Actor Brian Tee will play “graying Japanese badass” Katashi Hamada in Jurassic World, reports the Korea Times.
It’s part of a growing trend of Tee appearing in more blockbusters. He has also snagged a role in Fast & Furious 7 and appeared in Wolverines in 2013.
“I think that’s just the nature of the business,” he explains. “You’re only really as good as your last job and as a result I’m not going to focus on some imaginary benchmark. With each role I want to grow, change and expand my skill set. I want to take on roles that matter and try to change the scope of Asian Americans in this industry especially. That’s my goal.”
Tee is half Korean on his mother’s side and Japanese on his father’s side. His birth name is Takata.
“For some reason there is still this old school idea in Hollywood, which is changing, that portrays Asian males as reserved, never showing emotion, and that’s good for certain situations and character types,” he said. “But after awhile it becomes a caricature.”
You can read more about his thoughts on Asian Americans in Hollywood and his career path in the Korea Times.