Bowen Yang gives absurd characters the vanity of people we recognise. We like his timing and his appetite for camp; the films have been less adventurous about what they ask him to do.
Fi1m perspective
An iceberg behaving like a diva is a good use of Bowen Yang. In his Saturday Night Live appearance as the iceberg that sank the Titanic, the absurd premise suits his ability to establish a personality quickly. We laughed because the vanity is recognisable even when the speaker is a lump of ice. We rate that precision, though the films have tended to give him familiar people to be sharp about.
He joined the programme's cast in 2019, and his film work has often put him among ensembles where a supporting player needs to register promptly. Fire Island (2022), directed by Andrew Ahn and written by co-star Joel Kim Booster, gives him Howie; Bros (2022) places him in another queer romantic comedy. These are useful settings for his wit and social awareness. They also make the question of what else he might do harder to answer.
He plays Pfannee in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025), both directed by Jon M. Chu. His camp, status-conscious supporting presence belongs comfortably around Glinda, and the casting makes sense without requiring much surprise. Chu's sequel is too long, though, and its plot keeps breaking up the pleasure of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's songs. For all the scope it offers for heightened playing, we recommend it for those two rather than as an introduction to Yang.
The Garfield Movie (2024), in which he voices Nolan, is less rewarding, but it is equally unhelpful as a verdict on his abilities. Mark Dindal finds good physical comedy in the outdoor adventure, yet Garfield's dry indifference gets lost in the bustle and the story is routine. Our disappointment is with those choices; blaming a supporting voice actor would be peculiar. The useful next step would be a part with more to sustain than a quick impression of somebody's social standing. Until then, we would start with the iceberg.
Biography
Bowen Yang is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. Born on 6 November 1990 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, he joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live in 2018 and became a featured player the following year, later promoted to repertory status. He was the show's first Chinese-American cast member and received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work on the series, which he left in 2025.
Yang is known for his role as Pfannee in the films Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025). His other screen credits include Bros (2022), Fire Island (2022) and voice roles in The Garfield Movie (2024). He co-hosts the podcast Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and has appeared in series such as Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens.
