Awkwafina foul-mouthed grandma actress Lori Tan Chinn was ready to give up acting before landing Comedy Central role

TIME

“I was ready to just throw in the towel. I thought I’d have to go on welfare or apply for food stamps,” the 71-year-old Chinn tells Time magazine. Chinn is perhaps best known for playing older inmate Mei Chang on Orange Is the New Black, but that role didn't provide much financial comfort. "I didn’t have the money to buy the box sets," she says. "Eventually, when I make enough money from the next season, I’ll be able to see it.” Chinn says she's thrilled to be working on Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, calling Awkwafina "a brilliant mind —and I get to spar with her. It’s like a school of fish—when the lead one goes zzzzip and all of a sudden they all move together—that’s how it feels working with her.” Chinn adds: "This is the freest role I’ve had. I’ve spent years of doing roles that were written by non-Asians and portraying us the way they want us to be portrayed."