don't know yet. I want to be very clear.
They came here.
They don't want to look at my iPhone sixteen. No, but they've got shit that flew across the stars they don't care about.
They are very interested in our military equities and capabilities, and also our nuclear technology. And I think what's for me, what was most compelling is that in some cases you had literally literally near misses of US combat aircraft coming within fifteen feet of these objects, in some cases literally splitting a combat formation right down the middle. These are things that can do things that none of our vehicles
can replicate. Their performance capabilities are far beyond anything that we have, and quite frankly, there's not a whole lot we can do about it right now.
So, beyond a shadow of a doubt that you've seen the evidence, the aliens.
Oh, the governments already come out. Look, you have a former director of National Intelligence, a former director of CIA, a former president of the United States all coming out and saying officially, yeah, there's something to this. I mean, these things look like that's they are definitely interested in
our stuff. And furthermore, when the government first came out with their new UFO program called Arrow, their first report said, yeah, there's one hundred and forty three of these incidents, but we expect these numbers to go down as we figure them out. The next report that came out there was over three hundred. The next report there's now over eight hundreds. So the numbers increasing, not decreasing.
Okay, So why is this getting buried in the cycle or something because Donald Trump says, I hate Taylor Swift.
So we just never see this stuff because when.
You presidents, the government has said these things out around.
So their in life is the problem. It's a bureaucracy. Look, the men and women find men and women of the Pentagon and the US government doing credible work, and most of the time we are a lot better off as a society because of the professionalism. Unfortunately, in this particular case,
the bureaucracy was a problem. We continue to try to get alarm bells up to the Secretary of Defense over and over again, but there was this layer of these proverbial praetorian guards that didn't want to tell the Secretary of Defense that we were spending tax payer money looking into these things and oh, by the way, turns out they're real.
Okay, are you, with all due respect, is there any chance that you accidentally describing the synopsis to Independence Day because that's the movie that was in the movie they couldn't get to the dude because they wouldn't listen. So you're telling me aliens are going to take over because of US government bureaucracy.
Well, I certainly hope that's not the case. I think, you know, when we look at this issue here, this has been going on for decades. This has been going on since the late nineteen forties. I want to say that people go, wait a minute, you're talking about Roswell. Was Roswell real?
Was Roswall will? It was?
Absolutely okay?
So what what was that Roswell?
There was a there was a crash. It was a vehicle that had broken into two pieces, and it was recovered by the United States government, taken to a secure military installation, and then from there it went out to certain locations. What is in that book I'm allowed to talk about that went through the Pentagon review process, so I am legally able to talk about it. There are things that I'm still not yet allowed to talk.
About Well those things tell us those things.
Well, let's see here, I don't know. I do not look good in an orange jumpsuit, so I gotta be very careful, Like, are you.
Gonna look good in whatever jumps to the aliens put on you?
We better be This is the It sounds like, well, battling aliens and bureaucracy here?
Can we I don't know if we can fight a two front one on this. Can we choose a side to fight here?
I think I'd prefer to fight aliens if I had to choose between bureaucracy aliens to be honest with.
But okay, so in the book you say that, and by the way, I mean, I read the book and it's it's a very it's a page tone, it's very well written, it's easy to follow. Like in it you say, like, the best case scenario right now is that aliens on national security threat.
Issue is is to determine if something is a threat. It's really a very simple calculus. It's capabilities versus intent. Now we've seen some of the capabilities, we still have no idea the intent, So therefore we don't know if it's a threat. But let me give you a very quick analogy here. You probably live in a great lovely area just like your audience here. Do you lock your door?
Live in New York City?
So no, no, really do you lock your front door and its perfect?
That's aliens here right now in New York City. Is you're gonna say, yeah, I do love my front.
Those so and most people do. And let's say you lock your windows and you turn on your alarm. Let's say one Sunday morning, you come downstairs, I have a hot cup of coffee, your tea, and despite your doors being locked, in your window and your alarm on, there's now size twelve muddy bootprints in your living room floor, in your carpet that weren't there the night before. Now,
no one's been hurt, nothing's out of place. But despite you doing all this other stuff and locking doors and making sure the alarm's on, they're an outfootprints in your living room carpet that weren't there the night before. My question to you is is that a threat? And so my response is from a national security perspective. I was wearing my national security at it could be if it wanted to be. So we probably should figure out how it's getting into the house.
You'd probably move at that point, we should probably get out of that apartment.
There's bootprints. They're still walking around.
So these things are we are encountering them over controlled US air space, like I said, over sensitive military installations, and so from a national security perspective, we've got to figure out what these things are.
No ship, no shit, we got to figure out what's going You see, you're saying you're being very professional and being very technical and being very calm as an intelligence officer, and then you're saying that aliens said that we don't know what they want?
But what what?
Okay? What do what should people.
Take away from this as aliens and what look when you see it shoot on site?
No, no, no, no, don't do that. I would recommend not doing that. I think what what people need to know right now? The US government is taking this topic very seriously. They're there's several pieces of legislation that are going through through Congress right now. There are members in both the House and the Senate that had been briefed by whistleblowers on this topic. People who have been part of certain efforts UAP efforts in the past.
Is not getting mixed up the Border Act, right, because that when you say aliens, I don't think they really know which ones you're talking.
Well, were these? I mean yeah, if you have illegal aliens and you've got aliens, yeah.
Right right, So so there's acts coming out, there's legislation, what legislating against intergalactic aliens?
Well, I think the idea is to open the door for whistle blowers to come out and be able to have a protected conversation with Congress, so Congress can then have a conversation with American people. I think that's really what this is about. And certainly I think there's certain people in By the way, for the first time, this is a bipartisan issue. You've got both liberals and conservatives on the hill. Can you believe it? Of all things? UAP right now, See.
That's the most oft ash thing you've said, right, that is, I'll believe aliens.
Right. There's no way these guys are working together.
They are, I swear to god. I can't say who they are, but their names have already been I think in the press quite a bit. But on both sides, they are taking this topic very seriously. A lot of these folks have military backgrounds, Why.
Don't they just let it out, Just let the news out.
Tell people to show them the freaking show them the photo of the alien selfie with the president, and then let's get it out there.
Let's handle We've spent many decades backing ourselves into a corner on this conversation, and the government has said publicly what its position is. Now it's in a situation where it's having to unwind that conversation and say, look, folks, we haven't always been completely forthcoming and truthful with you. And that's a hard conversation.
When you talk about that's aliens. Have the conversation that's aliens. There's aliens. That's aliens. All right, Well, can we can we stop them?
Well? I don't know.
I mean, that's not a question for me.
That's a question for I'm not a question for you.
I think you're the only one who can because it sounds like your ADU also seems to be like, yeah, here, I've seen them. They have capabilities beyond an understanding, and nothing much we can do about it. So you know, keep watching Paramount plus. And I don't know what they're supposed to do about this now.
I think, look, I personally think Americans can handle the truth about this topic. I think it's it is. I mean, we can joke a lot about it, but the reality is is that these things, whatever they are, wherever they're from, this is real.
Yeah, so you know real?
All right, Yeah, it's real whatever it is.
Okay, Well, is that a chance that if the government tells people aliens are real and shows them, will unite together in a global effort to defeat them, and we'll both.
You know, there were there There was a famous speech by by Reagan back in the eighties where he's.
By Bill Pullman in Independence.
And him, Yeah, that's right, where they said that if if, if the truth of this came out, it would probably unite the world.
But we need it. Now, let's go aliens, let's go.
Now.
This is the time, the reality is, this is the time.
We got a lot of shit going down.
Now, Aliens, come, aliens, and now I'm down for aliens.
Now, okay, if week, look.
Uniting Congress is already a big enough challenge. Let's let's get these folks on the same sheet of music. Let's get the briefings they need, and then let them have a conversation with their constituents.
You're talking about paperwork. I'm talking about aliens.
The government survives off of paperwork. It is a bureaucracy, unfortunately, So we have to look, there's a there's a I've always said, there's a there's a right way to do things, and you can do also it right now. But they're not necessarily the same thing. Doing things right and right now may not be you know, the same the same thing.
You mean as aliens, and you want to go through bureaucracy until unite Congress before you can fight the aliens.
Fight the aliens, get the aliens out.
I think there's opportunity here. In the last seven years. I think we've come further on this conversation than we have the last seventy. There are limits now in the government that want this conversation to occur. They want the American people to know. Look, this is the worst kept
secret at this point, probably in the US government. I mean, it's it's pathetic the fact that so many people now are in our militaries, are intelligence communities, have even in some cases come up close and personal with these things.
Wait, yeah, okay, this is okay, this is crazy. Anyway, imminent is of imminent is available now. I wish you could. We could talk for hours about this thing about wait wait, everybody.
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