Q. As I was watching the movie, I thought: “She’s playing on every stereotype here. Is this O.K.?”

A. I definitely had conflicting feelings when I first saw the script. I saw the breakdown for the character, and I thought, “That whole nail salon technician and dragon lady opium den worker.” I usually don’t play those parts.

You’re usually the hot funny one.

Oh, thank you. I didn’t know that’s what I was doing.

Did the script say Hae Won had to have a thick accent?

There was no mention of the accent, but that was the expectation. It’s such a hard place to be. The types of roles [that are] specifically Asian or Asian-American are rare. It’s O.K. to be vigilant about how these minorities are represented on TV and film. Then this nagging voice said, “But wait, these opportunities are too few and far between, so what’s the alternative?” Pull this character into the world. You can have an accent and be a real person. And wait, my parents have an accent. Asians and Asian-Americans are hyper critical about when and which way they should be portrayed. Not always, but sometimes that ends up being a disservice.

Do you think the role is still a little racist?

No, I don’t. I think it would be one story if she started out that way in the film and ended there, if she didn’t turn out to be who you saw her to be [by the end]. There is a double standard. Why are we less concerned about all of the Brits who play Americans, or all the Spaniards who are playing Latin Americans with various accents? Why is it when it comes to playing a real Korean woman with an accent that we feel uncomfortable?

How often during that pronunciation scene with Amy did you crack up?

When we were shooting the [NBC] pilot, Amy had given me some tips about not breaking up. I was doing a scene and kept breaking. And Amy, from the other room, [was] saying, “Get it together, Lee!” There is nothing that makes you go from laughing so hard your arms are going to fall off to zero faster than your hero, Amy Poehler, saying “stop laughing.”