May 11, 2016 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
All’s Right with Wong! The “Ali Wong: Baby Cobra” Interview
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
Ali Wong is a stand-up co-
median living between Los
Angeles and New York. After
SF Weekly selected her as “The
Best Comedian of 2009″ and
the SF Bay Guardian awarded
her “Best of the Bay,” she de-
cided that it was finally time
to depart her hometown. In
2010, Comedy Central listed
Ali Wong as one of 7 “Comic’s
to Watch.”
In 2011, Variety Magazine
named her as one of the “10
Comics to Watch” and Ali ap-
peared in the 2011 and 2012 Just
for Laughs Comedy Festival in
Montreal. Since then, she has
performed on “The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno”, appeared
in Oliver Stone’s “Savages” and
was a series regular on NBC’s
“Are You There, Chelsea?”
In 2012, Ali hosted the Gold-
en Globes live coverage on E!
and in 2013 she joined the re-
boot of VH1′s “Best Week Ever,”
MTV’s new show “Hey Girl”
and performed on the new sea-
son of “John Oliver’s New York
Stand-Up Show.”
Here, she talks about her
comedy special, “Ali Wong:
Baby Cobra,” which is set to
premiere on Netflix on Friday,
May 6th.
Kam Williams: Hi Ali,
thanks for the interview. Con-
gratulations on the baby!
Ali Wong: Thanks, Kam.
KW: How do you think moth-
Ali Wong performed in her comedy special while pregnant with her first daughter.
erhood might affect your ca-
reer?
AW: I can’t go on the road to
perform stand-up as much,
and I also have to say “no” to
a lot more projects. But, ulti-
mately, it cuts the fat out, and
I had a problem saying “yes”
to everything before I had the
baby. I look to women like Jes-
sica Alba, who turned mother-
hood into a weapon by found-
ing the Honest Company. I’m
hoping to do the same thing in
some regard with my stand-up.
KW: What inspired you to
shoot it while you were seven
months pregnant?
AW: I’ve been doing stand-
up for 10+ years now, and I
had been wanting to film a
one-hour special. When I got
pregnant, I knew that if I didn’t
shoot it before having the
baby, it would never happen.
So, it was hard, preparing for
it while I was so tired and nau-
seous, but it was worth it. And
I’m excited to show the special
to my daughter one day, and
tell her that both of us were on
stage together in that special.
KW: What’s the theme of the
show?
AW: The life of a stand-up
comedian is extremely uncon-
ventional. So, outside of that,
all I wanted was a traditional
life: love, marriage and the
baby carriage. And I got it all,
but the way it all happened did
not go exactly as I had planned.
The special is all about that
twisted journey.
KW: What is your favorite
dish to cook?
AW: Chicken noodle soup!
My husband and I eat a bas-
tardized version of chicken
phở, probably 10 times per
week. It’s so easy, fast and
healthy.
KW: Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood
memory?
AW: I had a nightmare in my
crib when I was a baby. I was at
the bottom of a hill in a stroll-
er and my parents just kept on
walking up the hill and forgot
about me. Maybe that’s why I
do stand-up, because I always
have the urge to shout: “Hey!
Listen to me! I’m HERE!”
important life lesson you’ve
learned so far?
AW: If you’re a woman who
wants to have a career and a
family, choosing the right life
partner is the most important
decision you’ll ever make.
KW: Who loved you uncon-
ditionally during your forma-
tive years?
AW: I have three siblings
who are all 10-plus years old-
er than me. I was an accident,
or as I prefer to call myself, a
KW: If you could have one
wish instantly granted, what
would that be for?
AW: Asian Mary Poppins
to live in my house, take care
of my child, and cook yummy
Asian food all the time.
“
KW: What’s the craziest
thing you’ve ever done?
AW: I’ve eaten a still-beating
cobra heart.
I’m excited to show the special to my
daughter one day, and tell her that
both of us were on stage together in
that special.
“blessing.” My two sisters and
my brother were so loving and
attentive to me. They spoiled
me with attention, brought
me on dates when they were in
high school, introduced me to
great art and music, and taught
me how to have confidence.
KW: When you look in the
mirror, what do you see?
AW: A tired, lucky, 34-year
old mom that’s just trying to
get through the day.
KW: What is your guiltiest
pleasure?
AW: Chris Brown’s music.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks:
Do you have a favorite movie
monster?
AW: Mike Wazowski from
Monsters, Inc. His name also
cracks me up so hard.
KW: Judyth Piazza asks:
What key quality do you be-
lieve all successful people
KW: Sherry Gillam would
like to know what is the most
See WONG on page 11
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