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Greg Pak is a respected film director and comic book writer based in New York who continues to excel in his fields of work.
Greg has made a mark in the film world with his acclaimed short films including Fighting Grandpa, which is about his Korean grandparents, and his 2003 feature film, Robot Stories.
Greg has gained a following from his work with Marvel Comics since he started writing for them in 2004. He has worked on major characters such as Hulk, Magneto, Hercules and many more. In fact, during his time at Marvel, he created a well-received Asian American character named Amadeus Cho.
We are pleased to present this interview with Greg where we discusses body of work, views on various subjects and his background.
Please note that HalfKorean.com comments/questions are in BOLD.
Background: The Basics on
Where and when were you born, raised and currently reside?
I grew up in Dallas, Texas, and now live in New York City.
How did your parents meet?
They lived across the hall from each other in a Chicago apartment building. There’s a sitcom pilot in there somewhere.
Do you have any brothers and/or sisters?
Two sisters.
Are you fluent in Korean?
Not at all, sadly.
What is your favorite Korean food?
Miyukguk (미역국 – Korean Seaweed Soup).
Did you grow up around other half/mixed Koreans (or people of mixed heritage)?
Just my sisters. But I got my hapa on when the family would visit my grandparents in Hawaii.
Did you ever experience any identity issues while growing up?
Not in the sense of struggling to figure out who I was or how I fit in. My parents were fantastic about teaching us kids to be proud of our background and the Cub Scouts taught me that equality was a founding principle of the country. So I never felt any shame about being different – just anger when I’d encounter racism. I’ll take righteous anger over irrational shame any old day.
When was the last time you have been to Korea?
I’ve only been once – in 2004, the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival invited me out to show my movie “Robot Stories.” Amazing experience.
What do people who meet/see you think your ethnicity is?
Depends on whom I’m standing next to. With a group of Asians, people assume I’m part Asian. At a Jewish wedding, people think I’m Jewish. And the beard really confuses people. Once someone yelled, “Hey, Osama!” at me.
Filmmaker/Writer/Comic Book Writer:
I’ve read that you hold a Political Science degree from Yale. Obviously that wouldn’t be a typical degree for someone pursuing filmmaking and writing. How did you first get involved in film and writing?
I grew up drawing, writing stories, and doing theater. From the time I was nine, I wanted to be a writer. But even though I was writing, cartooning, and doing improv comedy in college, I somehow stopped thinking about storytelling as a career. I studied political science, went home to Texas to work for Ann Richards during her first campaign for Governor, and ended up going to Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship to study history, ostensibly to make me a better politician. But when I was at Oxford, I had the chance to get involved with a student filmmaking group. And all the lights went on. Filmmaking exercised every muscle I had, pressed all the right buttons. I went to NYU Grad Film after Oxford, and many moons later, here I am.
Were you parents supportive in your career?
They were great. Over the years, I’d won some awards for my short stories and been published in high school and college literary magazines, so I think they had a sense that I might have some ability. And they understood that NYU was a highly regarded film school, so that probably helped. But I think the clincher came as they saw the kinds of films I was making at NYU. My father and I really bonded while I was shooting my thesis, a documentary about my Korean grandparents called “Fighting Grandpa.”
What inspires your creativity when it comes to filmmaking and writing?
Everything. On that basic human level, everyday interactions that reveal deeper emotional stories have always compelled me. One of my favorite moments in my film “Robot Stories” is when a mother pushes the hair out of her daughter’s eyes. It’s an everyday gesture that out of context means nothing. But in the context of the story, it represents a big emotional turning point for the relationship between those two characters.
In terms of plot and genre and other story elements, I can be inspired by nature documentaries, current politics, ancient myth, tech trends… literally anything can turn into a story, particularly when you’re writing in fantastical genres like science fiction and superhero comics.
Are all of your shorts available to view either online or via DVD? What about “Fighting Grandpa?”
A number of my shorts can be viewed online – you can find the links at gregpak.com. “Fighting Grandpa” is available through the Center for Asian American Media.
Robot Stories was your first feature film. How did you come up with the story?
I’ve loved science fiction forever. Ray Bradbury was my first literary hero. So over the years I’d written a number of short films involving robots or artificial intelligence. At a certain point, I was going through my files and realized I had three stories that might fit together as an anthology picture. I wrote a fourth story to help flesh out the themes and “Robot Stories” was born.
What was it like to go from short films to a feature film?
Creatively, it was a pretty smooth transition. I’d made a ton of short films over the years and “Robot Stories” was an anthology picture made up of four shorts, so I felt pretty confident in terms of storytelling and working with actors and my cinematographer. But I had a big learning curve with working with a full crew, including set designers, costume people, and make up artists. I’d had a taste of that on my shorts, but the number of creative decisions skyrocketed with “Robot Stories.” I was very lucky to have a great crew and great producers – Karin Chien and Kim Ima – who took care of all the logistical challenges and cleared the way as much they could for me to work on the creative side.
Do you plan to make another feature film soon?
It’s in the five year plan. Cross your fingers for me!
How did you get involved with the Futurestates series? Was Mister Green something you had been working on previously?
The producers of Futurestates invited me to submit a proposal for a short science fiction project. I’d been thinking a lot about global warming and the incredible difficulty of genuine change, both personal and political, and “Mister Green” was what came out.
Which film project are you most proud of?
“Fighting Grandpa” and the “Robot Fixer” segment of “Robot Stories.”
You’ve made acting appearances in many of your films. Is that something you do intentionally (place yourself in those roles)?
I did improv comedy for about fifteen years and had a hankering to get in front of the camera. But I held off for a long time, actually. I wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing as a director before I threw myself into the mix as an actor. And if I found an actor better suited for a given role, I’d be inclined to give the role to him – in the end, the most important thing is for the film to be the best it could be, after all. But here and there I had a few roles that I felt I was genuinely right for, and I had a supportive crew that made it possible for me to tackle them. The role of the office worker robot in “Robot Stories” was the biggest of those roles. For whatever reason, I knew that character through and through; I felt him under my skin. So I went for it. I also knew that I wanted to cast those robots with hapa actors, because when they mass-produce robots that look like people, I think they’ll make them somewhat racially ambiguous so they can sell them in multiple markets with minimal changes. So I guess I fit the bill.
You’ve created numerous Asian American characters in your comic book writing. How important has it been for you to create these characters (such as Amadeus Cho and others)?
Very important. I’ve spent years grousing about the under-representation of Asian Americans in American media. It’d be pretty shabby of me if I got to a position where I could make a difference and didn’t.
You’ve done some writing for major comic book characters such as Hulk, Iron Man, Hercules, Magneto, etc. What was it like creatively to work on stories for these well-known characters?
A blast. These characters have endured for decades because they’re amazingly well defined with rich, deep thematic and dramatic power. The Hulk, for example, is all about the price of anger. You can tell stories about that endlessly. I also love my editors at Marvel for letting me tell stories that lay new groundwork or delve deep into the fundamental nature of these characters. The “Magneto Testament” miniseries is probably the best example of this. Editor Warren Simons came to me with the idea of telling Magneto’s origin. We ended up telling a meticulously researched story about a German Jewish boy struggling to protect his family from the rise of the Nazis and the Final Solution. I never expected I’d be telling that kind of story when I started working in comics – and I’m hugely grateful as a writer and as a human being that I had the opportunity.
Which comic book writing project are you most proud of?
“Magneto Testament,” “Planet Hulk,” and the “Incredible Hercules” saga. And everything with Amadeus Cho in it. 😉
Is there anybody specific within the film or comic book industry that you enjoy working with?
The list is way too long. I hesitate to even start, because I love all my collaborators and could never have gotten anywhere without them. But I’ll single out just a couple of people. In the film world, producer Karin Chien has been my constant collaborator since she came on board with “Robot Stories.” She’s a rock solid presence who works miracles on every film she produces. In the comics world, my Hulk and Hercules editor Mark Paniccia and my “Incredible Hercules” and “Alpha Flight” co-writer Fred Van Lente have been my chief partners in crime. Amazing friends and phenomenal creative collaborators.
Is there anybody in particular that you have admired or still admire?
Among my film collaborators, I’ll single out the veteran actors who gave it their all in “Robot Stories.” Folks like Sab Shimono, Tamlyn Tomita, Wai Ching Ho, and James Saito all took a big chance on a new filmmaker and invested their characters with such amazing vitality and presence. I love them all also because they’ve worked for decades in an industry that has shamefully few three dimensional roles for Asian Americans – and yet they shine and shine and shine.
Have you done or been approached for any projects specifically for the Korean market?
I’ve spoken with Korean producers from time to time. Maybe someday.
Do you think that Asian Americans are getting more exposure in the entertainment business (actors, musicians, entertainers, etc.)?
Sure. Every day new artists, performers, and projects are getting out there. But the challenge in the film world at least is still to move past the second or third lead into the genuine starring roles.
Do you think that being of mixed-Asian (Korean) descent has had any effect on your career?
I’ve made a ton of Asian American films and gotten huge support from Asian American film festivals and audiences. That’s absolutely an asset in the independent film world – small films thrive when they can tap into passionate niche audiences. So I owe a huge amount to those Asian American festivals and filmgoers who have supported my work over the years.
Out of curiosity, have you ever met or had the opportunity to work with Victor Cook?
Nope, but I’ve seen your interview with him, which was awesome!
What are some projects that you are currently working on and are there any projects we should look for in the near future?
Legendary horror movie director Joe Dante has picked my screenplay “Monster Love” as his next feature film project, which blows my mind every time I think about it.
In the comics world, I have a number of new projects, including the new “Alpha Flight” series I’m co-writing with Fred, a Red Skull miniseries, and two new projects that I’ll be announcing at the San Diego Comic-Con in July. For the latest, visit gregpak.com, twitter.com/gregpak, or gplus.to/gregpak.
What are some of your future career plans/goals?
I have some crazy plans to take my “Vision Machine” graphic novel to the next stage in different media. I’m planning to do more creator-owned comics work. I have a big, new Marvel project that’ll be announced shortly. And yes, eventually I’m going to get back behind the camera for another feature film.
What advice would you give to someone who is planning to become a filmmaker or writer?
When I was visiting colleges a million years ago, a very sharp creative writing professor at Oberlin told me that the work of young writers is very often over praised and under cherished. I thought that was brilliant. To me, that means listen to the little voice inside that tells you it’s not done. And keep writing, rewriting, and rewriting. Finding mentors and colleagues who can provide supportive but rigorous criticism is key. And getting stuff out into the world and in front of audiences is critical – in part for beginning to build a professional name and network, but most importantly for the learning experience of seeing what worked and what didn’t.
I’d also say that if you’re happy doing anything else, it’s probably a good idea to do that other thing. Any career in the arts is ridiculously hard and there’s really no such thing as overnight success. It takes years and years and years and it can be a big challenge to balance this kind of work with a stable family life. Genuine and abiding passion is absolutely necessary.
Random & Personal
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of your career?
I used to do norebang every freaking weekend. But I’m getting old now, alas.
Anybody you respect/look up to?
My family and friends. All of the teachers, professors, Scoutmasters, and camp counselors who taught and guided me over the years. And all the writers and filmmakers who have inspired me: Kurosawa, Wilder, Hawkes, Hitchcock, Anthony Mann, Ray Bradbury, Otomo, Miyazaki, Faulkner, Octavia Butler, Lloyd Alexander, Bill Mantlo, Lynda Barry, Stan Sakai, Frank Miller, Charles Schultz… the list goes on and on.
Do you like soju?
Nope – I don’t drink.
Do you get on the Internet often?
More than I like to admit. Although I have a business-related excuse. I’m kind of constantly on call via email with my editors at Marvel – every day there’s something new that needs to be attended to immediately. Oh, the glamour!
What are some of your favorite websites?
Twitter. Thinkprogress, DailyKos. AngryAsianMan. MacRumors. Comicbookresources, Newsarma, and ComicsAlliance.
How did you find out about HalfKorean.com and what did you think about HalfKorean.com when you first saw it?
I think I first heard about it through Twitter. And I thought the site was a lot of fun. I can’t help but notice when I see another person who looks hapa – can’t help but take an interest. So it’s fun to see so many stories all in one place.
Any words that you would like to pass on to the community?
Be nice. Seriously. Basic Golden Rule stuff. These days I’m thinking that’s about 85 to 90 percent of the big secret.
Thank you to Greg for taking the time to talk to share with us his mixed Korean experience. We wish him continued success! You can check out more at his official website, PakBuzz.com or follow him on his official Twitter, Google+, or Facebook.
Interview by: David Lee Sanders
Posted: 7/16/2011
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