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Thank you.

I think when you come to Pittsburgh, you come there whatever age you come at, whether you're 11, whether you're 21 or 20.

As I was getting players, you recognize that people appreciate passion, grit, determination, hard work, humility.

I go back to a guy like Hines Ward to me came from Georgia, third round pick, 1998.

I drafted two more receivers, 99 the first round 2000, the first round.

Him coming up to me and saying, you don't believe in me, do you?

Like why you keep drafting receivers?

And consequently, I built a chip on his shoulder.

I just wonder with Ming-Na Wen when she came here, what did she experience?

It's called my rapid fire.

To find out if you really are a true Yinzer.

This is not I mean.

This is just be a true Yinzer.

Number one.

Your favorite Pittsburgh food Oh Primanti except my except except for my Primanti Brothers or or Chinatown Inns food I know, I know the egg rolls.

The egg rolls at the Chinatown Inn.

Okay, how about this one?

Okay, here's your first word or phrase that you think of when you meet someone from Pittsburgh.

Oh, well, where you grew up.

So how about how about Dahntahn?

Oh, Dahntahn.

How about Yinzer?

Yeah.

Yes.

Oh, always the Yinzer.

And nobody understand.

Nobody understands the Yinzer.

I don't even know where it comes from.

But why do we say Yinzer?

Because Yinz If he is, are there like this?

Not.

Not you guys.

It's Yinz.

I know, I know, I don't know why, but that's crazy.

Let's see who or what inspired you the most during your time in Pittsburgh in terms of you wanting your your model, what you what you was that inspired you the most?

You know, I had an amazing high school teacher, and she's still a dear friend of mine from Mount Lebanon.

Yeah.

And, she taught Latin, like, that's how much of a nerd I was.

I switched from taking Spanish class to Latin because I loved her so much.

Wow.

And she.

I call her my cheerleader mom because, you know, having a Chinese mom.

Yeah, a lot of times, number one, she was busy working at the restaurant all the time.

Right?

And then number two is that the Chinese parents typically don't get as involved with their, kids, especially my mom's generation and my dad's generation.

So she was always my cheerleader mom.

And to this day, she still is.

Like, she just always rallies me like she was my coach in a way.

You know?

That's awesome.

Her name is, Judy Kulick.

Hi, Judy.

Love her to death.

Yeah, she she was a big influence.

That's awesome.

Let's just go back.

You were just talking about your parents and mom.

You went to.

Started in China, went to Hong Kong, came to New York at the age of five.

And then at the age of 11, you came to Pittsburgh, right?

Yes.

And moved into the Mount Lebanon area.

Your grand, your stepdad.

Very diverse, very diverse.

And you.

But your stepdad's father.

Yeah.

No, it was not your stepdads father owned Chinatown inn.

Right.

Opened up Chinatown inn.

Yeah, yeah.

My, my, actually my father's father.

Yeah.

And he's he's my stepfather.

Okay.

So my, when my mother remarried, we moved to Pittsburgh and, to go from Hong Kong to New York to Pittsburgh to white suburbia.

Yeah.

It couldn't have been more of a culture shock, right?

For a little Asian girl, you know, and, and having a very Chinese name, you know, you get made fun of.

You're isolated a lot.

You have to, like, find a way to fit in.

Yeah.

And, Yeah, it was tough.

It was tough.

Did you Did you work at the Chinatown Inn when you first got there?

Did you were you working down there?

Of course.

Yeah.

We're like like a of course.

Like.

Yeah.

I mean, you know.

Right, right.

Aren't all Pittsburghers, all Yinzers like like we're, we're we're laborers, workers, man.

And so.

Yeah.

So so the the yeah.

That, you know, you know, every weekend I'm, I'm at the restaurant and in fact, we used to live upstairs.

There used to be a living quarters upstairs.

So I would just come down to the restaurant a lot in the beginning before we moved to Pittsburgh.

I remember reading about the fact that really, when your stepdad came to Pittsburgh to help run that, that, the inn, that he was like a steward for people that came they immigrated into there he was like a he was like a beacon for them to understand what the opportunity was about and the kind of a source of inspiration.

Right, Right.

Right.

Now, they, they, you know, they had an association, they had, a community there, you know, to help support each other, because most of them didn't speak the language.

Most of them, you know, had to it's like the true immigrant story of how you bring people in, from China.

And they able to housed them you know, that there was another building next to our restaurant that would oftentimes house them and get them established.

And, and a lot of traditions were established there.

And we fed a lot of people over the, what, 40, 50 years?

Yeah, 60 maybe at this point.

Yeah, yeah.

And, you know, it's I forget how old I am.

But you know, what's amazing about that is the fact that you went to Mt.

Lebanon, which ironically enough, there's of course, these six people I'm talking to, three people went to Mount Lebanon.

I talked to Mark Cuban, down to sit down with him.

Oh Mark.

Yes.

What an alum.

Right?

Yeah.

Wow.

And Joe Mangienello, who I've talked to, absolutely, you know, you and Joe have this same love of sci fi.

So is this what your Latin teacher was this something that you guys all like, we actually both share the love for Judy, our Latin teacher.

Do you really, you know, you know, there's nothing more fun than, than finding, you know, this big, statuesque, muscular man.

And he's a complete nerd.

It's like.

It's so good.

It's so good.

He's like, such a great example.

The image of what a nerd is, you know, I love it.

So your love of that really takes you back to then your love of Star Trek, right?

You've been following Star Trek as a sci fi, and I used to be.

Yes.

Star Wars, I mean, the the force was like my religion.

I used to pray like I still do, actually.

I used to pray like, dear God, Buddha and the force when I was a little girl wow, I covered, I covered every corner, you know, that's awesome.

And, and I still do.

Whenever I get on a plane, I still pray to all three.

Yeah, well, I know huge nerd.

Well, I don't know about that, but your love of theater then took you really to Carnegie Mellon.

Is that was that is that why you went there?

First of all, because your love of theater, what that was provided for you?

Well, it's you know, I did a summer program there, and I loved the campus, and I loved the, the classes.

And so when I applied for schools, I really only applied to one because I figured, it had a good drama program and I was positive that once I graduated, I was never going to move back to Pittsburgh.

Because I wanted to explore the world.

I wanted to be out there.

And so Carnegie Mellon afforded me four more years to be with my parents and to hang out with them.

So when I auditioned for Carnegie Mellon, I was such an idiot.

I didn't even realize that they had to accept me.

You know?

I had like, good SAT scores.

I, you know, I just figured I'm going to get accepted.

I had no idea.

So I only applied to Carnegie Mellon.

So if I hadn't gotten into their program for drama, wow.

I would have been.

I don't know what I would have done.

Did you know that I was the first female trainer at my Mount Lebo High School?

I did not know that.

For the Blue Devils You were.

Yes I was.

It was only way to get into the boys locker room.

Apparently, you were the first girls trainer.

Assistant trainer?

How many years were you that.

I was just there for our senior year.

Senior year?

And it was just fortuitous because I took a health class over the summer to get rid of the credit.

And, Mr.

Jones, like, we just bonded in some way.

And, you know, being a Chinese too, like.

Well, it was either going to be acting or medical school, right?

Yeah.

So so he's like, why don't you just why don't you just come in, and, you know, so you for the football checkup being a trainer for that?

Yeah, I wrapped, I wrapped I was a good ankle rapper.

So you taped ankles?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, I love it.

I was very good.

The boys had to learn to, like, come in with their towels.

now.

Because I had no idea.

I had no idea I was going to be in the boys locker room.

So we did.

You did you did you like football back then?

Is that something that you used to watch?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, you know, the Steelers were such a big team and the Pirates I mean yeah that one year when we won both.

Right.

What was it like 79, 80 I think.

Yeah.

Maybe 70.

Yeah.

We are we family.

You know, it was like huge, huge.

Right.

So and and you know and the Steelers the like Mean Joe Greene and, Lynn Swann.

Yeah.

Like they used to all eat at our restaurant.

Right.

Wow.

Because Three River stadium was downtown, so.

Yeah.

So yeah.

So it was hilarious though being this little Chinese girl wrapping ankles, I even dated a couple of football players and it's pretty cool.

That's awesome.

So there you go.

Okay.

So so you go to camp, you go to Carnegie Mellon and you play a trumpeter when King Friday play.

Is that what?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

For Mr.

Rogers.

Yeah.

For Mr.

Rogers.

Did you ever meet Fred Rogers?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, and and I'm so bummed, you know, that I didn't bring a camera.

I didn't think that we were allowed.

And I don't think anyone at the studio took pictures of us.

So all I do have is me with King Friday really.

You know, because we were in the land of make believe.

We were the King Friday trumpeters.

But yeah, I got to meet Mr.

Rogers, and he is exactly the same you know.

Fred Rogers.

Yeah.

As you.

Oh my gosh, what a human being, I mean, iconic, right?

I mean, just everything about it.

I mean, just iconic.

So I got so, so so you leave Carnegie Mellon and your first big breakthrough was Joy Luck Club.

It was actually, for film.

Yes.

Yes.

But before that, I was, I was, doing a lot of, theater, Off-Broadway theater.

And then I, my big, big break was, getting a regular, role in, As the World Turns.

So I got, I got I got to share with you.

Yeah, that my wife, my wife remembers you, remembers the scene when you come to the door and tell the man that I'm your long lost daughter.

And so then she was watching it at the time.

She was watching at the time when I told her, she goes, oh my gosh, you're not going to believe this.

And I said, okay.

And so we watched the scene.

We I've watched that many times.

With the bangs, I had the full bangs yeah, yeah yeah.

Well, I remember reading Amy Tan's novel, and it, clearly, clearly remember that it was the first time I felt seen, you know, it was the first time I felt like I wasn't alone in my Asian-American, experience and upbringing and that, a lot of the little nuances that she would throw in, whether it was a saying or, how you related to, your parents.

Yeah.

You know, we we not only had a generational gap, we had a cultural gap.

And so to be able to merge that, and, and bring all these beautiful stories, you know, to life, I mean, my mother's life was one of the moms from The Joy Luck Club.

Yeah.

You know, leaving, you know, China and being and then being a single mother.

I mean, she she had a lot of struggles.

And, you know, her, her example as a strong woman, I think helped me to really persevere in this business and to also be able to bring a lot of that energy and force into a lot of these characters, you know, these kick ass roles that I get to play, and, and you, you are a kick ass actress.

And I think about them and I saw an interview that you did, honestly, that you talk about one of the moments that was really moving for you was the fact you saw Luke Skywalker look at his binary sunset, and the thought process going through his head is, why ever leave this landscape?

And you talked about that as we started this conversation about the fact that, yeah, you know, I'm I'm in Pittsburgh, I'm seeing all these things, but I want to get out of here.

There's more to life than just here, right?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Wow.

Damn.

You do your homework.

Yeah.

That's amazing that, you know, but, I mean, I'm sure, like you, when you were football, Yes.

when you were young, Like you had that dream of the Super Bowl.

Yes.

You you like how crazy is that?

That to manifest those childhood dreams and you're actually sitting in it and being part of, like, I just remember, like when I finally got the role, you know, talking to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni about it and, and I was so excited.

And, you know, the costume was amazing.

We did this intricate hairdo because I figured, okay, I, I get one episode and then my character dies, which really sucks, but okay, I'm going to make the best of it.

You know, my dream to be in a Star Wars project is coming true.

And I walk on the set, Bill and I see a rock, and that's all that was on the set.

It was a piece of rock and some sand, and I'm like, this is it.

It's like it's worse.

And like I'm like, this is worse than a 99-Seat Theatre You know.

Yeah, no.

Oh, no.

And then they turned on this thing that I hadn't ever experienced.

And you know, now it's like it's normal now.

Right.

But it was called the volume, which was the LED screen that surrounds us completely like 360.

And they turned on all the lights.

And then there I was transported to Tatooine and with the binary sunset.

Yeah, I mean, I just get I get goosebumps just thinking about that, you know?

I mean, it must be like you being in that Super Bowl moment, right?

Yeah.

You're just like, I got it.

Wow.

And I got to share.

I'll share story with you.

I said, you know, I was it was 97 and I was like six years in six.

So I had a chance to do a movie, with Adam Sandler called The Waterboy.

So I go down there, it's always it's a cameo.

appearance I have I have had a couple of lines in it, which I'm still getting some residuals today, which is kind of cool, but but I have this line, so I get down to the steakhouse the night before, and I'm going to shoot it that day, and I go back to next day.

And so we're there and I got Adam Sandler on one side, and I got Henry Winkler on the other side.

I'm going up.

This is this is like growing up in Pittsburgh.

Like, this is really cool.

Happy days, the Fonz.

So Adam Sandler goes, hey, coach, you're going to go back with with Henry because he's staying at the alias like you are at this hotel.

So no one knows you're here, I go okay, great.

So and I go Henry.

So Henry gets in a car, he goes, I'm driving.

I go, okay, we were driving.

I'm in the front seat.

We hit this stoplight, I look over and I go, oh my God, I'm in the car with the Fonz.

I said, can you just pull out really quick one time and I can just say I, I despite his burst of rubber with the Fonz down in Florida, I always go back to thinking that little boy from Crafton, I grew up there, and I would I be here today.

I never lost sight of where I came from and it almost like, it was like, the gritty determination, the passion you had.

Yet the humility and hard work that you knew that you put into it.

Do you ever have those moments of reflection?

Always, always.

Do you think about your time?

Do you think are you about your time working in the maybe the kitchen of Chinatown inn or.

Well, you know, it's, to this day, like, everything that you're at the time when you're when you're in it.

Right?

All you want to do is get out, right?

You're, you're you don't really appreciate the, the moments and the lessons that all these experiences when you're a child, how it's feeding you right?

They are little gifts that.

Yeah that you open up later in life and you realize, wow, that was a gift.

Yeah.

Because I learned from the restaurant about business.

Yeah.

Like, you know, now, a lot of times I think that I'm the restaurant and then my managers and my agents, they're like the cook, the other waiters.

You know, they're the people that help to keep, they are the team this business going.

Yeah, yeah.

My hair and makeup team that like it's teamwork and and the restaurant business inherently gave me all those lessons every single day that I was working there and gave me the work ethic of working hard and, you know, long hours.

And it's, it.

I do reflect, like, back on all that, you know, because even though at the time I was growing up with all these adults in the restaurant, I was learning a lot from them without even realizing it.

Yeah.

And you you came back.

How often do you get back to Pittsburgh?

I don't go back as often as I used to, because now my mom lives in Vegas, so I visit her there.

But I am thinking about going back, to do a, some video segments in the restaurant because, I just have a cookbook that just got launched, it's it's in preorder stage.

Okay.

And, and it's funny, you know, that food is another thing that I think has molded me and created, a lot of things.

My passion, whatever it is that that I am, you know, both my parents were chefs, and we were always they were foodies before, I think that turn became the thing.

Right.

And, and so this cookbook is sort of like my journey through food, you know, from the days with my mom in Hong Kong to being in Pittsburgh with the restaurant to the food that I cooked as a single woman, and then with my family and, so, yeah, so I want to go back and just really sort of like, visit that part of my life.

What was it like coming back in 2023 to take the terrible towel?

What was that like?

Insane.

You know, I got to meet, the Rooneys and they were the nicest human beings in the world.

I got to, like, see myself on the jumbotron and all the fans screaming, and it it it was, very, hyper moment.

You know, I brought a bunch of my family, and damn, you guys are big, man.

When you're on the floor.

When you're when you're on that astroturf.

Oh, dang.

You guys just looked like.

You looked like, I don't know, otherworldly.

You know, all Ironman really like you were guys were all Ironman with those helmets and the shoulder pads.

It is so funny.

The funniest thing is fans were great.

You wore Hines Ward Jersey.

Yeah, yeah.

Because, you know, he was one of the, really.

He he broke that glass ceiling a bit for Asian athletes.

Asian American athletes.

Right.

He, he was iconic, and such a symbol for all of us.

You know, we have so many more Asians in all various sports of athletes, whether it's the Olympics or.

But, you know, it's, for football specifically.

You know, you don't think of an Asian dude in there and, and also, it was the year I graduated from Carnegie-Mellon, so I kind of like.

‘86, yeah.

It was like it was it was such a good number.

It was like a really good number.

Yeah.

There was no one epitomized the Pittsburgh Steelers more than Hines Ward.

His work ethic, his passion, playing with a chip on his shoulder, his humility, his love for the game.

He never forgot where he came from.

I saw that, and I talked about that because to me, you, you do epitomize that.

You are an inspirational story.

Whether you want to be or not.

I know you're this cool chick from Mount Lebanon who taped ankles and worked in a restaurant.

I get that, but you're a very special lady who's got a special something inside of her.

And I want to just say thank you to given.

I raised three daughters and you are an inspiration to them.

And so I, I mean that and I and you are you know, what you were able to accomplish.

You're kind of chip on the shoulder like, okay, there's not a barrier I can't break.

But you never forgot where you came from.

You never forgot the sacrifice other people have made.

But let me ask you this question.

What advice would you give to your own kids or someone today who's in Carnegie Mellon who would say, how can I be like Ming-Na Wen?

Like, I want to be like her?

What would you tell them today?

I tell people, you know, if you're going to take away me as an inspiration or as an example, you have to live a life where you don't make excuses for yourself.

You know, you don't say, oh, it's because I'm too short or I you know, I'm Asian or oh, I'm a woman.

Or like, don't make excuses, don't put obstacles and barriers in front of you because you're going to have them anyways.

So why add to that and build a wall even higher for you to climb?

Like just don't make excuses, you know, if you want to dream and you want to follow and you want to achieve something, you just got to go after it.

You just got to really believe that you can do it.

And if you're going to make excuses, that's just your way of copping out.

You know, can I tell one more story before we go?

Yes please.

So I remember at Carnegie Mellon, I was constantly relegated, like smaller roles, like I never got the leads or stuff.

And that was starting to piss me off a bit, you know?

So I went and had a meeting with, the head of the drama department, Mel Shapiro.

God bless him.

Dearest man.

And, and I said, you know, hey, Mel.

So, what's going on?

Like, you know, my mom's hard earned dollars deserve to give me the same education as some of my my classmates who are getting all these, like, bigger parts and stuff.

And he told me, and I'll never forget it, because that's the I'll.

I'll prove to you that you know you're wrong.

He said, well, you know, that's what's going to happen in the real world, Ming.

Oh, oh I know.

Oh yeah.

Oh, okay.

So so that's, you know, so, it's I'll never forget that.

And I said, okay, well, then I need bigger roles so that I get a stronger education so that it prepares me for that bigger obstacle that I have to face when I go out into the real world.

Yeah.

You know, no, I never I still never got, like, the big, big, big leads.

Like I was never Juliet.

But, you know, at least I wasn't a spear holder.

And right though, either those words were echoing in the back of your head to this day, to this, to this day.

It was so much fun talking to Coach Cower.

I didn't think that we would have so much in common.

Who would have thought?

He is an amazing, amazing interviewer.

I've had so many.

And for him to, like, be so knowledgeable and able to ask me about my life, like, right off the top of his head, insane.

I don't know these football players, you know, they might get their head knocked up a little bit, but he is all brain and not just brawn.

I loved my experience.

Like just talking about my upbringing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you know, being a Yinzer.

You know, it's sort of like my grounding foundation.

And, it's really nice to be able to reflect back on that and recognize how much it did mold me and make me the badass that I am today.

It's still a nerd.

Cheers.

I got little ears.

I would never make it as a, one of those, Secret Service agents You know on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

We're always doing this.

Whenever we're pretending that we have an earpiece.

I'm like, where's the earpiece?

Is it, like, glued inside our eardrum?

Like, why are we doing this?