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“Two ni___rs walk into a bar,” begins one Sung Hee Park routine. It sets the audience squirming in nervous silence. Within seconds Sung Hee Park aka Suzanne Whang has slurred several more minority groups and told a well-groomed man that he's either gay or a liar. When a woman in the audience talks back, Whang snaps reproachfully, “Hey, hey! I no go to where you work and tell you how to give blow job!”
The woman's a loose cannon, one who has won serious recognition from the nuts in the comedy business. Naturally, we wanted to find out just how Suzanne Whang became that way, so we asked her some nosey questions.
Suzanne Whang assumes the alter-ego of Sung Hee Park when performing her trademark standup routine.
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Goldsea: TV host, standup comedian, actor... What are you in your heart of hearts?
Suzanne Whang: In my heart of hearts I am creative energy, just channeled in different ways. I've been an actor for 17 years, a television host for 11 years, and a stand-up comedian for 4 years. Right now my favorite thing to do is probably stand-up comedy, for the adrenaline rush of being able to make a room full of people fall off their chairs laughing. I also take the act to a place of pathos, so it should be calledÊstand-up dramedy (a term I've coined). My act is a satire of racism in American and ideally it makes people laugh, it disturbs them, and it makes them think. I believe that laughter breaks down people's defenses and it levels the playing field so that I can get my message across more easily.
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GS: What was the eureka moment that made you take the path less traveled by Yalies?
SW: After I graduated from Yale, I got my masters in Cognitive Psychology from Brown, and then I moved to Boston. I got a job at a health care consulting firm doing marketing research. One day I was listening to the radio, and they were having a cattle call for extras in the television series Spenser: For Hire, so I took a long lunch and stood in line with hundreds of other people to get my Polaroid taken and fill out an information card.
About a month later the casting director, Ann Baker, called to offer me a day of extra work on the show. The night before the shoot, the power went out in my building so my alarm clock did not go in the morning and I was awakened to the sound of my phone ringing and the casting director's irate voice wondering if I was planning to show up on the set that morning.Ê I talked her into letting me rush over there — luckily I lived within walking distance of the location. They hadn't started shooting yet, so I wasn't in as much trouble as I thought.
During the shoot, a character actor named Arnie Cox introduced himself to me, took me under his wing, and gave me a list of things to do in order to become a working actor in Boston. The next day I began doing everything he suggested, and within a month, I was in the Screen Actors Guild and working all the time as an actor in Boston. Arnie Cox was my guardian angel and he's the reason I've been acting professionally for 17 years.
GS: What about your family background and upbringing turned you into a natural-born killer on stage?
SW: The reason that I'm such a happy and successful person is because of the way I was raised by my parents. Every day they told me and showed me how much they love me. They told me that I'm beautiful and talented and intelligent and kind and funny and strong, and that I can accomplish anything I want to do in the world. They hugged me, kissed me, encouraged me, and supported me no matter what. They taught me to treat people the way I want to be treated, and to work hard. I never heard a racist or sexist sentence uttered from their mouths.Ê We had dinner together almost every night. And there was ALWAYS laughter in our home, every day, without exception.
When I was growing up, I thought everyone's parents were like this. As it turns out, most people IÊknow did not have a similar childhood experience. I'm not telling you that my parents never made mistakes. But because of what they did right, they raised a daughter who knows how to let go of whatever mistakes they made, love themÊunconditionally, take responsibility for myself, and approach life with courage, joy and humor. What an incredible gift! And the best gift I can give your readers is to recommend that they please, please read the book Excuse Me Your Life Is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn!
GS: What has been your favorite gig to date?
SW: When I performed my one-woman show at the 24th Street Theater in Los Angeles. A woman in the audience approached me after the show and told me that her mother had died a month ago and this was the first time she had laughed since that happened. She thanked me for making her laugh and making her cry, and told me that it was a very healing experience for her. It's those moments that inspire me to keep going.
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“A woman in the audience approached me after the show and told me that her mother had died a month ago and this was the first time she had laughed since that happened.”
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Suzanne
Uncensored
or the most part Suzanne Whang is your typical Yale grad who ditches a conventional career, becomes a successful actor and TV host, then assumes a subversive alter ego to deliver standup routines before packed comedy clubs.