Bowen Yang On New York City Summer, Sips and the US Open

Coming in with a surprise late summer win? This year's US Open. Whether it was viral TikTok vids, influencer uptick, winning moments or celebrity spotting — New York City's hottest club this year was definitely Arthur Ashe Stadium.

But don't just take our word for it, ask Bowen Yang. The actor, comedian, writer and podcaster who is also adding Aperol fashionista to his list of accolades. He’s the face of this year’s Aperol Tennis Collection and we had the pleasure of joining him at the Aperol suite to learn what the SNL, Wicked, and Las Culturistas star is up to as New York City’s summer winds down.

Between sips of Italy’s favorite drink at the women’s semi-final and getting distracted by the beauty of fellow match attendee Dylan Efron, we discussed creating on your own terms and the perfect fits for your next Italian vacation. Here's the tea (or Spritz, if you will).

Let's dig into the Aperol merch line. We love things that look cool that are still branded.
The cable knit? I tried to wear it tonight but just couldn’t figure out how to tie it around me. I’m not good with knots. The hat is really cute. This shirt ... I made into a muscle tee.

Oh, okay.

This is just something I’ll wear at Lago Tagarda on an Italian vacation. Whenever I can schedule that. The merch is really good. And the socks. Life of a Showgirl-coded.

Speaking of Taylor Swift, watching the Las Culturistas Awards this year reminded me of seeing her at Met Life. Watching someone create things that are authentic to them, that we're all invited to be part of. It’s helpful for all of us to watch and see. How has that been for the younger you who maybe didn’t know that you’d one day be able to create those things?

You’re hitting it all. It is the fulfillment of my younger self coming to the States, watching the Oscars the year Titanic won, when it was this phenomenon. Being like, “Woah. Billy Crystal is having the most fun on this stage.” It seemed so far away, getting to that level. The fact that we were able to do it on our terms and even if we were offered to do it on a legitimate scale, it’s like we’re already doing it ourselves and taking the piss out of it. I can’t believe we were getting away with that, having fun. Of course, collaborating with networks and things and it’s on TV so it has to be molded a certain way. We got to do almost everything we wanted to do. The way you even phrased the Taylor thing it’s like. It was the exact thing we wanted to do.

There's something really beautiful and fulfilling about the idea of pursuing the vision and executing on it. That’s all I have to experience; there’s nothing more I need, truly.

Live in the world you created.

I don’t know if it’s even that. But I think there’s something really beautiful and fulfilling about the idea of pursuing the vision and executing on it. That’s all I have to experience; there’s nothing more I need, truly.

So what are you most excited about now that summer’s ending?

Summer’s a great time to get curious. It’s an experimental stage where we get to decentralize ourselves from home. We fill up the well, return, then drop it or something. It’s going to be a lot of work for the next few months but it’s going to beget the next segment of time. I’m speaking so vaguely.

I get it though. You have to do this to get to the next thing.

I’ve never been great at thinking long-term. I’ve always been a short to medium guy and I think that’s served me well. There’s something nice in the ephemera of things. I get to enjoy the last three weeks of summer on a calendar level and then — let’s make it very clear there’s still 18 days left — but being here makes me allowed to check the box. I get to be more present like “I’m at the Aperol suite at the Open!” I get to enjoy that this is a nice note to the season.

Same page. If you don’t get too far ahead, you get to pivot when you need to.

Exactly.

Is there anything else you want to share with PAPER?

I just love PAPER. Maybe because I’m here at the stadium, but there’s something to be said about all these people watching two or four people do something very intense and intimate. I like being observational that way. The awards took a lot of work. It felt like the same thing ... two people onstage with thousands watching. I like being on the other side of that. I can take notes, field notes. Yeah. I’m really happy to be here.

Photography: Amons Shin for Aperol