Brian Tee is a prominent American actor/producer of Korean/Japanese descent who is best known and was featured in the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as DK (Drift King) and the Starz TV series Crash as Eddie Choi. He’s also played guest roles in the popular TV series Grey’s Anatomy in 2007 and Bones in 2009, just to name a couple.
He currently has a couple projects going on including a film already completed, Deadland, and a film that is garnering some buzz, Wedding Palace, which features several prominent Korean & Asian-American cast members.
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Background: The Basics on Brian
Where and when were you born?
I was born March 15, 1977 in Okinawa, Japan.
Where have you lived and been raised?
Well, I was born in Okinawa and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 2. I grew up in and around LA and went to high school in Hacienda Heights. I went to college at Cal State Fullerton and transferred to UC Berkeley before coming back to LA after graduating.
How did your parents meet?
My Father was in Okinawa vacationing and they met and fell in love there.
Do you have any brothers and/or sisters?
I have one older brother who is 5 years older.
Are you fluent in Korean?
I’m proficient in Korean but not fluent. I know enough to get by.
What is your favorite food and what is your favorite Korean food?
Oh, wow, that’s a tough one; there are so many. I’m a big soon-doo-boo (soft tofu stew) guy. Any kind of kimchi put in front of me, I know it’s generic, but I love it. But, for overall food, my favorite would be sashimi.
Did you grow up around other half/mixed Koreans (or people of mixed heritage)?
I grew up very multi-cultural especially where I have lived. I’ve met some here and there but just generally multi-cultural.
Did you ever experience any identity issues while growing up that you had to deal with?
No, I never really had any issues like that. If I had met a Japanese person they would say I looked Japanese and claim me as Japanese and the same went with Koreans. It was never really a problematic issue at all and more of each side placing a “claim” on me as one of them.
What do you most people think you are when they see you (Korean? Japanese?)?
No joke, it’s completely split down the middle. Half the people think I’m Japanese and the other half thinks that I’m Korean. The Koreans would want me to be Korean and the Japanese would want me to be Japanese. When I was in Korea, people just assumed I was Korean and when I was in Japan they assumed I was Japanese. And sometimes for the non-Koreans (or non-Japanese), I would get Chinese or general Asian.
Obviously there is a little twist in you being half Korean since your other half is Japanese (due to the historic animosity between the two countries). Did you ever have to deal with either side not being accepting of you as a person from both backgrounds?
The only prejudices that I’ve felt haven’t necessarily been because of my other backgrounds but from the way the cultures identify themselves. The Korean side would give me the “Why don’t you speak Korean better?” while the Japanese side would want me to learn Japanese better. The Japanese side, as far as language, would be more glass half full and positive. I feel it is this way because Koreans are so passionate and hold stuff like this to heart (you should try harder to speak Korean, etc.).
In general, do you think that the Korean & Korean-American communities are accepting of Koreans of mixed heritage?
Yeah, I feel that Koreans are definitely accepting. If you look at all of these half Koreans out there and how you see more and more mixed Koreans that are getting more attention and support from the community and specifically from the current generation.
What is your take on Korea’s reaction to the Hines Ward “phenomenon” in 2006?
I think it is great and can’t be a negative thing for Koreans to be supportive of Hines Ward and what he accomplished and is doing. But, if Hines Ward had been someone else and not been the MVP of the Super Bowl would he have been supported the same? I don’t know. But, I’m glad that he is and that Koreans are definitely supporting him and kind of taking him under their wings as “one of them” and that he is a symbol of what you would hope the future would be of people being treated equally whether you are of mixed race or not.
Acting Career:
When and how did you decide to become an actor and pursue it as a career?
Well, back in high school I wasn’t really into drama/acting and played football and was class president, etc. After high school, I was fortunate enough to get into Cal State Fullerton and wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do. I had a unit left and just decided, with a friend of mine, to try to pick any class for an easy “A” and literally scrolled through the catalog and found the “Acting for Non-majors” course. So, we decided to take it and it completely changed my life. It was like a light bulb going off or a lighting striking me as it was then that I found something that I loved to do. It was after this class that I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life which is one of the greatest gifts that anyone can receive; just knowing that conclusion as there are so many people that are just walking around lost and I was fortunate enough to find exactly what I wanted to do. So, after that year I dropped out of Cal State Fullerton and my parents were going crazy wondering what I was doing with my life and I enrolled at Fullerton JC for their program to be able to transfer to a UC school for Theater. I was accepted to UC Berkeley and studied and trained as a Theater major in acting. I pretty much came back to LA after graduating and started in 1999 working the grind as a non-union, non-paid extra. I did everything I could to get gigs and took jobs like a bartender at night to support myself and would get up at 6 in the morning to do another extra call. I just did what I could to slowly and surely work my way up to get a couple roles here and there and that lead into roles in features, etc. It’s been about 10 years now but I feel like my career is just beginning and that the best is yet to come.
When you decided to change your major to Theater, was there any specific reason you decided to transfer to UC Berkeley?
Half of it was because UCLA didn’t accept me; twice. UCLA was “my school” and I had wanted to go there ever since high school; that was like my dream. I even became a USC fan because I’m bitter about being rejected twice. Haha So, when I got the rejection letter from UCLA and then the acceptance letter from UC Berkeley comes in I was like, “Hell yeah I’m going there!” Haha The other half was that if I was going to pursue acting and be an acting major, going to UC Berkeley meant a lot (as UC Berkeley is a big deal in the eyes of many Koreans) . So, I literally went to UC Berkeley for my Mom.
Have you had any obstacles in your career that were due to your ethnicity (being Asian-American)?
Obstacles, as far as the business goes, are an everyday battle. From what I see is that the industry kind of views Asian-Americans as a very non-money grossing type of ethnicity and in this business it really is about the business and money. In their eyes, there is no money in the Asian-American population. Now, we are trying to definitely change those aspects and old school views the further we progress as actors. That will only change with talent and is not going to go through what we look like. So, as for obstacles, it’s a daily basis and daily grind. From the beginning when I started to even today I’ve felt that the opportunities for Asian-American actors, especially males, are so few and far between. And, the opportunities that do arise are usually the stereotypical ones: techie-geek, kung-fu kid or Asian gangster. These are not characters, but are caricatures of what the industry and mainstream generally view us and I think it is up to us and that talent to break that mold in becoming who we truly are which is an aspect and part of America as a whole.
Do you feel that stereotypes still affect roles that you may be offered to you or that you would want?
I have been offered on different occasions the stereotypical roles that I have passed on. I really look for something that makes me expand as an actor to really stick my teeth into. If it is a role that is specifically written for an Asian actor that is fine too as long as it delves into something other than a caricature and something that I can mold and create. What I love most is getting into these characters and being cast against the other ethnicities across the board and getting the role through my talent more than because my ethnicity. That is one of the things I pride myself on is being an actor of talent.
Was it hard to pass on certain projects (stereotypical ones) at the beginning of your career?
Definitely and especially at the beginning of the career; you can’t, you have to do anything and everything you can. Don’t get me wrong, there are going to be plenty of roles that may be stereotypical that we will take because a guy has got to work. But, hopefully, that will take them to the next level. And, even though these stereotypes do exist, they are written for a reason and I completely understand that. It’s when the stereotypes are taken too far, in that sense, where they are almost unreal and become just typical without any type of depth or motivation and robotic, which is what I despise.
Your career has really seemed to take off these past few years with some prominent roles such as the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and the Crash TV series. What project have you enjoyed working on the most?
I’m currently working on this movie, Deadland, and what is cool about this role is that it wasn’t specifically written for an Asian-American and was written for a white, Jewish kid from New York and literally I got the script and was able to take this character completely out of the intended aspect and make it my own. I’m really proud of what I have developed with this character and was fortunate enough to celebrate it with different film festivals.
Back to the film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, did you get to really learn those driving and drifting skills?
Yeah, they actually took us out to Irwindale Speedway for awhile and showed us how to drift. I think physically I’m not a really good drifter but technically I knew what I was doing as far as doing it in front of a green screen. It was really good to perform in the character and knowing exactly what goes on while drifting and to be able to make it seamless with what the stunt drivers were really doing. And, I mean, I’d rather have the stunt drivers do it because they’ve been doing it for 15-20 years and they were the best stunt drivers in the world and can only make us look better when they do the actual drifting.
Were you interested with the import car scene at all before the movie?
I wasn’t. I was a big sports jock/junkie and then followed a lot of film/theater/TV and as for the car scene I wasn’t in to the scene at all.
Which Asian-American themed film do you consider your favorite?
As far as Asian-American films, obviously BLT (Better Luck Tomorrow) was groundbreaking and Justin Lin is an incredible director and you can see that from everything he is doing now. But, I think as far as these films go, I think there is a lot of great talent and great films out there that unfortunately may or may not be seen. I feel in order for us to really get within the mainstream, we have to make these kind of films to be a part of the mainstream. Hopefully, with all of our talent combined, we can create something to set a landmark in the whole industry and change the perceptions of Asian-Americans in the industry.
From what I can tell, it looks as though the Asian-American directors & actors seem to be real supportive of each other; is that the case?
As far as that goes, I think everybody is nothing but supportive and wants to see content out there.
Is there anyone specifically within the Asian American community that you have enjoyed working with?
I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of different people and we are all buddies from going to events and film festivals as you get to meet a lot of the same people. It’s kind of one big niche group that all knows one another. I’m just very fortunate to be a part of this industry and be a part of the Asian-American film family. Hopefully in the future we can all progress together and set a standard for Asian-Americans as well as how the mainstream looks upon us.
What actor/actress/director would you like to work with in the future?
Who isn’t there? There are so many. I want to work with the best of the best. If it’s opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, I want to do that. And if it is playing a lead in a film that Spielberg is doing, then I want to do that. I don’t feel that it is out of the realm by any means. And, as long as I keep working hard and progressing as far as my talent and abilities then the sky is the limit.
Looking at your list of work, you have primarily worked on US projects; any plans to do anything in Korea and/or Japan?
Not really, although I’ve thought about it. I grew up here and I’m more American than I am Korean or Japanese. As being an actor, America is where you want to be. A good analogy would be like Major League Baseball and how every baseball player wants to make the Major Leagues. The best players in Japan, Korea, or elsewhere all want to make it to the Major Leagues. The same goes for actors in Korea, Japan and elsewhere wanting to come work in America. I’m sure maybe sometime in the future I could delve into that more (working outside of America). As far my plans go, I’m definitely open to anything and everything especially in the US and also Korea and Japan. If they are welcoming I’m definitely interested in seeing what is out there.
When will the film Wedding Palace be released? The film sounds pretty interesting with an awesome cast.
It will probably come out sometime in 2010. It’s a romantic comedy that is kind of like a Korean version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It’s the first Korean/American co-production where we have shot in both America and Korea and also have actors from both countries.
Thank you to Brian for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share a little about who he is and his career.
