Meet Sunnyside Stars Poppy Liu and Joel Kim Booster, Who Explain Where Their Characters Are Really From!

By Dennis Pastorizo | September 18, 2019 | Entertainment

Hello Divas! The broadcast networks are gearing up for a huge slate of shows to premiere next week. We’ve got some of the best interviews for you lined up, and are giving you a sneak peek with the two of the stars of Sunnyside, straight from NBC TV Press Tour Summer 2019!

In the Kal Penn helmed series, Poppy Liu and Joel Kim Booster star as sister/brother duo Mei Lin and Jun Ho. There are in the class where Garrett (Kal’s character) teaches immigrants to help them get their citizenship. Since no one is exactly sure we’re these rich kids are from, we decided to investigate and found out these two actors already have a sibling vibe that’s all their own.

Will the viewers find out where exactly both of your characters are from?

Joel: Yeah, will they ever? It is a fun sort of thing the writers are doing, really building fun mythology around these characters. It’s sort of a running joke throughout the first season that will hopefully continue on in many more seasons to come of what exactly is going on with their back story.

Poppy: And what does our father exactly do?

Joel: We have different moms, so that is like sort of built into the DNA of these characters.

Poppy: They were very thoughtful. They were like, “We have these two characters,” but I’m Chinese and Joel’s Korean. They didn’t want to mess up and be like, “All Asians are the same Asian, like, like we’re not doing that.” So the producers were like, “We still want you to be siblings…half-siblings.” We got it.

Can you tell us a bit more about your roles?

Poppy: They’re super cute and very well dressed.

Joel: Super cute, super-rich. I think they see the world a little bit differently than everybody else because they grew up in such insane wealth.

Poppy: Shrouded in privilege!

Joel: And so they are definitely big, big, big cartoon characters for now. And then they slowly, as the season goes on, they get a little bit more defined and a little bit more grounded.

Why do you think it’s the right time to do this show about immigration?

Joel: I think the timing is sort of just a product of…

Poppy: It would be the right time at any time!

Joel: …the way of the timing of the pilot getting picked up. But all the themes and everything that’s being talked about, we’re being sort of being inundated with how this process has been difficult and nightmarish for forever.

Poppy: Yeah, this country has had immigrants forever. This would’ve been relevant 10, 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe in different ways then but yeah, I think it’s never not a relevant topic living in this country.

Your characters dress sharply. Tell us about your own style!

Poppy: I have this jade Buddha from a pregnant lady in Chinatown. Getting things from pregnant people is very, very lucky so it’s double luck. Receiving and/or purchasing things from pregnant people — this can go on the record — is very good luck, so yeah, the people you need to know.

What kind of fashion advice would you give to our readers?

Joel: For me it’s all about shape. Don’t be concerned about labels or price or anything like that. For me, I like to think it starts from what shape and then move on from there.

Catch Poppy and Joel on Sunnyside, premiering Thursday, Sept. 26 at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.

photo credit: NBC