Shannon Dang is one of the many standout actors in the cast of The CW television series Kung Fu where she plays Althea, Nicky Shen’s sister who always has the best outfits and is about to set out into the world of developing her own tech company. In tonight’s episode, one of Althea’s favorite things in the world is threatened as the characters of the show set out to rescue “Clementine” which also happens to be the name of the episode.
“Clementine” airs at 9PM ET/PT tonight (March 30) on The CW, and we were able to speak with Shannon Dang about the episode, what it’s like to be a part of Kung Fu and more specifically playing Althea, and more. Enjoy!
KSITETV’S CRAIG BYRNE: The title of this episode “Clementine” refers to something that’s very important to Althea. What can we expect?
SHANNON DANG: Clementine is Althea’s vintage BMW, a.k.a. her baby, symbol of her independence, and this episode revolves around her getting lost.
At the beginning of 204, we see that Althea is on her first day of being her own CEO of her company, and so she’s excited. But she’s also really nervous, and she wants to lead this team, but she’s hiding her vulnerabilities from everyone. So, Dennis, her husband being the gentleman he is, offers to go pick up some food for her and her team, and in the process, loses Clementine!
He knows that he is in deep trouble, to the point where he doesn’t even want to tell Althea and derail her big day, so he goes to Nicky. Nicky also knows that “Dennis is in trou-ble!” So they go on this mission to find and rescue Clementine, and Althea joins in.
She’s very upset, but she joins in because she’s on a mission to get her baby back., and the team ends up at an auto theft ring, where they will have to rescue Clementine. We like to call this the “Kung Fu Fast & Furious” episode, because there are car chases, and flashy parties, and it’s full of fun to action.xw I think audiences are really going to love it.
Can you talk about working with Tony Chung as Dennis?
I love Tony! Tony is an awesome co-worker, friend, scene partner… and it’s actually really funny. He is very similar to Dennis in real life. We make fun of him, actually, of, like, the nerdy things that that he says. And he really does play all of that I don’t even know what it is… D&D? Like he’s all into the nerdy things, and video games, and everything. So we laugh that he is so much like Dennis in real life, and it’s hilarious. It’s a fun time and he’s great to work with.
Are you anything like Althea in real life?
I think I am, to a certain point. I will admit that real life Shannon does not know anything about the tech world and technology. I can’t even turn on my TV and get the right settings on. But, as far as Althea’s bubbly personality, and her passion, and her little stressful, anxious moments…. I do believe that that is really Shannon. It’s funny because some of my friends and relatives are just like “You’re not even acting! It’s just Shannon up there saying words, but in really, really nice clothes!”
Is it in your contract that Althea gets the best outfits on this show?
No, it’s not in the written contract, but e have worked out a great character now, where part of her character traits is her love for fashion. It’s her clothes, and her always making a statement, and I think that’s something that I brought into the audition for the pilot. It just said that Althea was Nicky’s tech-savvy older sister who loves her family and is planning her wedding, and so I was like “what does she wear?”
I think I could have gone in a more formal, conservative techie female at work, Boss Lady outfit, but instead I showed up in a hot pink V-neck skin-tight flair jumpsuit, and heels and pearls. I don’t know why I decided to do that, but the showrunner said that they loved it, and they just turned that essence into Althea. She is bright, and bubbly, and she likes fashion, and they loved it, so it’s been a really fun time every time I go into a fitting, for the costume teams to create her next look and I have fun seeing and being inspired by whatever she’s got going on that determines the outfit.
Can your talk about your cast’s natural chemistry with each other? How long did it take for you to feel like an actual family?
Super quick! I think some people always remind us… like, crew, other supporting characters that come in… and they always tell us that it’s so refreshing to see how much our cast gets along on and off screen.
Some of us already knew each other. Me, Olivia and Eddie were already friends back in L.A., so it was nice to transition into a whole cast. Filming during a pandemic also helps. We filmed all of Season 1 and 2 during a pandemic, and during Season 1, we weren’t allowed to travel due to COVID, so we really were each other’s families, co-workers and social circles for months up in Vancouver. It really helped us get along and bond, and I think it helped our on-screen chemistry. It’s really nice for people to see and notice.
When young people watch the show, what inspiration do you hope they get from Althea?
When young people watch the show, I hope they can relate to her. Yes, she has great clothes, and she’s really tech-savvy and super smart, which w54 both very neat things. But I hope they see her personality, and her vulnerabilities, and her heart as relatable and inspiring.
She’s gone through a lot of trauma and growth, and she really does come into her own, so to speak, and blossom into who she’s becoming. I hope that audiences… females, males, young, old, everyone… can really relate to her growth, and her honesty, and her heart. Although she wants to be perfect, she is not afraid to show how imperfect she is on screen, and let everyone know that she is struggling.
Is this the first time that the director of an episode of Kung Fu [“Clementine” director Richard Speight Jr.] actually also appears on it?
Yes, I believe so! It was a pleasure to have Richard directing and in it. I’ll be speaking to him in a one second, and then it’s just like “cut!” and then he’ll just swap out and have someone else. It’s really fun. It keep us on our toes. Working with Richard was awesome, and to see him wear many hats. It was really inspiring.
How excited were you when you found that the show got picked up for Season 3?
I was so excited when I found that the show was picked up for Season 3. I’m still in that “pinch me, whoa! People like us? They want to see more? It’s already Season 3?” It was a real moment when our pilot picked up, and so doing Season 3, it just sounds so official, like we’ve been in this game for a while… I feel like we just got here!
It’s really nice that people are responding to the show, and they’re loving it and the Shen family, so it’s it’s an honor to be asked to come back and share more.
What is your favorite part of being a part of the series?
Our show is one of the first predominantly Asian-American casts for a drama series on broadcast network television. And for me, I didn’t have a lot of that representation on screen when I was younger, to grow up and watch. So for me to be part of this, I feel like it’s something bigger than work, and something bigger than just me, or the story, or this cast.
It means a lot to a lot of people in the AAPI community. It makes me so happy when people come up to us, and they’re saying that they watch it with their parents, or their kids, or their grandparents, and so to know that our cast and our show is doing this, for so many generations of a community who hasn’t been seen so much and represented in the past, it’s so meaningful and very rewarding.
Being Kung Fu, there are obviously some big danger surely coming. Can you tease anything that we have to look forward to or to be afraid of?
Season 2 is really fun. I think the writers do a great job with taking everything fans loved about season one, whether that be the action or the story, but also the villains and bringing them into Season 2 and expanding. So now, we have not just Russell Tan and Kerwin; Season 2 we have a whole family of the Tans and I love that it is a mirror reflection and contrast between the Shen family… you know, good versus evil.. and you will see these worlds… how they battle for good versus evil and how everyone intertwines, and it’s really exciting. I think audiences are going to love to see the worlds collide, and what this means for Mia, our new cousin, and Nicky and the future of San Francisco and the world. It’s really fun.
Our thanks to Shannon Dang for speaking with KSiteTV! A trailer for “Clementine” can be found below.
