Sam Song Li Talks The Brothers Sun, Asian American Identity

When Sam Music Li got here throughout the position of Bruce on “The Brothers Solar,” he felt just like the character was written uniquely for him. In Netflix’s new action-packed drama collection, Bruce’s life is upended when his older brother, Charles (Justin Chien), who seems to be a Taiwanese gangster, involves LA to guard their mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh). When Li first learn the script, he shortly realized he shared various “shockingly shut” similarities together with his onscreen counterpart. Like Bruce, the 27-year-old actor and content material creator was raised by a single mother within the San Gabriel Valley, CA, a predominantly Asian American group the place the collection partially takes place. Equally, he additionally dreamed of being an actor and improv comic, regardless of his mother’s hopes that he’d develop into a health care provider. “I really feel like that particularly is simply actually relatable for lots of Asian Individuals,” he tells POPSUGAR.

That is why Bruce’s story was private to Li, who was born in Guangzhou, China. He drew from his personal experiences to authentically painting Bruce — and the character’s relationship with Mama Solar particularly. “I used to be raised by a single mother, and my mother in actual life is my hero,” he says. “She raised me and my sister all by herself. To see a single dad or mum have all the load of the obligations of elevating a child, you’re taking it without any consideration when it is taking place. I introduced that power and perspective into Bruce in his love for his mother.”

Towards his mother’s greatest needs, Li in the end determined to pursue performing. Amid creating comedic content material and racking up a following on TikTok and Instagram, he booked smaller roles on reveals like “By no means Have I Ever” and “Higher Name Saul.” When he landed “The Brothers Solar,” it was a welcome shock; he did not think about a job like this one to come back about so early on in his profession.

As if securing his first main position – and one he associated to so deeply — wasn’t thrilling sufficient, “The Brothers Solar” was additionally the primary time Li labored alongside an all Asian writers’ room and a majority Asian American solid. “Our manufacturing was uniquely Asian American in so many sides, however I believe one factor that basically stood out to me was that we actually apply what we preach on the present,” he says. “Within the present, the household, and the way you deal with individuals as a household, is the focus of the story. We as a crew actually had that connection. We felt actually enthusiastic about what we had been doing, what was taking place in entrance of us, no matter if the present was a hit or not. I believe the one factor we had been all holding onto was that this was a really particular second.”

The solid’s sturdy connection was additionally sustained by meals — an indicator of many Asian cultures. There have been Asian snacks and meals accessible on set on a regular basis, together with boba no less than as soon as per week. Based on Li, Yeoh would order meals from a unique native Chinese language spot each week. “She would all the time shock us with one thing,” he says.

Rising up, it could’ve been tough for Li to think about an expertise just like the “Brothers Solar” set. Asian and Asian American illustration on display was few and much between. “I’ve all the time felt I used to be not Westernized sufficient for Hollywood, and never Asian sufficient to work in Asia,” Li says, describing a battle all too frequent for Asian Individuals, each out and in of the leisure trade.

However with the inflow of APIA initiatives in theaters and on streaming platforms prior to now three years, Li’s perspective on his future in performing has modified drastically. “I’ve realized the path that Hollywood and the world is shifting is connecting the globe in so some ways,” he explains. “Content material is not only for a Western or American viewers proper now. Content material is for a worldwide viewers.”

Consequently, he is been in a position to hunt down roles which might be tied to his upbringing and id. “The one frequent thread between all the roles I gravitate in the direction of is that they’re a part of my id, not simply based mostly on race, however actually who I’m as an individual or the experiences that I’ve had,” he says. Apart from taking part in Bruce on “The Brothers Solar,” he shot a pilot in 2023, “Marvin Is Sorry,” wherein he performs a mega influencer and content material creator who will get canceled. “Lots of the weather and nuances of that story I felt like I gravitated in the direction of as a result of it was simply one thing I knew very intimately,” he says.

Wanting ahead to the longer term, Li feels optimistic about extra cultural initiatives like “The Brothers Solar.”

“That freshness, the authenticity of storytelling, is extra essential than ever,” he says. “Any time we are able to present new views, have a recent tackle one thing, or present the world one thing they’ve by no means seen earlier than, that’s what I believe Hollywood and international audiences are craving.”