Dealing with tragedy and grief on “Expats” starring actor Brian Tee

Lulu Wang’s latest series, Expats, brings to life an emotionally intricate story that intertwines three women’s lives through tragedy based on the best-selling novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee.

The six-part limited Prime Video series features AAPI talents like Lulu Wang, who is the series’ creator, director, writer, and stars actors Ji-young Yoo, Sarayu Blue, and Brian Tee.

Cold Tea Collective writer Daniel Anderson interviewed actor Brian Tee about his experience portraying Clarke on Expats. 

On processing tragedy and grief

In Expats, Tee plays Clarke, Margaret’s husband, whose family is processing grief and tragedy. For Tee, reflecting on Clarke’s emotional journey throughout the series, he says, “Clarke tried his best to lead with love… I don’t think there is a right or wrong, and I don’t think he should try to judge himself for it.”

While Tee hasn’t experienced tragedy like his character Clarke, he shares that playing this character has taught him that there’s not one or right way to deal with tragedy and grief. 

“A lot of us, as far as humans are concerned, judge ourselves for our experiences and processing of them,” Tee shares. 

Filming his first scenes for Expat

Tee’s acting career spans more than two decades, and he is a familiar face for many viewers who grew up looking out for Asian American talent in Hollywood. When asked about the most creatively satisfying scene to shoot, he shares that it was the first scene he filmed with co-star and on-screen wife Nicole Kidman. 

“It was the moment where we find out about the tragedy. That moment alone sparked like this big bang for all of us because literally we were crying and yelling and screaming, take after take and then loving and hugging and all this other stuff,” says Tee. “In that moment, it was 20 years of experience, and it couldn’t have been more scary. But yet such a gift for that to be our first scene.” 

Finding sense in a foreign space

Expats is set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong. The series centers on three American women whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred. 

Expats stars Nicole Kidman as Margaret, Sarayu Blue as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo as Mercy.

The show also stars Brian Tee as Margaret’s husband, Clarke, and Jack Huston as David, Hilary’s husband. Lulu Wang serves as a creator, director, and writer for Expats. 

Stream Expats on Prime Video today.

See also: Making It: Saschie MacLean-Magbanua on overcoming grief through community with Formation Studio