Stephen Park
👤 PersonPodcast Appearances
It's so funny because the role was so small and I was on. Yeah, I just felt like I was on there for like such a short, maybe a little bit longer than the pig. I know there's a little pig moment. And I was like, why do they want to talk to me? I'm so nervous because I don't know what to talk about.
It's so funny because the role was so small and I was on. Yeah, I just felt like I was on there for like such a short, maybe a little bit longer than the pig. I know there's a little pig moment. And I was like, why do they want to talk to me? I'm so nervous because I don't know what to talk about.
It's pretty true. It's pretty true. Oh, my God. That's crazy. I know that actually, I remember when we shot this, 98, that was just like Fargo had just come out recently. Like in 96, I think, so yeah.
It's pretty true. It's pretty true. Oh, my God. That's crazy. I know that actually, I remember when we shot this, 98, that was just like Fargo had just come out recently. Like in 96, I think, so yeah.
Yeah, you stood out to him. You were the one.
Yeah, you stood out to him. You were the one.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I mean, I remember thinking, I thought that they might cut it because it didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the story. And it wasn't until a few years later that it was on Roger Ebert's show. He had Martin Scorsese on. And they were talking about their favorite movies of the 90s. And they brought up Fargo and they played my scene.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I mean, I remember thinking, I thought that they might cut it because it didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the story. And it wasn't until a few years later that it was on Roger Ebert's show. He had Martin Scorsese on. And they were talking about their favorite movies of the 90s. And they brought up Fargo and they played my scene.
And Roger Ebert was describing how Marge Gunderson's character, after she finds out that my character was lying, that kind of sets the light bulb off. And then she goes to speak to Bill Macy's character after she realizes. So it did set off a little bit of a chain reaction, but I didn't know that at the time. The Coen brothers never explained anything to me.
And Roger Ebert was describing how Marge Gunderson's character, after she finds out that my character was lying, that kind of sets the light bulb off. And then she goes to speak to Bill Macy's character after she realizes. So it did set off a little bit of a chain reaction, but I didn't know that at the time. The Coen brothers never explained anything to me.
So I really did think, wow, they might cut this.
So I really did think, wow, they might cut this.
Oh, my God. It was kind of a long, kind of torturous journey. Because my father, I grew up, my father was a doctor. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was born in Clinton Hill. And I lived there until about eight. And then we moved two years to Manhattan. And then we moved upstate. We landed in a town called Vestal, which is adjacent to Binghamton. Okay. And so I did most of my growing up there.
Oh, my God. It was kind of a long, kind of torturous journey. Because my father, I grew up, my father was a doctor. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was born in Clinton Hill. And I lived there until about eight. And then we moved two years to Manhattan. And then we moved upstate. We landed in a town called Vestal, which is adjacent to Binghamton. Okay. And so I did most of my growing up there.
So... I first started, when I went to college, I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. And so I was pursuing medicine because my dad was a doctor. So I thought, okay. But I never had any kind of interest or proclivity towards chemistry or any of these. Which hurts medicine a little bit.
So... I first started, when I went to college, I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. And so I was pursuing medicine because my dad was a doctor. So I thought, okay. But I never had any kind of interest or proclivity towards chemistry or any of these. Which hurts medicine a little bit.
but I was like failing these classes. I mean, just like looking at different like organisms and biology class and like, I can't tell one from the other. So I just felt like this was not for me. And then I ended up transferring to school, which was closer to me, which was SUNY Binghamton. And same thing. I was just signing up for classes. I didn't know what I was doing.
but I was like failing these classes. I mean, just like looking at different like organisms and biology class and like, I can't tell one from the other. So I just felt like this was not for me. And then I ended up transferring to school, which was closer to me, which was SUNY Binghamton. And same thing. I was just signing up for classes. I didn't know what I was doing.
And then I would end up like dropping classes. And so I was kind of ready to drop out. And my girlfriend at the time just said, before you drop out, just, you owe yourself just take one semester of classes. And the only criteria is that they have to be fun, which was such an alien concept to me.
And then I would end up like dropping classes. And so I was kind of ready to drop out. And my girlfriend at the time just said, before you drop out, just, you owe yourself just take one semester of classes. And the only criteria is that they have to be fun, which was such an alien concept to me.
That's great advice. I took an acting class. I took a mind class, a vocal class and a body movement class. And, um, It was to me because, you know, when I was growing up as a kid, I was always like class clown. I was always making super eight movies. Like it was something that I always enjoyed doing, but never considered it a career. So anyway, I ended up getting my, my theater degree and,
That's great advice. I took an acting class. I took a mind class, a vocal class and a body movement class. And, um, It was to me because, you know, when I was growing up as a kid, I was always like class clown. I was always making super eight movies. Like it was something that I always enjoyed doing, but never considered it a career. So anyway, I ended up getting my, my theater degree and,
And because, you know, I thought that was funny. A lot of people were funny. So I went to New York City and started doing stand-up comedy. And I was doing open mic nights. And then I got involved with theater. I did my first play with Pan-Asian Repertory Theater. And that got me started with basically doing plays. And then, so I came, you know, I was down in New York. I started my career in 1987.
And because, you know, I thought that was funny. A lot of people were funny. So I went to New York City and started doing stand-up comedy. And I was doing open mic nights. And then I got involved with theater. I did my first play with Pan-Asian Repertory Theater. And that got me started with basically doing plays. And then, so I came, you know, I was down in New York. I started my career in 1987.
And it was 1988 when I booked my first film, which was Do the Right Thing. And I mean, who knew? I mean, but it wasn't like there were I was at a time when there were kind of a small pool of Asian American actors. So. for the first maybe 10 years, I knew every Asian American actor in both coasts. I mean, we all knew each other.
And it was 1988 when I booked my first film, which was Do the Right Thing. And I mean, who knew? I mean, but it wasn't like there were I was at a time when there were kind of a small pool of Asian American actors. So. for the first maybe 10 years, I knew every Asian American actor in both coasts. I mean, we all knew each other.
Um, so it wasn't like there was a big, uh, pool of actors. And anyway, um, uh, then soon after that happened, I moved to Los Angeles and then in living color happened.
Um, so it wasn't like there was a big, uh, pool of actors. And anyway, um, uh, then soon after that happened, I moved to Los Angeles and then in living color happened.
I did. I had an agent. Um, and, uh, I went into the office and I forgot what scene it was, but I remember Spike Lee gave me the part in the room right after the audition. And I was like, because I was already a huge fan of his from She's Gotta Have It. I was in shock. And then I just said, can I hug you? And then he gave me a hug. And yeah, so that was kind of like, that was kind of the beginning.
I did. I had an agent. Um, and, uh, I went into the office and I forgot what scene it was, but I remember Spike Lee gave me the part in the room right after the audition. And I was like, because I was already a huge fan of his from She's Gotta Have It. I was in shock. And then I just said, can I hug you? And then he gave me a hug. And yeah, so that was kind of like, that was kind of the beginning.
And I was terrified too, because Being a Korean American growing up in New York, I grew up in white communities, so I didn't grow up speaking the language or anything. And I've had a very maybe tenuous grasp of my culture. So playing an immigrant from Korea terrified me. And so I had to kind of like, my uncle actually worked at a market in Manhattan. So I worked there for a little while.
And I was terrified too, because Being a Korean American growing up in New York, I grew up in white communities, so I didn't grow up speaking the language or anything. And I've had a very maybe tenuous grasp of my culture. So playing an immigrant from Korea terrified me. And so I had to kind of like, my uncle actually worked at a market in Manhattan. So I worked there for a little while.
And my brother-in-law helped me with the dialect because I'd never done a Korean dialect before. And so I was learning the dialect. So anyway, it was kind of a big learning curve for me, just playing an immigrant from Korea. But it was terrifying.
And my brother-in-law helped me with the dialect because I'd never done a Korean dialect before. And so I was learning the dialect. So anyway, it was kind of a big learning curve for me, just playing an immigrant from Korea. But it was terrifying.
I don't know how it happened. It's just, yeah.
I don't know how it happened. It's just, yeah.
Well, I think they were excited, but it wasn't, you know, I think they were excited by the attention I was getting and people were like, wow, he's very successful. But I think, especially for my dad, it was more, there was no solidity. There was no constancy. So my parents also have been with me through long periods of unemployment, you know, struggling with money.
Well, I think they were excited, but it wasn't, you know, I think they were excited by the attention I was getting and people were like, wow, he's very successful. But I think, especially for my dad, it was more, there was no solidity. There was no constancy. So my parents also have been with me through long periods of unemployment, you know, struggling with money.
So, you know, over the long arc of my career, they've seen how difficult it's been, but I think they appreciate that.
So, you know, over the long arc of my career, they've seen how difficult it's been, but I think they appreciate that.
the fact that I've had the success that I've had but I mean to be honest they don't really understand maybe what I do or they don't understand the work so much I don't know like I don't know if they've seen Fargo you know it's like and I meet a lot of actors like that whose parents like have no clue like what they do or it seems so alien to them and that's kind of been my experiences
the fact that I've had the success that I've had but I mean to be honest they don't really understand maybe what I do or they don't understand the work so much I don't know like I don't know if they've seen Fargo you know it's like and I meet a lot of actors like that whose parents like have no clue like what they do or it seems so alien to them and that's kind of been my experiences
I mean, so they've been supportive, but it's always been like, they have no idea what I do.
I mean, so they've been supportive, but it's always been like, they have no idea what I do.
Same. That was a little bit more shocking because it's like a regular audition. It started in a casting office. And by that point I had, I don't know, 15 minutes set. I didn't really, I was still beginning as a comedian, you know, and I wasn't really, um, like, it took me a while to realize that standup comedy was not my thing, but I kind of had enough to do an audition.
Same. That was a little bit more shocking because it's like a regular audition. It started in a casting office. And by that point I had, I don't know, 15 minutes set. I didn't really, I was still beginning as a comedian, you know, and I wasn't really, um, like, it took me a while to realize that standup comedy was not my thing, but I kind of had enough to do an audition.
And then when I got called back, um, it was like, Oh, the callback is at the laugh factory. And it was in front of an audience that didn't know that these were auditions happening.
And then when I got called back, um, it was like, Oh, the callback is at the laugh factory. And it was in front of an audience that didn't know that these were auditions happening.
And there was like, I want to say like 15 or 20 of us. I mean, I remember Margaret Cho was one of us. One of them or one of the people auditioning.
And there was like, I want to say like 15 or 20 of us. I mean, I remember Margaret Cho was one of us. One of them or one of the people auditioning.
Like, do you remember what your... Yeah, I did like, I was doing like a spoof on Asian stereotypes. I then did this bit where I was, I had a boom box. I had them doing it over the PA system where I was doing that bad Kung Fu lip syncing.
Like, do you remember what your... Yeah, I did like, I was doing like a spoof on Asian stereotypes. I then did this bit where I was, I had a boom box. I had them doing it over the PA system where I was doing that bad Kung Fu lip syncing.
And then, um, yeah, in my, my memory, my act was very, it's very, um, it's dissipated, but I just remember it ended with, um, I, I created this, uh, this duo between Bruce Lee and Rambo. And I had, um, Bruce Lee saying that line from, uh,
And then, um, yeah, in my, my memory, my act was very, it's very, um, it's dissipated, but I just remember it ended with, um, I, I created this, uh, this duo between Bruce Lee and Rambo. And I had, um, Bruce Lee saying that line from, uh,
from enter the dragon you all offended my family you have offended my my what is it my school you have offended my family and then then rambo has his rifle and then i had about five minutes of machine gun fire
from enter the dragon you all offended my family you have offended my my what is it my school you have offended my family and then then rambo has his rifle and then i had about five minutes of machine gun fire
to the extreme yes and then and then bruce lee says the line again you have offended my my school you have offended so that was the end of that particular it was so silly and then when they called us back again for another call back again at the laugh factory it was like down to i think five of us or something um then i had to like scrounge for material and i was doing the the
to the extreme yes and then and then bruce lee says the line again you have offended my my school you have offended so that was the end of that particular it was so silly and then when they called us back again for another call back again at the laugh factory it was like down to i think five of us or something um then i had to like scrounge for material and i was doing the the
jokes that i was doing like in elementary like i was just coming up with the dumbest jokes and i remember one of them was um all right i'm going to do an impression of um two worms having sex this is my impression of two worms having sex i did that joke at the laugh factory and got on a living color Is that the dumbest joke? I mean, it's so stupid.
jokes that i was doing like in elementary like i was just coming up with the dumbest jokes and i remember one of them was um all right i'm going to do an impression of um two worms having sex this is my impression of two worms having sex i did that joke at the laugh factory and got on a living color Is that the dumbest joke? I mean, it's so stupid.
I was still figuring it out and I had such a huge opportunity when I was on Living Color to go on the road as a comedian, but I didn't have an act. I had just what I did at the audition and truth be told, I was just, you know, it took me a while to just realize that I didn't have the DNA. Like I didn't, I couldn't live that life.
I was still figuring it out and I had such a huge opportunity when I was on Living Color to go on the road as a comedian, but I didn't have an act. I had just what I did at the audition and truth be told, I was just, you know, it took me a while to just realize that I didn't have the DNA. Like I didn't, I couldn't live that life.
I couldn't, I couldn't either. It's just, um, like I look at like people that I know, like Bobby Lee or even, you know, Margaret Cho, like, it's like, they were born to do it. You know, they're, they're something, I mean, you know, a lot of standups, they come from some difficult background or some kind of challenging childhood or drug abuse or whatever. So somehow that fuels that career somehow.
I couldn't, I couldn't either. It's just, um, like I look at like people that I know, like Bobby Lee or even, you know, Margaret Cho, like, it's like, they were born to do it. You know, they're, they're something, I mean, you know, a lot of standups, they come from some difficult background or some kind of challenging childhood or drug abuse or whatever. So somehow that fuels that career somehow.
And, and also when I was starting to, there weren't a lot of Asian comedians. So also I was extremely like hypersensitive. So I was constantly on the receiving end and a lot of racist jokes when I would sit in the audience. And so it was, I mean, my girlfriend at the time was like saying I shouldn't be doing this just because I would get so depressed.
And, and also when I was starting to, there weren't a lot of Asian comedians. So also I was extremely like hypersensitive. So I was constantly on the receiving end and a lot of racist jokes when I would sit in the audience. And so it was, I mean, my girlfriend at the time was like saying I shouldn't be doing this just because I would get so depressed.
I would be so angry that I was forcing myself to go into this environment and try to be funny. And it was just I was just not emotionally equipped to to deal with things at that time as a stand up comedian. I couldn't. So it wasn't in me.
I would be so angry that I was forcing myself to go into this environment and try to be funny. And it was just I was just not emotionally equipped to to deal with things at that time as a stand up comedian. I couldn't. So it wasn't in me.
I mean, I remember they did a spoof on Do the Right Thing, I remember, which I was like, oh my God, that's crazy. And I never imagined I would be on the show. I mean, when the audition came up and I knew they were looking for Asian-American, they were looking for Latino actors, comedians. And so it was just an opportunity that was an amazing opportunity that just popped out of nowhere.
I mean, I remember they did a spoof on Do the Right Thing, I remember, which I was like, oh my God, that's crazy. And I never imagined I would be on the show. I mean, when the audition came up and I knew they were looking for Asian-American, they were looking for Latino actors, comedians. And so it was just an opportunity that was an amazing opportunity that just popped out of nowhere.
It was kind of a lot of things. I had kind of a challenging experience just because, I mean, it was fun. I mean, the, the amount of like just table reads where the Wayans would be falling out of their chairs or, you know, it was like, the funniest people in the world altogether in the same room kind of vibe, you know? So it was like, so, so intimidating.
It was kind of a lot of things. I had kind of a challenging experience just because, I mean, it was fun. I mean, the, the amount of like just table reads where the Wayans would be falling out of their chairs or, you know, it was like, the funniest people in the world altogether in the same room kind of vibe, you know? So it was like, so, so intimidating.
And, um, you know, also being thrown in, it's like being thrown into a situation where everybody's already a family. So you're the, you're, you're the adoptee.
And, um, you know, also being thrown in, it's like being thrown into a situation where everybody's already a family. So you're the, you're, you're the adoptee.
So that was also very challenging. And, um, and then also how I was not on the show anymore also was really challenging because it was not fully explained to me. And I had different explanations. So it was like 90. Yeah. So when I was not asked back, that was the year of the riots in LA.
So that was also very challenging. And, um, and then also how I was not on the show anymore also was really challenging because it was not fully explained to me. And I had different explanations. So it was like 90. Yeah. So when I was not asked back, that was the year of the riots in LA.
And there was a lot of, you know, animosity between the black, the black community and the Korean American community. And so, I was feeling at the time, like, well, maybe that had something to do with it. I didn't know, but maybe almost like six, almost seven years later, I was casting a play with my current wife, Kelly Cofield, who was in The Living Color.
And there was a lot of, you know, animosity between the black, the black community and the Korean American community. And so, I was feeling at the time, like, well, maybe that had something to do with it. I didn't know, but maybe almost like six, almost seven years later, I was casting a play with my current wife, Kelly Cofield, who was in The Living Color.
So that was not on my mind at the time. But then, excuse me, when this play happened, I hadn't seen her since the show. And it was reconnecting and then trying to unpack like, so what happened? And then she said, when they came back the next season, everybody was like, where's Ski? What happened? And then he said that because this was when
So that was not on my mind at the time. But then, excuse me, when this play happened, I hadn't seen her since the show. And it was reconnecting and then trying to unpack like, so what happened? And then she said, when they came back the next season, everybody was like, where's Ski? What happened? And then he said that because this was when
Living Color was about Keenan was fighting with Fox the network and it was like the beginning of the end and I think he was getting a little set up and he said that he was having a negotiating issue with my manager and she was pushing too hard and then so he just said screw it and then he just let me go and then I was told by one of the producers that they were looking for a comedian who had more of a stable of characters and
Living Color was about Keenan was fighting with Fox the network and it was like the beginning of the end and I think he was getting a little set up and he said that he was having a negotiating issue with my manager and she was pushing too hard and then so he just said screw it and then he just let me go and then I was told by one of the producers that they were looking for a comedian who had more of a stable of characters and
And then when I read the release from Fox that I read in the paper, it was because I was pursuing other opportunities, you know, so everybody has their own kind of thing. And so it took me, it took me probably until I met Kelly. It took, I didn't, there was always like a little bit of a wound there. Like I said, not knowing. Oh God, the life of an actor. I know.
And then when I read the release from Fox that I read in the paper, it was because I was pursuing other opportunities, you know, so everybody has their own kind of thing. And so it took me, it took me probably until I met Kelly. It took, I didn't, there was always like a little bit of a wound there. Like I said, not knowing. Oh God, the life of an actor. I know.
I don't know. Well, you know, it's funny because... you know, I think Kelly and I, you know, we, we kind of remark on that sometimes, like we have, they come and they bring their friends over and we kind of wonder what, what they think of us because we're so not like the normal parents, I guess that other, but, um, but in other words, we are, you know, we're just normal people.
I don't know. Well, you know, it's funny because... you know, I think Kelly and I, you know, we, we kind of remark on that sometimes, like we have, they come and they bring their friends over and we kind of wonder what, what they think of us because we're so not like the normal parents, I guess that other, but, um, but in other words, we are, you know, we're just normal people.
We don't do anything crazy. You know, we make food and we invite people in and, you know, please take your shoes off and, you know, whatever. But, uh, yeah. Um, I don't know. You'd have to ask my kids what their experience is. I know that they hear things, and I think sometimes maybe they try to hide it. I don't know what they do, quite honestly.
We don't do anything crazy. You know, we make food and we invite people in and, you know, please take your shoes off and, you know, whatever. But, uh, yeah. Um, I don't know. You'd have to ask my kids what their experience is. I know that they hear things, and I think sometimes maybe they try to hide it. I don't know what they do, quite honestly.
My daughter, she went to film school. She just graduated from Pratt Institute as a filmmaker and is pursuing acting. Okay. So my son, he's a writer. He's finishing grad school at Brooklyn College in the creative writing program. And he works at the Paris Review. And he's writing his first novel. So you'll probably be hearing about that at some point. That's so cool.
My daughter, she went to film school. She just graduated from Pratt Institute as a filmmaker and is pursuing acting. Okay. So my son, he's a writer. He's finishing grad school at Brooklyn College in the creative writing program. And he works at the Paris Review. And he's writing his first novel. So you'll probably be hearing about that at some point. That's so cool.
Oh yeah, I auditioned for it and I remember thinking, because they thought it was really funny that I was yelling, which seems like, well, of course I'm yelling. I'm inside of a plane. And I got the impression like, well, maybe the other people who auditioned didn't yell.
Oh yeah, I auditioned for it and I remember thinking, because they thought it was really funny that I was yelling, which seems like, well, of course I'm yelling. I'm inside of a plane. And I got the impression like, well, maybe the other people who auditioned didn't yell.
I was just yelling. And then they laughed and I was like, Isn't everybody doing this? Oh my gosh.
I was just yelling. And then they laughed and I was like, Isn't everybody doing this? Oh my gosh.
But I have no idea. I just made that up in my mind. I have no idea if that was what actually happened, but that's my memory. That's what stayed with me.
But I have no idea. I just made that up in my mind. I have no idea if that was what actually happened, but that's my memory. That's what stayed with me.
It's not official or anything. It's just we love it. Can I ask what sticks out, what stands out about that episode for you guys?
It's not official or anything. It's just we love it. Can I ask what sticks out, what stands out about that episode for you guys?
Thank you so much. Are you having every single person on the show on your watch?
Thank you so much. Are you having every single person on the show on your watch?
But you've re-watched this episode a long time ago, probably, right?
But you've re-watched this episode a long time ago, probably, right?
Five, so yeah, no, six months ago. Oh, okay, so recent.
Five, so yeah, no, six months ago. Oh, okay, so recent.
Are you guys done now, or are you still watching?
Are you guys done now, or are you still watching?
Okay, you had heard of it. I think it was a little, I was a little long in the tooth, I think, at that point. Yeah.
Okay, you had heard of it. I think it was a little, I was a little long in the tooth, I think, at that point. Yeah.
I just remember, I do remember, I feel like I disappointed you because I think you were talking about was it Ren and Stimpy or something? It was a show that you were fascinated by. It was quite Beavis and Butthead at the time. Beavis and Butthead, which I wasn't really watching. And you were asking me about it and I had nothing to say. And I felt like, oh man, what a dud I am.
I just remember, I do remember, I feel like I disappointed you because I think you were talking about was it Ren and Stimpy or something? It was a show that you were fascinated by. It was quite Beavis and Butthead at the time. Beavis and Butthead, which I wasn't really watching. And you were asking me about it and I had nothing to say. And I felt like, oh man, what a dud I am.
I felt like it really disappointed you.
I felt like it really disappointed you.
Yeah, it was something along that, yeah, it was something like that.
Yeah, it was something along that, yeah, it was something like that.
It might have been South Park at the time.
It might have been South Park at the time.
Yeah, you know what happened? I remember I've told this story before, but after they first started screening it, I got a call from Ethan Cohen, and he told me how funny I was. And that was the first time I'm like, what? And it didn't occur to me because I was still so in the character's POV.
Yeah, you know what happened? I remember I've told this story before, but after they first started screening it, I got a call from Ethan Cohen, and he told me how funny I was. And that was the first time I'm like, what? And it didn't occur to me because I was still so in the character's POV.
I know doing that part, I remember the day I was, I had somehow like put myself in this more emotional torture. I was really, really like, you know, because internally it was like I was screaming in pain.
I know doing that part, I remember the day I was, I had somehow like put myself in this more emotional torture. I was really, really like, you know, because internally it was like I was screaming in pain.
And then covering it. and then doing the scene. Like, that's kind of how I approached the scene.
And then covering it. and then doing the scene. Like, that's kind of how I approached the scene.
And I knew it was weird. I knew it was, you know, next to Mark, you know, and so all of that stuff, I knew it was weird, but to, to hear about how everybody was laughing, it took me a while to wrap my head around and then realized, Oh yeah.
And I knew it was weird. I knew it was, you know, next to Mark, you know, and so all of that stuff, I knew it was weird, but to, to hear about how everybody was laughing, it took me a while to wrap my head around and then realized, Oh yeah.
Like, and then I understood it, but it was because, um, yeah, I just was too, too, still too in the characters mindset, um, to, to, to see it from an audience point of view at that point. Yeah. Right.
Like, and then I understood it, but it was because, um, yeah, I just was too, too, still too in the characters mindset, um, to, to, to see it from an audience point of view at that point. Yeah. Right.
I think a lot of the characters were based on people they knew growing up, growing up there. And I, um, there was, uh, I think his name was Glenn Yanagida. Um, the actual person, maybe that they grew up with in high school, not that this character is based on him at all. Um, and, um, that's about it.
I think a lot of the characters were based on people they knew growing up, growing up there. And I, um, there was, uh, I think his name was Glenn Yanagida. Um, the actual person, maybe that they grew up with in high school, not that this character is based on him at all. Um, and, um, that's about it.
I mean, because when I did the audition, um, you know, they, of course, you know, they hired me and I remember, um, the, the main thing when I got the job, he was on the set. The main kind of surprise was working with, um, Elizabeth Himmelstein, who was the dialect coach and how hard she was pushing the dialect. Like, no, you want more? Oh yeah. And it sounded so kind of phony.
I mean, because when I did the audition, um, you know, they, of course, you know, they hired me and I remember, um, the, the main thing when I got the job, he was on the set. The main kind of surprise was working with, um, Elizabeth Himmelstein, who was the dialect coach and how hard she was pushing the dialect. Like, no, you want more? Oh yeah. And it sounded so kind of phony.
It sounded like weird. So just going into that and feeling comfortable bending those hours and, and, and, and doing the dialect to that extent, it felt unnatural until it didn't anymore. But as far as the, the scene, I think maybe I was just giving them, I felt like it took me a lot. It was a long road personally to arrive at the character because when I, when the first time,
It sounded like weird. So just going into that and feeling comfortable bending those hours and, and, and, and doing the dialect to that extent, it felt unnatural until it didn't anymore. But as far as the, the scene, I think maybe I was just giving them, I felt like it took me a lot. It was a long road personally to arrive at the character because when I, when the first time,
saw the audition i passed on it because it was described as overweight 40 and like why do they want to see me like i you know yeah um and then it came back and i was like okay and then i flew i was in la at the time so i flew to new york um and uh yeah so i just kind of like as i started um learning more about this character and kind of investigating it It was like, I'm not this character.
saw the audition i passed on it because it was described as overweight 40 and like why do they want to see me like i you know yeah um and then it came back and i was like okay and then i flew i was in la at the time so i flew to new york um and uh yeah so i just kind of like as i started um learning more about this character and kind of investigating it It was like, I'm not this character.
I'm not this character. Oh, my God. I am this character.
I'm not this character. Oh, my God. I am this character.
You know, I don't know if it's ever happened to you as an actor where the role feels like you don't feel connected to it.
You know, I don't know if it's ever happened to you as an actor where the role feels like you don't feel connected to it.
And I think a lot of it is because it's like, well, this guy's, you know, you have a judgment about the character.
And I think a lot of it is because it's like, well, this guy's, you know, you have a judgment about the character.
So once the judgment, I think the judgment somehow dropped and I realized, oh. I am this guy. Because I understood that loneliness. I understood the pain. I understood emotionally this guy. And I know people like this. So I... Once that happened, I feel like I knew the character. And I think the Coen brothers maybe felt like they didn't really need to say much.
So once the judgment, I think the judgment somehow dropped and I realized, oh. I am this guy. Because I understood that loneliness. I understood the pain. I understood emotionally this guy. And I know people like this. So I... Once that happened, I feel like I knew the character. And I think the Coen brothers maybe felt like they didn't really need to say much.
Because I felt like I knew this person.
Because I felt like I knew this person.
different, it was really more just different setups. But I did, um, you know, when they were on me, there, there was one, I was kind of like finding things with each take, it wasn't like a lot of takes. But, um, you know, the one where I was like, I shouldn't, you know, like, that wasn't kind of improv, like, that was a spontaneous moment. And, um, but it was, I won't say it was a lot.
different, it was really more just different setups. But I did, um, you know, when they were on me, there, there was one, I was kind of like finding things with each take, it wasn't like a lot of takes. But, um, you know, the one where I was like, I shouldn't, you know, like, that wasn't kind of improv, like, that was a spontaneous moment. And, um, but it was, I won't say it was a lot.
It was, I mean, we did, I remember, um, they started on, um, Fran, they started on March Gunderson. So, but I was fully in it when they were on her first. And then at one point, um, uh, Francis, you know, you better turn around on him now just because I was so in it. And so then they were on me and, um,
It was, I mean, we did, I remember, um, they started on, um, Fran, they started on March Gunderson. So, but I was fully in it when they were on her first. And then at one point, um, uh, Francis, you know, you better turn around on him now just because I was so in it. And so then they were on me and, um,
It was enough takes to find the little moments, like that moment, and to just get into the little nuances. But it wasn't like Wes Anderson. Right, right, right.
It was enough takes to find the little moments, like that moment, and to just get into the little nuances. But it wasn't like Wes Anderson. Right, right, right.
You know what I think it is? Fargo. I think Fargo was my, like, entree into all of these directors' work. I think that they loved, I mean, when I first met Director Bong, and I was, we were in Prague, we were at Barandov Studios, and he was introducing me to John Hirsch, And I said, well, remember he was in, and then he referred to me as Fargo. He remembered Fargo.
You know what I think it is? Fargo. I think Fargo was my, like, entree into all of these directors' work. I think that they loved, I mean, when I first met Director Bong, and I was, we were in Prague, we were at Barandov Studios, and he was introducing me to John Hirsch, And I said, well, remember he was in, and then he referred to me as Fargo. He remembered Fargo.
So that kind of was like, oh, okay. You know, so that was my, that was how these directors, I think, found me and wanted to work with me.
So that kind of was like, oh, okay. You know, so that was my, that was how these directors, I think, found me and wanted to work with me.
Well, I have to, you know, I love working with, you know, director Bong is like, I'm going to, hopefully I'm going to see him next week because Mickey 17, which I worked on. Yeah. I'm going to get to see it next week. And so I hope we'll get to see him. But he is such a sweet down to earth guy. I had the like complete honor of hanging out with him after the big Oscar night.
Well, I have to, you know, I love working with, you know, director Bong is like, I'm going to, hopefully I'm going to see him next week because Mickey 17, which I worked on. Yeah. I'm going to get to see it next week. And so I hope we'll get to see him. But he is such a sweet down to earth guy. I had the like complete honor of hanging out with him after the big Oscar night.
And we all went to Koreatown and we're at a restaurant and the cast and the producers. And that was an amazing evening. Yeah. And so he's, he's just a sweetheart. And I, I, I love working with him whenever I, you know, twice now. So that's been really great. But I have to say like working with Wes Anderson is another level because he is like an independent filmmaker.
And we all went to Koreatown and we're at a restaurant and the cast and the producers. And that was an amazing evening. Yeah. And so he's, he's just a sweetheart. And I, I, I love working with him whenever I, you know, twice now. So that's been really great. But I have to say like working with Wes Anderson is another level because he is like an independent filmmaker.
So when I worked like on Mickey 17, I was Warner brothers. So I was dealing with Warner brothers and, Um, I was kind of living in Camden and everybody was kind of spread out.
So when I worked like on Mickey 17, I was Warner brothers. So I was dealing with Warner brothers and, Um, I was kind of living in Camden and everybody was kind of spread out.
So I didn't really have a connection with the other cast members so much, unless I, like I had a party once and I invited a bunch of people over, but it was a little bit alienating and which, which helped for this movie, you know, because the alienation was helped because there was a lot of that in terms of the story.
So I didn't really have a connection with the other cast members so much, unless I, like I had a party once and I invited a bunch of people over, but it was a little bit alienating and which, which helped for this movie, you know, because the alienation was helped because there was a lot of that in terms of the story.
Um, but the way West works is he'll, he'll be in some country and privatize a hotel. And like the whole cast is living there and the crew is living. A lot of the crew we're all living, you know, it's not in the same hotel in the next door hotel. And the studio usually is a, um, golf cart away. Cause West likes to like drive the golf cart to set.
Um, but the way West works is he'll, he'll be in some country and privatize a hotel. And like the whole cast is living there and the crew is living. A lot of the crew we're all living, you know, it's not in the same hotel in the next door hotel. And the studio usually is a, um, golf cart away. Cause West likes to like drive the golf cart to set.
And so every night, like they'll wrap around seven o'clock and then everybody meets for dinner. West at the head of the table and you go down and it's just like, all of these movie stars. And then listening to, um, Wes just, I mean, he talks about film and you just, it's like going to film school. And one of the things he does too, that's so great is he has a table of maybe about 20. Blu-ray DVDs.
And so every night, like they'll wrap around seven o'clock and then everybody meets for dinner. West at the head of the table and you go down and it's just like, all of these movie stars. And then listening to, um, Wes just, I mean, he talks about film and you just, it's like going to film school. And one of the things he does too, that's so great is he has a table of maybe about 20. Blu-ray DVDs.
of all of these classic movies that had some influence on the movie we're working on. And so, you know, you have a Blu-ray machine in your room. So you pick one, you sign it out. And then when you're not working, you're just watching these great movies.
of all of these classic movies that had some influence on the movie we're working on. And so, you know, you have a Blu-ray machine in your room. So you pick one, you sign it out. And then when you're not working, you're just watching these great movies.
And then you're going downstairs and you're meeting movie stars and you're talking to Wes about this movie or that, or what was the influence on this scene? So it's like, that's just an amazing.
And then you're going downstairs and you're meeting movie stars and you're talking to Wes about this movie or that, or what was the influence on this scene? So it's like, that's just an amazing.
And it's so great. And you know, like when we were in Potsdam, Germany, uh, for this latest film, the Phoenician scheme, which opens May 30th, I want to say, or 31st. Um, yeah, the Phoenician scheme is going to be amazing. And we'll talk about star studded, you know, cast.
And it's so great. And you know, like when we were in Potsdam, Germany, uh, for this latest film, the Phoenician scheme, which opens May 30th, I want to say, or 31st. Um, yeah, the Phoenician scheme is going to be amazing. And we'll talk about star studded, you know, cast.
um benicio del toro and michael serra uh mia thorappleton um like that's the other thing like they also like both because when i did the french dispatch that was in angoulême france and they had these uh electric bikes that you could borrow so you know we would go on these like you know, bike trips together. So, I mean, it was my, my wife had come.
um benicio del toro and michael serra uh mia thorappleton um like that's the other thing like they also like both because when i did the french dispatch that was in angoulême france and they had these uh electric bikes that you could borrow so you know we would go on these like you know, bike trips together. So, I mean, it was my, my wife had come.
And so it's like hope, hope Davis and Michael Sarah, and we're just riding around Potsdam, you know, going to a beer, you know, it's so much fun. It's like camp and everybody is so cool. And it's like, there's no, there's no hierarchies. It's just, everybody is the same and it's just beautiful. And, and Wes is so meticulous about everything. Like when we went to, um, um,
And so it's like hope, hope Davis and Michael Sarah, and we're just riding around Potsdam, you know, going to a beer, you know, it's so much fun. It's like camp and everybody is so cool. And it's like, there's no, there's no hierarchies. It's just, everybody is the same and it's just beautiful. And, and Wes is so meticulous about everything. Like when we went to, um, um,
can for the french dispatch i remember they're setting up the dining room for after the screening and um wes is in there with one of the employees and he's putting the names on all the tables he's deciding where everybody's sitting he knows everything he knows where everybody like what room everybody's in like his mind is incredible and what he what he remembers and um and what he's paying attention to so
can for the french dispatch i remember they're setting up the dining room for after the screening and um wes is in there with one of the employees and he's putting the names on all the tables he's deciding where everybody's sitting he knows everything he knows where everybody like what room everybody's in like his mind is incredible and what he what he remembers and um and what he's paying attention to so
you know, he talks about how, you know, like when he goes to sleep, he's, he's constantly centering things, you know, cause he's doing that all the time in the frame. He's like his brain. Yeah. So his dreams are like a Wes Anderson. Right.
you know, he talks about how, you know, like when he goes to sleep, he's, he's constantly centering things, you know, cause he's doing that all the time in the frame. He's like his brain. Yeah. So his dreams are like a Wes Anderson. Right.
Well, it's out now, kind of. I mean, it's, I guess it's going to be released on March 7th. But it's based on Mickey 7. He, you know, Bong Joon-ho has expanded, obviously. And yeah, that also was just a lot of fun. His imagination is just, it's just incredible. And he's so, it's so fluid, like as a director, he's like, I mean, this is something that,
Well, it's out now, kind of. I mean, it's, I guess it's going to be released on March 7th. But it's based on Mickey 7. He, you know, Bong Joon-ho has expanded, obviously. And yeah, that also was just a lot of fun. His imagination is just, it's just incredible. And he's so, it's so fluid, like as a director, he's like, I mean, this is something that,
director bong and west have in common is their their their storyboarding is is like the movie's already been made and and the filmmaking is really the constructing of it but if you look at his storyboards it's like every little frame you know exactly what's going to happen so with with director bong sometimes he's storyboarding the night before but you have a sense like he he
director bong and west have in common is their their their storyboarding is is like the movie's already been made and and the filmmaking is really the constructing of it but if you look at his storyboards it's like every little frame you know exactly what's going to happen so with with director bong sometimes he's storyboarding the night before but you have a sense like he he
he's shooting to exactly what he wants on the storyboard. So there's no master shot. So if there's a shot with me crossing the screen and like there's one scene where I'm crossing and I have this injury on my arm and the storyboard is me going. So that's exactly what I'm doing. Just going across the screen and like I'm in pain and then cut. So he's shooting exactly what's on the storyboard.
he's shooting to exactly what he wants on the storyboard. So there's no master shot. So if there's a shot with me crossing the screen and like there's one scene where I'm crossing and I have this injury on my arm and the storyboard is me going. So that's exactly what I'm doing. Just going across the screen and like I'm in pain and then cut. So he's shooting exactly what's on the storyboard.
He's not... he's not having a scene play out and all kind of, you know what I mean? Like he's shooting exactly what's on the storyboard. And Wes goes like even one step further where he does an animatic, which is basically a moving storyboard or a cartoon. So every shot has already been planned and visualized. And then he voices all the characters. And so he,
He's not... he's not having a scene play out and all kind of, you know what I mean? Like he's shooting exactly what's on the storyboard. And Wes goes like even one step further where he does an animatic, which is basically a moving storyboard or a cartoon. So every shot has already been planned and visualized. And then he voices all the characters. And so he,
before you, when you arrive on set, you get to watch the animatics. It's like, you're basically, you watch the movie with his voice. And then he pretty much sticks to exact. So in a way, like when you look at a Wes Anderson movie and you look how the characters move, they kind of, you know, and then they kind of move sideways. You know, there's a kind of stick figure kind of quality.
before you, when you arrive on set, you get to watch the animatics. It's like, you're basically, you watch the movie with his voice. And then he pretty much sticks to exact. So in a way, like when you look at a Wes Anderson movie and you look how the characters move, they kind of, you know, and then they kind of move sideways. You know, there's a kind of stick figure kind of quality.
Maybe to his movies. And it's, it's kind of looks like the, the animation.
Maybe to his movies. And it's, it's kind of looks like the, the animation.
But he likes that. That's his... aesthetic you know and it really it really works and there's something very funny about it and there's something very kind of almost cartoonish um but uh it's very it's very wes it's very affecting who is left for you on your dream list of directors or co-stars who who have you not worked with that you'd love to uh i don't know i mean my god i mean
But he likes that. That's his... aesthetic you know and it really it really works and there's something very funny about it and there's something very kind of almost cartoonish um but uh it's very it's very wes it's very affecting who is left for you on your dream list of directors or co-stars who who have you not worked with that you'd love to uh i don't know i mean my god i mean
I mean, I would love to work with Park Chan-wook. I don't, you know, it's funny because I haven't even asked myself that question because it's like everybody I've worked with has been such a surprise.
I mean, I would love to work with Park Chan-wook. I don't, you know, it's funny because I haven't even asked myself that question because it's like everybody I've worked with has been such a surprise.
I never thought I'd be working with any of these people. So, hmm. I don't know because I've already been blessed with working with so many amazing people. So I don't even, I don't know.
I never thought I'd be working with any of these people. So, hmm. I don't know because I've already been blessed with working with so many amazing people. So I don't even, I don't know.
Um, well, let me just say that the show is friends.
Um, well, let me just say that the show is friends.
Um, it was, um, at the time for me, I felt it was kind of a toxic environment and this racist, the, the, ad calling um james hong was was the actor who was also on the episode with me and he was calling him to the set and you know essentially saying you know you know where the is the oriental guy get the oriental guy um so when i i called screen actors guild after that i happened and
Um, it was, um, at the time for me, I felt it was kind of a toxic environment and this racist, the, the, ad calling um james hong was was the actor who was also on the episode with me and he was calling him to the set and you know essentially saying you know you know where the is the oriental guy get the oriental guy um so when i i called screen actors guild after that i happened and
The person I spoke with recommended I write an article to the LA Times. And I thought, oh, okay, that might be a good idea. And I just seen Jerry Maguire. I don't know if you remember that movie, but he writes a mission statement. My wife tells me he's in that movie, by the way. And, uh, for some reason that just kind of like struck me like that's kind of a, yeah.
The person I spoke with recommended I write an article to the LA Times. And I thought, oh, okay, that might be a good idea. And I just seen Jerry Maguire. I don't know if you remember that movie, but he writes a mission statement. My wife tells me he's in that movie, by the way. And, uh, for some reason that just kind of like struck me like that's kind of a, yeah.
Why don't I write a mission statement to Hollywood? Because this is bigger than this show. This isn't, this isn't the first time this has happened, you know, but this is the environment where this is business as usual in Hollywood in 1997, I guess it was. And, uh, and nobody felt, um, the need to, uh, correct this or say anything about it. So this is, this is normal behavior.
Why don't I write a mission statement to Hollywood? Because this is bigger than this show. This isn't, this isn't the first time this has happened, you know, but this is the environment where this is business as usual in Hollywood in 1997, I guess it was. And, uh, and nobody felt, um, the need to, uh, correct this or say anything about it. So this is, this is normal behavior.
And so I started writing this mission statement and I sent it to the LA Times. They sent a couple of reporters and they interviewed me and then they never printed it. And so this was like the beginning of the internet. And I had my email list and I sent my mission statement out to who was on my email list. And I said, you know, if this moves you, you know, please forward it along.
And so I started writing this mission statement and I sent it to the LA Times. They sent a couple of reporters and they interviewed me and then they never printed it. And so this was like the beginning of the internet. And I had my email list and I sent my mission statement out to who was on my email list. And I said, you know, if this moves you, you know, please forward it along.
But I just explained, I was interviewed and they're not going to print this. So if you feel moved to send this along, please do. And then within a week, I was like, I was getting responses from all across the country from publications that were asking permission to reprint it. And so this, it was like this, it went viral, you know, before viral was even a word.
But I just explained, I was interviewed and they're not going to print this. So if you feel moved to send this along, please do. And then within a week, I was like, I was getting responses from all across the country from publications that were asking permission to reprint it. And so this, it was like this, it went viral, you know, before viral was even a word.
And I went to San Francisco at some point that year to do a play. And I was like interviewed up there. I was, um, uh, on the cover of the guardian, you know, wrapped American flag. I was interviewed in the examiner and, um, it all kind of culminated. I mean, I also spent about a year being invited to different colleges to speak about this. And, um,
And I went to San Francisco at some point that year to do a play. And I was like interviewed up there. I was, um, uh, on the cover of the guardian, you know, wrapped American flag. I was interviewed in the examiner and, um, it all kind of culminated. I mean, I also spent about a year being invited to different colleges to speak about this. And, um,
And then I was given this award by an Asian American arts foundation up in San Francisco. And it was handed to me by Jesse Jackson. And so that's kind of how this all played out. And then, you know, soon after it was like, my son was born in 2000. And right before that, I decided to quit acting. Like I was, I was kind of, I had become so race conscious that,
And then I was given this award by an Asian American arts foundation up in San Francisco. And it was handed to me by Jesse Jackson. And so that's kind of how this all played out. And then, you know, soon after it was like, my son was born in 2000. And right before that, I decided to quit acting. Like I was, I was kind of, I had become so race conscious that,
and so angry that I, like I, everything, I was looking at everything through the lens of race and I felt like I couldn't, there, there's like, I was just, there was no freedom. I didn't feel any freedom. So I didn't have any idea what I was going to do, but I just decided to drop out. And I told everybody I'm not acting anymore.
and so angry that I, like I, everything, I was looking at everything through the lens of race and I felt like I couldn't, there, there's like, I was just, there was no freedom. I didn't feel any freedom. So I didn't have any idea what I was going to do, but I just decided to drop out. And I told everybody I'm not acting anymore.
And so about a year went by, I was just being a, you know, stay at home dad. And, maybe about a year later, somebody asked me to audition for something. And I said, okay, because I didn't know what, I wasn't doing anything. And then that was like a slow climb back into the business. And it was very, very gradual. And I think, you know, there wasn't a lot of work anyway for Asian American actors.
And so about a year went by, I was just being a, you know, stay at home dad. And, maybe about a year later, somebody asked me to audition for something. And I said, okay, because I didn't know what, I wasn't doing anything. And then that was like a slow climb back into the business. And it was very, very gradual. And I think, you know, there wasn't a lot of work anyway for Asian American actors.
Yeah. But it wasn't until a few years later, I remember I was listening to Bobby Lee's podcast and And he was talking with Margaret Cho and Bobby Lee. Like he mentions my name and he said, Oh, you know, he got blacklisted. And like, I was blacklisted. I had no idea.
Yeah. But it wasn't until a few years later, I remember I was listening to Bobby Lee's podcast and And he was talking with Margaret Cho and Bobby Lee. Like he mentions my name and he said, Oh, you know, he got blacklisted. And like, I was blacklisted. I had no idea.
But, but then I realized like, Oh, that is the common kind of like, I think a lot of people thought that, especially in the Asian American community, I think believe that I was blacklisted. And I thought, Oh, wow. And I remember I texted Bobby and said, you know, I wasn't blacklisted. Um, but, uh, But who would have known anyway? Because I wasn't really working much anyway.
But, but then I realized like, Oh, that is the common kind of like, I think a lot of people thought that, especially in the Asian American community, I think believe that I was blacklisted. And I thought, Oh, wow. And I remember I texted Bobby and said, you know, I wasn't blacklisted. Um, but, uh, But who would have known anyway? Because I wasn't really working much anyway.
There wasn't a lot of work. But yeah, it took me a while, I think, to not only get back into the business, but to move beyond this race consciousness that had overwhelmed me. And it was a lot of spiritual work. I've been on huge spiritual journeys. I've gone to Machu Picchu with Don Miguel Ruiz who wrote the four agreements, you know, I've done meditation retreats.
There wasn't a lot of work. But yeah, it took me a while, I think, to not only get back into the business, but to move beyond this race consciousness that had overwhelmed me. And it was a lot of spiritual work. I've been on huge spiritual journeys. I've gone to Machu Picchu with Don Miguel Ruiz who wrote the four agreements, you know, I've done meditation retreats.
I've, um, done ayahuasca, you know, I've done so many things. And I think, um, over, over the years, um, I began to understand the ego. I began to understand, um, identify how, how the ego works and how I like just, just this identification with the body, um,
I've, um, done ayahuasca, you know, I've done so many things. And I think, um, over, over the years, um, I began to understand the ego. I began to understand, um, identify how, how the ego works and how I like just, just this identification with the body, um,
for instance, is egoic and recognizing that the true self is the presence that is always here and always now and that the body comes and goes and this, my name, my race, everything that you can, all the labels you can put on me all came after what I call I. Like they're not inherently me. this eternal I that we all are. And I think that's what I eventually arrived at.
for instance, is egoic and recognizing that the true self is the presence that is always here and always now and that the body comes and goes and this, my name, my race, everything that you can, all the labels you can put on me all came after what I call I. Like they're not inherently me. this eternal I that we all are. And I think that's what I eventually arrived at.
And so that freed me, that insight freed me.
And so that freed me, that insight freed me.
Oh yeah. Yeah. I was turning stuff down all the time. Um, yeah. So yeah, that was just kind of the norm at that time.
Oh yeah. Yeah. I was turning stuff down all the time. Um, yeah. So yeah, that was just kind of the norm at that time.
Yeah. I mean, now it's just a completely different scene now. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's kind of amazing.
Yeah. I mean, now it's just a completely different scene now. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's kind of amazing.
Um, not that I was like, Oh, I want to be like that. But I remember like Johnny Yoon. I don't know if you remember him. Sure. If he's from Korea. Um, And, you know, I knew I was aware of actors like Sunteco, you know, Pat Morita. You know, I was friends with his daughter, Allie. So George Takei, like all of these different actors who are like a generation ahead. You know, I was aware of them, but.
Um, not that I was like, Oh, I want to be like that. But I remember like Johnny Yoon. I don't know if you remember him. Sure. If he's from Korea. Um, And, you know, I knew I was aware of actors like Sunteco, you know, Pat Morita. You know, I was friends with his daughter, Allie. So George Takei, like all of these different actors who are like a generation ahead. You know, I was aware of them, but.
I think at the beginning of my career, I, I was always like, I want to break new ground. I want to break new ground. I want to do something that hasn't been done before. Also, um, you know, like doing, doing roles without an accent was a big deal, like doing an accent or not doing it. Like that was always like an issue. Um, like that was hard.
I think at the beginning of my career, I, I was always like, I want to break new ground. I want to break new ground. I want to do something that hasn't been done before. Also, um, you know, like doing, doing roles without an accent was a big deal, like doing an accent or not doing it. Like that was always like an issue. Um, like that was hard.
That's why, you know, do the right thing was hard for me to be, to have to do that. Um, So it's just been a slow evolution, you know? And yeah, I've forgotten the question.
That's why, you know, do the right thing was hard for me to be, to have to do that. Um, So it's just been a slow evolution, you know? And yeah, I've forgotten the question.
I mean, I was aware of them. I wouldn't, yeah. It's not like Bruce Lee was my, you know, he was like my guy. Yeah. You know, but, and I was a martial artist. I was really into martial arts growing up, but I entered my career as, knowing I didn't want to do martial arts, knowing I didn't want to just fall into that stereotype. So I actively kind of did not go in that direction.
I mean, I was aware of them. I wouldn't, yeah. It's not like Bruce Lee was my, you know, he was like my guy. Yeah. You know, but, and I was a martial artist. I was really into martial arts growing up, but I entered my career as, knowing I didn't want to do martial arts, knowing I didn't want to just fall into that stereotype. So I actively kind of did not go in that direction.
Um, well, it's amazing, but I still feel like I'm still in it. I'm still pursuing jobs. I'm still, um, uh, wanting to get work. So it's great to see, like, it kind of blows my mind. Like Steven Yoon's success is so, and he, you know, by his own admission, like he's one of these people who just is incredibly lucky, like just amazing luck, um, that, that has happened with him. And, um,
Um, well, it's amazing, but I still feel like I'm still in it. I'm still pursuing jobs. I'm still, um, uh, wanting to get work. So it's great to see, like, it kind of blows my mind. Like Steven Yoon's success is so, and he, you know, by his own admission, like he's one of these people who just is incredibly lucky, like just amazing luck, um, that, that has happened with him. And, um,
And I think it's really, really great. I do sometimes feel like, wow, what's next for me? What's gonna happen to me? And I have no idea. I have no sense because I don't know what, I don't know how to be this age because I'm just doing it for the first time. And then it always goes back to all of the stuff I learned
And I think it's really, really great. I do sometimes feel like, wow, what's next for me? What's gonna happen to me? And I have no idea. I have no sense because I don't know what, I don't know how to be this age because I'm just doing it for the first time. And then it always goes back to all of the stuff I learned
in my spiritual journey, you know, which it all points to, well, everything is here, right? Nothing's missing. Um, what's here. There's something from the Bhagavad Gita. What's here now is everywhere. What's not here now is nowhere to be found. So the moment I feel like something's missing or I'm not getting what I want, it's my ego. My ego somehow has been hooked and I feel like, um,
in my spiritual journey, you know, which it all points to, well, everything is here, right? Nothing's missing. Um, what's here. There's something from the Bhagavad Gita. What's here now is everywhere. What's not here now is nowhere to be found. So the moment I feel like something's missing or I'm not getting what I want, it's my ego. My ego somehow has been hooked and I feel like, um,
something is unfair or I don't, I'm not getting what I want. It's some narrative that, that has taken hold in my mind. And, and so I, I now have the tools to recognize, Oh, my, my, my ego's hooked. And, and then just to come back to the present moment. So that's kind of what I do.
something is unfair or I don't, I'm not getting what I want. It's some narrative that, that has taken hold in my mind. And, and so I, I now have the tools to recognize, Oh, my, my, my ego's hooked. And, and then just to come back to the present moment. So that's kind of what I do.
Well, you know, by now, there's a book. There's a book that was written.
Well, you know, by now, there's a book. There's a book that was written.
Get your answers now. You don't have to buzz Steven. No, no, no. I want them all. I was interviewed, like, Little White Lies on YouTube. Look it up. There's a whole interview just about. Carve up.
Get your answers now. You don't have to buzz Steven. No, no, no. I want them all. I was interviewed, like, Little White Lies on YouTube. Look it up. There's a whole interview just about. Carve up.
Oh, my God, it's been great. I really was so scared. I was telling Kelly how scared I was. I didn't know what we were going to talk about.
Oh, my God, it's been great. I really was so scared. I was telling Kelly how scared I was. I didn't know what we were going to talk about.
No, it was a joy. Okay, great.
No, it was a joy. Okay, great.
It's so funny because the role was so small and I was on. Yeah, I just felt like I was on there for like such a short, maybe a little bit longer than the pig. I know there's a little pig moment. And I was like, why do they want to talk to me? I'm so nervous because I don't know what to talk about.
It's pretty true. It's pretty true. Oh, my God. That's crazy. I know that actually, I remember when we shot this, 98, that was just like Fargo had just come out recently. Like in 96, I think, so yeah.
Yeah, you stood out to him. You were the one.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I mean, I remember thinking, I thought that they might cut it because it didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the story. And it wasn't until a few years later that it was on Roger Ebert's show. He had Martin Scorsese on. And they were talking about their favorite movies of the 90s. And they brought up Fargo and they played my scene.
And Roger Ebert was describing how Marge Gunderson's character, after she finds out that my character was lying, that kind of sets the light bulb off. And then she goes to speak to Bill Macy's character after she realizes. So it did set off a little bit of a chain reaction, but I didn't know that at the time. The Coen brothers never explained anything to me.
So I really did think, wow, they might cut this.
Oh, my God. It was kind of a long, kind of torturous journey. Because my father, I grew up, my father was a doctor. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was born in Clinton Hill. And I lived there until about eight. And then we moved two years to Manhattan. And then we moved upstate. We landed in a town called Vestal, which is adjacent to Binghamton. Okay. And so I did most of my growing up there.
So... I first started, when I went to college, I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. And so I was pursuing medicine because my dad was a doctor. So I thought, okay. But I never had any kind of interest or proclivity towards chemistry or any of these. Which hurts medicine a little bit.
but I was like failing these classes. I mean, just like looking at different like organisms and biology class and like, I can't tell one from the other. So I just felt like this was not for me. And then I ended up transferring to school, which was closer to me, which was SUNY Binghamton. And same thing. I was just signing up for classes. I didn't know what I was doing.
And then I would end up like dropping classes. And so I was kind of ready to drop out. And my girlfriend at the time just said, before you drop out, just, you owe yourself just take one semester of classes. And the only criteria is that they have to be fun, which was such an alien concept to me.
That's great advice. I took an acting class. I took a mind class, a vocal class and a body movement class. And, um, It was to me because, you know, when I was growing up as a kid, I was always like class clown. I was always making super eight movies. Like it was something that I always enjoyed doing, but never considered it a career. So anyway, I ended up getting my, my theater degree and,
And because, you know, I thought that was funny. A lot of people were funny. So I went to New York City and started doing stand-up comedy. And I was doing open mic nights. And then I got involved with theater. I did my first play with Pan-Asian Repertory Theater. And that got me started with basically doing plays. And then, so I came, you know, I was down in New York. I started my career in 1987.
And it was 1988 when I booked my first film, which was Do the Right Thing. And I mean, who knew? I mean, but it wasn't like there were I was at a time when there were kind of a small pool of Asian American actors. So. for the first maybe 10 years, I knew every Asian American actor in both coasts. I mean, we all knew each other.
Um, so it wasn't like there was a big, uh, pool of actors. And anyway, um, uh, then soon after that happened, I moved to Los Angeles and then in living color happened.
I did. I had an agent. Um, and, uh, I went into the office and I forgot what scene it was, but I remember Spike Lee gave me the part in the room right after the audition. And I was like, because I was already a huge fan of his from She's Gotta Have It. I was in shock. And then I just said, can I hug you? And then he gave me a hug. And yeah, so that was kind of like, that was kind of the beginning.
And I was terrified too, because Being a Korean American growing up in New York, I grew up in white communities, so I didn't grow up speaking the language or anything. And I've had a very maybe tenuous grasp of my culture. So playing an immigrant from Korea terrified me. And so I had to kind of like, my uncle actually worked at a market in Manhattan. So I worked there for a little while.
And my brother-in-law helped me with the dialect because I'd never done a Korean dialect before. And so I was learning the dialect. So anyway, it was kind of a big learning curve for me, just playing an immigrant from Korea. But it was terrifying.
I don't know how it happened. It's just, yeah.
Well, I think they were excited, but it wasn't, you know, I think they were excited by the attention I was getting and people were like, wow, he's very successful. But I think, especially for my dad, it was more, there was no solidity. There was no constancy. So my parents also have been with me through long periods of unemployment, you know, struggling with money.
So, you know, over the long arc of my career, they've seen how difficult it's been, but I think they appreciate that.
the fact that I've had the success that I've had but I mean to be honest they don't really understand maybe what I do or they don't understand the work so much I don't know like I don't know if they've seen Fargo you know it's like and I meet a lot of actors like that whose parents like have no clue like what they do or it seems so alien to them and that's kind of been my experiences
I mean, so they've been supportive, but it's always been like, they have no idea what I do.
Same. That was a little bit more shocking because it's like a regular audition. It started in a casting office. And by that point I had, I don't know, 15 minutes set. I didn't really, I was still beginning as a comedian, you know, and I wasn't really, um, like, it took me a while to realize that standup comedy was not my thing, but I kind of had enough to do an audition.
And then when I got called back, um, it was like, Oh, the callback is at the laugh factory. And it was in front of an audience that didn't know that these were auditions happening.
And there was like, I want to say like 15 or 20 of us. I mean, I remember Margaret Cho was one of us. One of them or one of the people auditioning.
Like, do you remember what your... Yeah, I did like, I was doing like a spoof on Asian stereotypes. I then did this bit where I was, I had a boom box. I had them doing it over the PA system where I was doing that bad Kung Fu lip syncing.
And then, um, yeah, in my, my memory, my act was very, it's very, um, it's dissipated, but I just remember it ended with, um, I, I created this, uh, this duo between Bruce Lee and Rambo. And I had, um, Bruce Lee saying that line from, uh,
from enter the dragon you all offended my family you have offended my my what is it my school you have offended my family and then then rambo has his rifle and then i had about five minutes of machine gun fire
to the extreme yes and then and then bruce lee says the line again you have offended my my school you have offended so that was the end of that particular it was so silly and then when they called us back again for another call back again at the laugh factory it was like down to i think five of us or something um then i had to like scrounge for material and i was doing the the
jokes that i was doing like in elementary like i was just coming up with the dumbest jokes and i remember one of them was um all right i'm going to do an impression of um two worms having sex this is my impression of two worms having sex i did that joke at the laugh factory and got on a living color Is that the dumbest joke? I mean, it's so stupid.
I was still figuring it out and I had such a huge opportunity when I was on Living Color to go on the road as a comedian, but I didn't have an act. I had just what I did at the audition and truth be told, I was just, you know, it took me a while to just realize that I didn't have the DNA. Like I didn't, I couldn't live that life.
I couldn't, I couldn't either. It's just, um, like I look at like people that I know, like Bobby Lee or even, you know, Margaret Cho, like, it's like, they were born to do it. You know, they're, they're something, I mean, you know, a lot of standups, they come from some difficult background or some kind of challenging childhood or drug abuse or whatever. So somehow that fuels that career somehow.
And, and also when I was starting to, there weren't a lot of Asian comedians. So also I was extremely like hypersensitive. So I was constantly on the receiving end and a lot of racist jokes when I would sit in the audience. And so it was, I mean, my girlfriend at the time was like saying I shouldn't be doing this just because I would get so depressed.
I would be so angry that I was forcing myself to go into this environment and try to be funny. And it was just I was just not emotionally equipped to to deal with things at that time as a stand up comedian. I couldn't. So it wasn't in me.
I mean, I remember they did a spoof on Do the Right Thing, I remember, which I was like, oh my God, that's crazy. And I never imagined I would be on the show. I mean, when the audition came up and I knew they were looking for Asian-American, they were looking for Latino actors, comedians. And so it was just an opportunity that was an amazing opportunity that just popped out of nowhere.
It was kind of a lot of things. I had kind of a challenging experience just because, I mean, it was fun. I mean, the, the amount of like just table reads where the Wayans would be falling out of their chairs or, you know, it was like, the funniest people in the world altogether in the same room kind of vibe, you know? So it was like, so, so intimidating.
And, um, you know, also being thrown in, it's like being thrown into a situation where everybody's already a family. So you're the, you're, you're the adoptee.
So that was also very challenging. And, um, and then also how I was not on the show anymore also was really challenging because it was not fully explained to me. And I had different explanations. So it was like 90. Yeah. So when I was not asked back, that was the year of the riots in LA.
And there was a lot of, you know, animosity between the black, the black community and the Korean American community. And so, I was feeling at the time, like, well, maybe that had something to do with it. I didn't know, but maybe almost like six, almost seven years later, I was casting a play with my current wife, Kelly Cofield, who was in The Living Color.
So that was not on my mind at the time. But then, excuse me, when this play happened, I hadn't seen her since the show. And it was reconnecting and then trying to unpack like, so what happened? And then she said, when they came back the next season, everybody was like, where's Ski? What happened? And then he said that because this was when
Living Color was about Keenan was fighting with Fox the network and it was like the beginning of the end and I think he was getting a little set up and he said that he was having a negotiating issue with my manager and she was pushing too hard and then so he just said screw it and then he just let me go and then I was told by one of the producers that they were looking for a comedian who had more of a stable of characters and
And then when I read the release from Fox that I read in the paper, it was because I was pursuing other opportunities, you know, so everybody has their own kind of thing. And so it took me, it took me probably until I met Kelly. It took, I didn't, there was always like a little bit of a wound there. Like I said, not knowing. Oh God, the life of an actor. I know.
I don't know. Well, you know, it's funny because... you know, I think Kelly and I, you know, we, we kind of remark on that sometimes, like we have, they come and they bring their friends over and we kind of wonder what, what they think of us because we're so not like the normal parents, I guess that other, but, um, but in other words, we are, you know, we're just normal people.
We don't do anything crazy. You know, we make food and we invite people in and, you know, please take your shoes off and, you know, whatever. But, uh, yeah. Um, I don't know. You'd have to ask my kids what their experience is. I know that they hear things, and I think sometimes maybe they try to hide it. I don't know what they do, quite honestly.
My daughter, she went to film school. She just graduated from Pratt Institute as a filmmaker and is pursuing acting. Okay. So my son, he's a writer. He's finishing grad school at Brooklyn College in the creative writing program. And he works at the Paris Review. And he's writing his first novel. So you'll probably be hearing about that at some point. That's so cool.
Oh yeah, I auditioned for it and I remember thinking, because they thought it was really funny that I was yelling, which seems like, well, of course I'm yelling. I'm inside of a plane. And I got the impression like, well, maybe the other people who auditioned didn't yell.
I was just yelling. And then they laughed and I was like, Isn't everybody doing this? Oh my gosh.
But I have no idea. I just made that up in my mind. I have no idea if that was what actually happened, but that's my memory. That's what stayed with me.
It's not official or anything. It's just we love it. Can I ask what sticks out, what stands out about that episode for you guys?
Thank you so much. Are you having every single person on the show on your watch?
But you've re-watched this episode a long time ago, probably, right?
Five, so yeah, no, six months ago. Oh, okay, so recent.
Are you guys done now, or are you still watching?
Okay, you had heard of it. I think it was a little, I was a little long in the tooth, I think, at that point. Yeah.
I just remember, I do remember, I feel like I disappointed you because I think you were talking about was it Ren and Stimpy or something? It was a show that you were fascinated by. It was quite Beavis and Butthead at the time. Beavis and Butthead, which I wasn't really watching. And you were asking me about it and I had nothing to say. And I felt like, oh man, what a dud I am.
I felt like it really disappointed you.
Yeah, it was something along that, yeah, it was something like that.
It might have been South Park at the time.
Yeah, you know what happened? I remember I've told this story before, but after they first started screening it, I got a call from Ethan Cohen, and he told me how funny I was. And that was the first time I'm like, what? And it didn't occur to me because I was still so in the character's POV.
I know doing that part, I remember the day I was, I had somehow like put myself in this more emotional torture. I was really, really like, you know, because internally it was like I was screaming in pain.
And then covering it. and then doing the scene. Like, that's kind of how I approached the scene.
And I knew it was weird. I knew it was, you know, next to Mark, you know, and so all of that stuff, I knew it was weird, but to, to hear about how everybody was laughing, it took me a while to wrap my head around and then realized, Oh yeah.
Like, and then I understood it, but it was because, um, yeah, I just was too, too, still too in the characters mindset, um, to, to, to see it from an audience point of view at that point. Yeah. Right.
I think a lot of the characters were based on people they knew growing up, growing up there. And I, um, there was, uh, I think his name was Glenn Yanagida. Um, the actual person, maybe that they grew up with in high school, not that this character is based on him at all. Um, and, um, that's about it.
I mean, because when I did the audition, um, you know, they, of course, you know, they hired me and I remember, um, the, the main thing when I got the job, he was on the set. The main kind of surprise was working with, um, Elizabeth Himmelstein, who was the dialect coach and how hard she was pushing the dialect. Like, no, you want more? Oh yeah. And it sounded so kind of phony.
It sounded like weird. So just going into that and feeling comfortable bending those hours and, and, and, and doing the dialect to that extent, it felt unnatural until it didn't anymore. But as far as the, the scene, I think maybe I was just giving them, I felt like it took me a lot. It was a long road personally to arrive at the character because when I, when the first time,
saw the audition i passed on it because it was described as overweight 40 and like why do they want to see me like i you know yeah um and then it came back and i was like okay and then i flew i was in la at the time so i flew to new york um and uh yeah so i just kind of like as i started um learning more about this character and kind of investigating it It was like, I'm not this character.
I'm not this character. Oh, my God. I am this character.
You know, I don't know if it's ever happened to you as an actor where the role feels like you don't feel connected to it.
And I think a lot of it is because it's like, well, this guy's, you know, you have a judgment about the character.
So once the judgment, I think the judgment somehow dropped and I realized, oh. I am this guy. Because I understood that loneliness. I understood the pain. I understood emotionally this guy. And I know people like this. So I... Once that happened, I feel like I knew the character. And I think the Coen brothers maybe felt like they didn't really need to say much.
Because I felt like I knew this person.
different, it was really more just different setups. But I did, um, you know, when they were on me, there, there was one, I was kind of like finding things with each take, it wasn't like a lot of takes. But, um, you know, the one where I was like, I shouldn't, you know, like, that wasn't kind of improv, like, that was a spontaneous moment. And, um, but it was, I won't say it was a lot.
It was, I mean, we did, I remember, um, they started on, um, Fran, they started on March Gunderson. So, but I was fully in it when they were on her first. And then at one point, um, uh, Francis, you know, you better turn around on him now just because I was so in it. And so then they were on me and, um,
It was enough takes to find the little moments, like that moment, and to just get into the little nuances. But it wasn't like Wes Anderson. Right, right, right.
You know what I think it is? Fargo. I think Fargo was my, like, entree into all of these directors' work. I think that they loved, I mean, when I first met Director Bong, and I was, we were in Prague, we were at Barandov Studios, and he was introducing me to John Hirsch, And I said, well, remember he was in, and then he referred to me as Fargo. He remembered Fargo.
So that kind of was like, oh, okay. You know, so that was my, that was how these directors, I think, found me and wanted to work with me.
Well, I have to, you know, I love working with, you know, director Bong is like, I'm going to, hopefully I'm going to see him next week because Mickey 17, which I worked on. Yeah. I'm going to get to see it next week. And so I hope we'll get to see him. But he is such a sweet down to earth guy. I had the like complete honor of hanging out with him after the big Oscar night.
And we all went to Koreatown and we're at a restaurant and the cast and the producers. And that was an amazing evening. Yeah. And so he's, he's just a sweetheart. And I, I, I love working with him whenever I, you know, twice now. So that's been really great. But I have to say like working with Wes Anderson is another level because he is like an independent filmmaker.
So when I worked like on Mickey 17, I was Warner brothers. So I was dealing with Warner brothers and, Um, I was kind of living in Camden and everybody was kind of spread out.
So I didn't really have a connection with the other cast members so much, unless I, like I had a party once and I invited a bunch of people over, but it was a little bit alienating and which, which helped for this movie, you know, because the alienation was helped because there was a lot of that in terms of the story.
Um, but the way West works is he'll, he'll be in some country and privatize a hotel. And like the whole cast is living there and the crew is living. A lot of the crew we're all living, you know, it's not in the same hotel in the next door hotel. And the studio usually is a, um, golf cart away. Cause West likes to like drive the golf cart to set.
And so every night, like they'll wrap around seven o'clock and then everybody meets for dinner. West at the head of the table and you go down and it's just like, all of these movie stars. And then listening to, um, Wes just, I mean, he talks about film and you just, it's like going to film school. And one of the things he does too, that's so great is he has a table of maybe about 20. Blu-ray DVDs.
of all of these classic movies that had some influence on the movie we're working on. And so, you know, you have a Blu-ray machine in your room. So you pick one, you sign it out. And then when you're not working, you're just watching these great movies.
And then you're going downstairs and you're meeting movie stars and you're talking to Wes about this movie or that, or what was the influence on this scene? So it's like, that's just an amazing.
And it's so great. And you know, like when we were in Potsdam, Germany, uh, for this latest film, the Phoenician scheme, which opens May 30th, I want to say, or 31st. Um, yeah, the Phoenician scheme is going to be amazing. And we'll talk about star studded, you know, cast.
um benicio del toro and michael serra uh mia thorappleton um like that's the other thing like they also like both because when i did the french dispatch that was in angoulême france and they had these uh electric bikes that you could borrow so you know we would go on these like you know, bike trips together. So, I mean, it was my, my wife had come.
And so it's like hope, hope Davis and Michael Sarah, and we're just riding around Potsdam, you know, going to a beer, you know, it's so much fun. It's like camp and everybody is so cool. And it's like, there's no, there's no hierarchies. It's just, everybody is the same and it's just beautiful. And, and Wes is so meticulous about everything. Like when we went to, um, um,
can for the french dispatch i remember they're setting up the dining room for after the screening and um wes is in there with one of the employees and he's putting the names on all the tables he's deciding where everybody's sitting he knows everything he knows where everybody like what room everybody's in like his mind is incredible and what he what he remembers and um and what he's paying attention to so
you know, he talks about how, you know, like when he goes to sleep, he's, he's constantly centering things, you know, cause he's doing that all the time in the frame. He's like his brain. Yeah. So his dreams are like a Wes Anderson. Right.
Well, it's out now, kind of. I mean, it's, I guess it's going to be released on March 7th. But it's based on Mickey 7. He, you know, Bong Joon-ho has expanded, obviously. And yeah, that also was just a lot of fun. His imagination is just, it's just incredible. And he's so, it's so fluid, like as a director, he's like, I mean, this is something that,
director bong and west have in common is their their their storyboarding is is like the movie's already been made and and the filmmaking is really the constructing of it but if you look at his storyboards it's like every little frame you know exactly what's going to happen so with with director bong sometimes he's storyboarding the night before but you have a sense like he he
he's shooting to exactly what he wants on the storyboard. So there's no master shot. So if there's a shot with me crossing the screen and like there's one scene where I'm crossing and I have this injury on my arm and the storyboard is me going. So that's exactly what I'm doing. Just going across the screen and like I'm in pain and then cut. So he's shooting exactly what's on the storyboard.
He's not... he's not having a scene play out and all kind of, you know what I mean? Like he's shooting exactly what's on the storyboard. And Wes goes like even one step further where he does an animatic, which is basically a moving storyboard or a cartoon. So every shot has already been planned and visualized. And then he voices all the characters. And so he,
before you, when you arrive on set, you get to watch the animatics. It's like, you're basically, you watch the movie with his voice. And then he pretty much sticks to exact. So in a way, like when you look at a Wes Anderson movie and you look how the characters move, they kind of, you know, and then they kind of move sideways. You know, there's a kind of stick figure kind of quality.
Maybe to his movies. And it's, it's kind of looks like the, the animation.
But he likes that. That's his... aesthetic you know and it really it really works and there's something very funny about it and there's something very kind of almost cartoonish um but uh it's very it's very wes it's very affecting who is left for you on your dream list of directors or co-stars who who have you not worked with that you'd love to uh i don't know i mean my god i mean
I mean, I would love to work with Park Chan-wook. I don't, you know, it's funny because I haven't even asked myself that question because it's like everybody I've worked with has been such a surprise.
I never thought I'd be working with any of these people. So, hmm. I don't know because I've already been blessed with working with so many amazing people. So I don't even, I don't know.
Um, well, let me just say that the show is friends.
Um, it was, um, at the time for me, I felt it was kind of a toxic environment and this racist, the, the, ad calling um james hong was was the actor who was also on the episode with me and he was calling him to the set and you know essentially saying you know you know where the is the oriental guy get the oriental guy um so when i i called screen actors guild after that i happened and
The person I spoke with recommended I write an article to the LA Times. And I thought, oh, okay, that might be a good idea. And I just seen Jerry Maguire. I don't know if you remember that movie, but he writes a mission statement. My wife tells me he's in that movie, by the way. And, uh, for some reason that just kind of like struck me like that's kind of a, yeah.
Why don't I write a mission statement to Hollywood? Because this is bigger than this show. This isn't, this isn't the first time this has happened, you know, but this is the environment where this is business as usual in Hollywood in 1997, I guess it was. And, uh, and nobody felt, um, the need to, uh, correct this or say anything about it. So this is, this is normal behavior.
And so I started writing this mission statement and I sent it to the LA Times. They sent a couple of reporters and they interviewed me and then they never printed it. And so this was like the beginning of the internet. And I had my email list and I sent my mission statement out to who was on my email list. And I said, you know, if this moves you, you know, please forward it along.
But I just explained, I was interviewed and they're not going to print this. So if you feel moved to send this along, please do. And then within a week, I was like, I was getting responses from all across the country from publications that were asking permission to reprint it. And so this, it was like this, it went viral, you know, before viral was even a word.
And I went to San Francisco at some point that year to do a play. And I was like interviewed up there. I was, um, uh, on the cover of the guardian, you know, wrapped American flag. I was interviewed in the examiner and, um, it all kind of culminated. I mean, I also spent about a year being invited to different colleges to speak about this. And, um,
And then I was given this award by an Asian American arts foundation up in San Francisco. And it was handed to me by Jesse Jackson. And so that's kind of how this all played out. And then, you know, soon after it was like, my son was born in 2000. And right before that, I decided to quit acting. Like I was, I was kind of, I had become so race conscious that,
and so angry that I, like I, everything, I was looking at everything through the lens of race and I felt like I couldn't, there, there's like, I was just, there was no freedom. I didn't feel any freedom. So I didn't have any idea what I was going to do, but I just decided to drop out. And I told everybody I'm not acting anymore.
And so about a year went by, I was just being a, you know, stay at home dad. And, maybe about a year later, somebody asked me to audition for something. And I said, okay, because I didn't know what, I wasn't doing anything. And then that was like a slow climb back into the business. And it was very, very gradual. And I think, you know, there wasn't a lot of work anyway for Asian American actors.
Yeah. But it wasn't until a few years later, I remember I was listening to Bobby Lee's podcast and And he was talking with Margaret Cho and Bobby Lee. Like he mentions my name and he said, Oh, you know, he got blacklisted. And like, I was blacklisted. I had no idea.
But, but then I realized like, Oh, that is the common kind of like, I think a lot of people thought that, especially in the Asian American community, I think believe that I was blacklisted. And I thought, Oh, wow. And I remember I texted Bobby and said, you know, I wasn't blacklisted. Um, but, uh, But who would have known anyway? Because I wasn't really working much anyway.
There wasn't a lot of work. But yeah, it took me a while, I think, to not only get back into the business, but to move beyond this race consciousness that had overwhelmed me. And it was a lot of spiritual work. I've been on huge spiritual journeys. I've gone to Machu Picchu with Don Miguel Ruiz who wrote the four agreements, you know, I've done meditation retreats.
I've, um, done ayahuasca, you know, I've done so many things. And I think, um, over, over the years, um, I began to understand the ego. I began to understand, um, identify how, how the ego works and how I like just, just this identification with the body, um,
for instance, is egoic and recognizing that the true self is the presence that is always here and always now and that the body comes and goes and this, my name, my race, everything that you can, all the labels you can put on me all came after what I call I. Like they're not inherently me. this eternal I that we all are. And I think that's what I eventually arrived at.
And so that freed me, that insight freed me.
Oh yeah. Yeah. I was turning stuff down all the time. Um, yeah. So yeah, that was just kind of the norm at that time.
Yeah. I mean, now it's just a completely different scene now. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's kind of amazing.
Um, not that I was like, Oh, I want to be like that. But I remember like Johnny Yoon. I don't know if you remember him. Sure. If he's from Korea. Um, And, you know, I knew I was aware of actors like Sunteco, you know, Pat Morita. You know, I was friends with his daughter, Allie. So George Takei, like all of these different actors who are like a generation ahead. You know, I was aware of them, but.
I think at the beginning of my career, I, I was always like, I want to break new ground. I want to break new ground. I want to do something that hasn't been done before. Also, um, you know, like doing, doing roles without an accent was a big deal, like doing an accent or not doing it. Like that was always like an issue. Um, like that was hard.
That's why, you know, do the right thing was hard for me to be, to have to do that. Um, So it's just been a slow evolution, you know? And yeah, I've forgotten the question.
I mean, I was aware of them. I wouldn't, yeah. It's not like Bruce Lee was my, you know, he was like my guy. Yeah. You know, but, and I was a martial artist. I was really into martial arts growing up, but I entered my career as, knowing I didn't want to do martial arts, knowing I didn't want to just fall into that stereotype. So I actively kind of did not go in that direction.
Um, well, it's amazing, but I still feel like I'm still in it. I'm still pursuing jobs. I'm still, um, uh, wanting to get work. So it's great to see, like, it kind of blows my mind. Like Steven Yoon's success is so, and he, you know, by his own admission, like he's one of these people who just is incredibly lucky, like just amazing luck, um, that, that has happened with him. And, um,
And I think it's really, really great. I do sometimes feel like, wow, what's next for me? What's gonna happen to me? And I have no idea. I have no sense because I don't know what, I don't know how to be this age because I'm just doing it for the first time. And then it always goes back to all of the stuff I learned
in my spiritual journey, you know, which it all points to, well, everything is here, right? Nothing's missing. Um, what's here. There's something from the Bhagavad Gita. What's here now is everywhere. What's not here now is nowhere to be found. So the moment I feel like something's missing or I'm not getting what I want, it's my ego. My ego somehow has been hooked and I feel like, um,
something is unfair or I don't, I'm not getting what I want. It's some narrative that, that has taken hold in my mind. And, and so I, I now have the tools to recognize, Oh, my, my, my ego's hooked. And, and then just to come back to the present moment. So that's kind of what I do.
Well, you know, by now, there's a book. There's a book that was written.
Get your answers now. You don't have to buzz Steven. No, no, no. I want them all. I was interviewed, like, Little White Lies on YouTube. Look it up. There's a whole interview just about. Carve up.
Oh, my God, it's been great. I really was so scared. I was telling Kelly how scared I was. I didn't know what we were going to talk about.
No, it was a joy. Okay, great.