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Photo by Charlie Nguyen (IMG_7708) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Asian American actors often find themselves stereotyped into the select few “Asian” roles that are offered in Hollywood. John Cho of American Pie fame, however, has set out to break through the stereotypes and make his mark in Hollywood.
Recently, Cho has been cast in the TV series The Exorcist for its second season. Although Asian actors have been spotted in other genres of film, horror has been one that has been rare (Steve Yeun in the Walking Dead comes to mind.
Entertainment Weekly reports his initial response to his upcoming project, “I have never seen an Asian face in American horror”. Cho highlights the lack of Asian representation in horror by going so far as to say that he finds it “intrusive to have [his] face in it”.
The show writers, however, did not think an Asian lead would be a farfetched idea. The role of Andy Kim had been specifically written for Cho, according to the International Business Times.
Luckily, Cho accepted the role and did not hinder the casting plan that the writers had. He said that this role was perfect because he had been “gravitating towards roles that include his race without depending on it”.
The show airs towards the end of September, and the Asian American community will be keen to see how Cho adds an Asian flair to it!
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