Daniel Dae Kim boasts an impressive television resume, including appearances on 24, CSI, Seinfeld, and ER, just to name a few shows. Now, Daniel’s role as Jin on the ABC hit Lost has made him a household name.
As Jin, Daniel is more than simply a plane crash survivor on a mysterious island. He's also become a symbol for change in network television. As one of the first Asian American male prime time leads, Daniel has paved the way for other Asian American actors to star in leading roles like Masi Oka on Heroes. He's also proved to network execs that Americans are willing to read subtitles - not an easy feat.
In this exclusive interview, Daniel talks with MeeVee about vanishing stereotypes of Asian Americans in the media, the value of hard work, and his philosophy of acting as storytelling.
Yul Kwon, this season's Survivor winner stated that his overall goal for the season was to improve the image of Asian Americans on television. Do you think it's changing for the better?
I think it is changing for the better. I think the fact that someone like Masi Oka has been nominated for a Golden Globe this year is a huge positive step. It validates Damon and J.J.’s [Abrams] choice to have characters speaking another language other than English. It’s nice to know that someone of Asian decent speaking a non-English language can be recognized for their work.
What inspired you to become an actor?
I think there’s been a love of storytelling in my family, and a need for expression. I think actors - without sounding too self-important - they do play an important role in our society. We’re the storytellers of our time, and the artists are the ones that really reflect our culture back to us.
Article comments
1 - Kaonashi
Woohoo for Asian-American actors on TV!! Daniel is hot!
2 - Lisa McKay
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