Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Cleaning Lady’s Elodie Yung and Miranda Kwok

With her son’s life on the line, how far will one mother go to protect her child? That’s the premise behind Fox’s must-see new series The Cleaning Lady.

Starring Elodie Yung as Thony De La Rosa, The Cleaning Lady follows a whip-smart Cambodian doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her son, but when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she uses her cunning and intelligence to fight back, breaking the law for all the right reasons.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Elodie Yung and creator Miranda Kwok about The Cleaning Lady, the importance of representation, and creating art that makes underrepresented communities feel seen.

PC: Miranda, could you introduce us to The Cleaning Lady and what fans can expect from the series?
Miranda: This is a really exciting series. It’s the first time we have a Southeast Asian female lead in a primetime Fox drama. We’re so excited to bring this story to you. It’s a really unexpected hero story that’s grounded and real. We attack a lot of amazing subject matter and themes. We’re so excited for you to see this show.

PC: Elodie, you’ve done it all throughout your career. What was it about this particular project and character that stood out to you?
Elodie: This time I’m just exploring what this woman is going through. I’m playing a mother, which I’ve done before, but this time I’m playing this normal person who’s thrown into crazy circumstances and has to survive. That was the draw for me. I’m like, “How am I going to do this? Can I carry her on my shoulders? Can I accompany Thony on her journey through her pain and her fears?” I don’t think I’ve ever had to portray such a vulnerable character before. It’s so far away from all the clichés you can have regarding Asian women or mixed-race women. I’m not playing an exotic character. It’s 2021, let’s make it real. This is what this show is doing. I was so lucky to be able to embody this character and be a part of this project.

PC: Audiences are going to fall in love with your character. Despite everything that is thrown at her, she retains this positive outlook on life. How did you prepare to tackle the journey that we’re going to see unfold in the first season?
Elodie: That’s my dad. I’m like, “How can he hold things together like this?” Seriously, I’ve only seen my dad cry once, and that was when my parents divorced. That’s the only time, and I was like, “Something’s wrong.” But my dad’s been through so much. He is someone who’s so happy. Thony is not that happy, but maybe in Season 2, she’ll be happier. She has this inner strength. I was able to tap into it without even knowing it. There’s an inner strength that’s quiet and solid. It’s there and it’s telling her to carry on, no matter what happens. This is what I’ve been told by my dad: “This is life. This is it. You can carry on because you want to live.” Thony carries on because she wants her son to live. That’s how I approached this character.

Miranda: Despite all the challenges that she goes through, she also has to maintain hope for her son. She has to hide all the things that she’s doing for the crime syndicate. She’s being forced to work for the FBI and the mob and is caught between that. She has to hide all that from her family. That’s where she has to continue to hold a brave face and to keep a positive attitude. She has to stay hopeful for her son.

PC: Miranda, like you were saying earlier, this is Fox’s first primetime drama created by and starring Asian women. For both of you, what has that milestone meant to each of you?
Elodie: It’s historic and we should carry on. I’m so glad they’ve invited me to be a part of this adventure. I want to carry on pushing these narratives. I want more Southeast Asian women and men represented on broadcast TV. It feels right. There are no stereotypes in this story that we’re telling. Everything is approached from an empathetic point of view. Everything’s written very cleverly. To me, it feels good and it feels right. How about you, Miranda?

Miranda: It feels fantastic. I feel so honored and am so proud of this show. I feel so grateful. When the series got picked up, there were people who said, “How do you feel? You must be so excited to get a show on the air! You’re never going to have to worry about money again.” I thought, “It’s not about that. None of that matters.” What matters is that this story is finally being told. This show is finally being put on the air. People who are normally pushed into the shadows, marginalized, and disregarded are finally at the forefront of something that will be exposed to the world. That is what matters. That’s really what I have gratitude for. I’m thankful that I’m able to be a storyteller and bring this story to such a broad audience. That’s what I’m excited for.

PC: There’s always going to be a lot of attention when you’re breaking ground. Did that bring any pressure to this project?
Elodie: Definitely.

Miranda: Definitely. There is a huge responsibility, realizing that there are so many people, especially Asians and Asian Americans, who have not been seen, who don’t have a voice, who have been silenced. There is a great responsibility to bring this story to the table and to do it in a way that doesn’t cast stereotypes or paint a picture in one way or another. But really, what we’re trying to do is show that these characters in these stories are multifaceted. There are so many layers to these characters and what they have to deal with. Our goal is to try to be as truthful to the story and as authentic as possible. That’s what our responsibility is.

PC: Speaking of all those layers, there are so many interesting and complex relationships within the series. Elodie, which was your favorite to explore in Season 1 and why?
Elodie: I got really lucky that every character Thony interacts with is portrayed by a brilliant actor. Everyone on the show has been so generous. Everyone is so relaxed. There is no ego. We just want to do our best. It’s been extremely collaborative.

I have a sweet spot for Martha’s character Fiona. Martha [Millan] is family. We’re family, and it was love at first sight on Zoom. [laughs] I helped during the last round of callbacks. We were acting and it was the first time that I had to act on Zoom and she was wonderful. When I saw her, I wanted the world to see how brilliant and beautiful of an actor she is. I was so happy that she got cast. Everyone saw it. I love Martha like she’s my cousin. There’s such an ease between us. It’s crazy. You don’t get that often with working partners.

Oliver [Hudson] was a great surprise. He’s so in the moment and so supportive that it brings a lot to our scenes.

With Adan [Canto], we just keep giggling. It was electric from day one. It just worked. We got lucky because you don’t often have chemistry like this.

Then, the relationship with my son is what drives this show. He’s played by twins, Valentino and Sebastien [LaSalle]. If I hadn’t connected with them that would’ve impacted the storyline and the show in the wrong way. But, just like with Martha, we hang out all the time. The two of them have very different personalities, but they trust me. They felt comfortable with me on screen. It brings this warmth to our scenes. It’s so important for this show. I enjoy everyone and everything.

PC: There are so many moments within the series that are going to stay with audiences. Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for audiences to see when the show drops in January?
Elodie: It’s so funny. Sometimes, you’re on set and you’re like, “What am I doing? I don’t get it. I did it, but I don’t get it.” It happened a few times. There was a scene with Oliver. I can’t reveal what was going on in this scene, but it’s something that Melissa [Carter] was referring to earlier that was written last minute. But it was so good and important for this story. It touches on the topic of coming to America and how this system has failed my character. She’s bouncing this perspective off of Oliver’s character who’s on the other side of what she’s lived. That scene will stay with me for a long time.

We didn’t really know what we were doing. Oliver was so supportive. It was beautiful, the work he did in this very emotional scene. I came out of the scene and I didn’t feel like it felt right. Melissa was like, “Look at the lady who is playing the guard, she’s in tears.” We have a PA on the show, this big African American who has seven kids. He came to me and decompressed. He had tears in his eyes. He was like, “It hit home. It hit home.” That’s a moment I’m never going to forget because I’m so happy when I can bring the truth. I hope it’ll translate in people’s screens when they see it and hit them as well. That was a beautiful memory for me.

Make sure to follow Elodie (Twitter/Instagram) and Miranda (Twitter/Instagram). Watch The Cleaning Lady every Monday at 9/8c on Fox.

Photo Credit: Kurt Iswarienko/FOX (Elodie) // Jack Gorton Photography (Miranda)