I was thinking about this just the other day. Given the scarcity of Asian American male actors, there are quite a few of them who are Korean American.
Just last night I wrote stories about Tim Jo and Tim Kang. Daniel Dae Kim and Ken Jeong have gained prominence and of course, we can’t forget John Cho.
“When I was starting out, it was really hard,” says Cho, 41, to Canoe.Ca. “I tried to do things like turn down auditions I thought were stereotypical. That sort of thing, small as it was, was difficult. Now it seems like I don’t even have to make those decisions anymore. People understand what I do and I’m not faced with that on a day-to-day basis like I used to be.”
Despite the increase in the number of Korean American actor, Cho admits feeling the weight of expectations from his own community.
“It can get paralyzing,” said the actor. “But now, there are so many Korean actors out there doing their thing, it’s great to see.”
He talks about his two latest projects, That Burning Feeling and Selfie, with Canoe.Ca.