Being John Cho

July 20, 2016 2:25 PM

John Cho, star of the new Star Trek movies, Harold & Kumar, and Selfie, as well as the recent internet meme #starringjohncho, gives an honest, insightful interview about his experience as a Korean-American actor in Hollywood. Plus, an answer to the question: should Mr. Sulu have a human husband?
posted by roger ackroyd (14 comments total)

I appreciated that he didn't want to reduce Sulu to being a token gay. He seems like a pretty decent person for reaching out to Takei.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:35 PM on July 20, 2016

I like that he has views about whether playing Condorman would be good for his career. This is a really fun interview.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 2:51 PM on July 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

I was so excited for Nicole Chung to get to interview him for the NY Times after If John Cho Was Your Boyfriend!
posted by ChuraChura at 3:18 PM on July 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

I heart John Cho. And I appreciate that he manages to be supportive of the movie while acknowledging the legitimate concerns that people have and not being a dismissive asshole about it. It's something that a lot of actors struggle with, heh.

Bummed that they cut out a kiss. I read another article saying that there was no kiss in order to make everything as prosaic as possible, but surely a quick peck on the cheek wouldn't be mutually exclusive with that goal. I have a hard time believing that TPTB weren't influenced by the desire to keep Sulu's gayness as "non-threatening" as possible. But that's me being a cynic.

Did I mention that I heart John Cho?
posted by imnotasquirrel at 3:42 PM on July 20, 2016 [5 favorites]

I will love John Cho, aka my Choverlord, until 5 minutes after I'm dead, and this interview only strengthens my resolve to do so!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 5:23 PM on July 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

I know the rest of the interview is super deep and good, but I also loved how he can just get weed handed to him on the street at random any time he asks.

(because OF COURSE HE CAN).
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:32 PM on July 20, 2016 [7 favorites]

Great, entertaining, smart interview. This quote is a wonderful combination of funny, insightful, self-deprecating and clever. I didn't know I love John Cho until now, but now I do:

It’s funny because I hear a lot of stories about Asian guys who have been mistaken for me. People come up to me like, “I used to get mistaken for you all the time.” And it’s funny to see the phenotypical variety in these men. Manny Pacquiao types sometimes. It’s funny, on the one hand, that so many people have been mistaken for me, but then, how come the inverse doesn’t work? If there are so many John Chos out there, couldn’t I just be the non–John Cho? But it doesn’t work that way, apparently. I guess I look more like John Cho than those other guys. That’s my edge.
posted by dubitable at 5:48 PM on July 20, 2016 [7 favorites]

If Klingon have multiple anatomicals, perhaps a multi-penised warrior may be a pretty satisfactory mate.
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 6:04 PM on July 20, 2016

John Cho on meeting Morrissey and being occasionally mistaken for another famous actor (youtube)
posted by lomes at 6:31 PM on July 20, 2016

should Mr. Sulu have a human husband?

Nope. This is history's moment to embrace the pan-sexual roto-plooker. Don't pass up this opportunity.
posted by mikelieman at 11:29 PM on July 20, 2016

Is the ST universe ready for drones?
posted by mikelieman at 11:29 PM on July 20, 2016

Every time I hear from John Cho I love him a little more. He's a national treasure, and it's a crime he isn't given more high profile rolls. John Cho as 007? Yes please!

A friend of mine talks about similar issues of race and how it affects him as an Asian American. He's not a big John Cho fan. For Reasons, not the least of which is that John Cho kind of is the One Asian Guy that gets cast everything. Which I get his frustration. But it was nice to be able to point to this interview and say "see, he says the same things you've been saying!"

Also, the power to conjure pot on demand is hilarious and so beautiful. I don't partake, and yet I still find Harold and Kumar one of the bestest movies. Apparently so do others.

And Selfie was great. I'm still said it was canceled. Tv needs a John Cho vehicle.

#morejohncho #bringbackselfie
posted by [insert clever name here] at 12:26 AM on July 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is a slight tangent about Asian-American identity and masculinity, since it was brought up here. Some further reading/listening, for y'all...

This interview with rap music queen(!) Sophia Chang was so good. For starters, she had basically managed the RZA, the GZA, the Ol' Dirty Bastard (shout-out if you read that w/ that cadence, btw) throughout their careers...

Anyway, she's on NPR's Mic Check w/ Ali Shaheed, talking about being a woman in hip-hop, but then drops in with some serious heat (emphasis mine):

You know, f*** a model minority. F*** your model minority, whatever you think I'm going to be, your f****** geisha-to-go. You think I'm just going to be your submissive little girl that goes and runs your errands for you and I keep my mouth shut when daddy is talking at the table or at a party. F*** you, man. I'm not the one for you. You go find somebody else then.

[...]

[There's] a vision of Asian masculinity that I don't see here, and to this f****** day I don't see it. The way that my brothers are emasculated. If you look at Asians and you look at the women, you look at my sisters and how we are absolutely fetishized, in terms of sexuality, OK? And then you look at my brothers, and how they're emasculated, and how Asian men aren't sexy, none of that stuff, it's infuriating. I don't want either of those s****. I don't want that.

There's also this AWESOME interview w/ Fresh Off The Boat's Constance Wu, for even more interesting stuff.

Anyway. (flex emoji)
posted by raihan_ at 1:05 AM on July 21, 2016 [7 favorites]

Dear John, I #FeministJohnCho at Reappropriate.
posted by bettafish at 1:48 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]