Hyun Bin, Atsuko Okatsuka and Mahira Khan on what's next in 2026.

I watched you on Crash Landing on You during the pandemic, twice. I watched the whole series from start to finish, twice, while I was in quarantine. And I cried. I sobbed both times. That performance, the chemistry between you two, was some of the best chemistry on screen I think I've seen. And I was thinking to myself, gosh, it's almost like this is a real life romance. And it turns out it was. So is that why it came across so well on screen? Because you guys were connecting in real life? What is it like when you're not working? What's life around the house like as a new mom and dad? When you go to the playground, are you mobbed by people or do they leave you alone? They're not really active on social media. As far as I can tell, you're not posting things. You might have publicity photos thereof, but you're not taking selfies of your everyday life. As big of a star as you are, that's astounding to me that you have been able to manage to draw that line. And I give you a lot of respect for that. How did you come to that decision? Do you have any New Year's resolutions? Her fans call her mother, but in 2025, Atsuko Okazuka found a new role to play. Whenever my girlfriends tell me about their husbands and they're like, he's so messy. He doesn't pick up after himself. He doesn't do the laundry. To their face, I'm like, oh my god. To their face, I say that. But when I walk away, I'm like, are you my husband? Beyond her vibrant wardrobe and signature bowl cut, Atsuko is known for turning family trauma into laughs, like the story of how her grandmother brought her to the US. Make this stallion move over. We got a new stallion in town. I mean, she did legit kidnap me. Yeah, that is a fact. Why did your grandmother want you to be in the States with her? So my mom, you know, has mental illnesses. She has schizophrenia. She has, like, not emotional issues. She has depression. She has all kinds of things, right? She didn't have many friends while she was in Japan. Sometimes the traditional way, old school way of doing things is, ah, it's the location that's the problem. We move. We move. And then everything will stay in Japan. All of the problems. The depression will stay in Japan. Girl, no, sometimes it's you. In her second special, released earlier this year on Hulu, called Father, she explores how her complex childhood growing up undocumented in the US affected her relationship with her dad. I get to finally, you know, have the relationship with my dad that I think I always wanted, but I couldn't. I told my dad just yesterday, I said, I had to become famous to bring the You know? Low pressure. Jesus Christ. Have you ever felt throughout your career or throughout your life in the United States like you don't belong? I don't know if I would even belong in space. Because, yeah, I go, oh, maybe if it's not Earth, maybe it's somewhere else. And I think I would— An odd school planet. Maybe an odd school planet where everyone has my haircut. Every time I'm in London, it's all the men that have my haircut. Why do you think that is? I think they're just, like, trying to still, like, reminisce on the 60s and 70s. Yeah, so it's like older men, older British men and me. Atsuko has plenty of goals for 2026, like the quiet art of sitting. I want to try not to spiral, even if I'm not working, you know? Because sometimes a girl is just sitting. And that's OK. A lot of good things have come out of sitting. This interview. Rosa Parks. I appreciate that. Rosa Parks, known for sitting. She did more than that, but she moved the civil rights movement forward. I am writing a book and working on two TV shows. Wow. Yeah. What's the book about? The book is about my life and, you know, just the angle in is, you know, the key to life is knowing who you're not. And so it's about all of the different phases that I went through in my life. Cheerleading phase, cornrow phase, don't recommend. They always say, find out who you are, look for your true self, be your true self. But it's so hard to find your true self. But by process of elimination, you know, it is, you will get there. So now that you've done the process of elimination, who do you think you are now? I am an ever changing person, but also someone who does love people. I love telling jokes. I love making other people feel good. And so that's who I am. At the end of our interview, I had a surprise for Atsuko. My producer prepared a wig for me. For real? Wow. To copy you. Oh, my God. So yes, I haven't. Sorry, I haven't. I'm so sorry she did that. No, I know. Oh, my baby. My father. It's it's it's been a lot. It's been two film releases. I did not expect to have two film releases, to be honest. And it's been amazing. I mean, this year has been wholesome, to say the least, you know, and a surprise, actually. And may I ask you a question about Fawad Khan? Because you've been recently reunited with him on the big screen. He was also on CNN New Year's Eve Live a couple of years ago. He is such a gentleman. He is a classic leading man. Tell me about your working relationship and how it's evolved over the years. It's a blessing that we have been given so much love and respect and adoration together. You know, people want to see us together. And we we've been stingy with that. But now I think finally, with Nilofer, we were able to give back to our fans. It's really a it's almost a thank you note to them. I think what we have in common is that I think we both are very respectful of each other's spaces and our crafts. You know, I'm a spontaneous actor. He is he has another kind of method. And we both understand each other's beats really, really well. And I think that comes with a certain amount of, of course, experience, but also friendship. That's really lovely to hear. And it sounds like no doubt you're going to be working together again, reunited again on screen in the future. I think that there is a why for that, because we need to find something really amazing. I mean, so if anyone has something out of the box, I think we need to both do something together, which is very out of the box, like Bonnie and Clyde. That would be so edgy. Or like marriage story. That's what I'd like to see us in. What do you have in store for 2026? It's been going to be 15 years in this industry next year for me. Bravo. And yeah, and then and at this point, it just feels like, you know, one of those points where I feel like I want to take stock of my life, my career, all of it. I'm going back to TV. I'm a little scared about it, but I think that's, that's what's exciting. That something is scaring me, you know? Now, Myra, you and I have a California connection. Yes, we do. I'm from California and you studied there. You spent time there. Is it true that you used to work at a Brookstone in California? This is like a high end gadget shop. Yes, ma'am. What was that like? Oh, my God. You know, I always credit America for all these years that I lived and worked in America is there's a there's a huge part of me. And that time for me as a girl from Pakistan who came from, you know, not a very rich family, and then you go and live the American life, which is that you have two jobs and you go to college and you're supporting yourself or your brother and you're paying for rent and you don't know if you're going to make it through the week. I think that has had a deep impact on who I am. I actually go back every summer. I take my son back every single summer and I tell him every time I tell him, look at this big blue bus. I used to take this bus and then I would go to Rite Aid or I would go to Brookstone and this is where I used to work. So, yeah, those are very important years of my life. Myra, I love that. I love how you used to work at a Brookstone in Southern California, used to work at a Rite Aid. This is like a pharmacy. Now you are one of Pakistan's biggest film stars ever with fans all over the world. Myra Khan, thank you so much for joining me and Happy New Year. Thank you. Happy New Year to you too. Lots and lots of love.