Daniel Dae Kim Describes Addressing Korean Stereotypes With Lost Writers

Daniel Dae Kim Describes Addressing Korean Stereotypes With Lost Writers

Daniel Dae Kim, who played Jin on Lost, opened up about talking with the creators about his character’s future and how to avoid stereotyping him.

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Daniel Dae Kim Describes Addressing Korean Stereotypes With Lost Writers

Daniel Dae Kim recently opened up about advocating for his character as a Korean-American on the hit TV show, Lost. Created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and more, Lost premiered in 2004 and ran for six seasons. The Emmy-winning show, which had a widespread ensemble cast, is often hailed as one of the best television shows of all time.

Lost follows the survivors of the crash of the plane, Oceanic Flight 815, as they learn to survive on the strange island upon which they landed—an island that is full of secrets, mythology, and, the most worrisome of all, other beings. The show is known for its diverse ensemble cast and truly mind-bending plot, which manipulates time using flashback, flash forward, and, most notably, flash sideways plot lines. Many familiar faces appeared in the series, one of which is Daniel Dae Kim, who played Jin-Soo Kwon. Jin and his wife, Sun, provided some much appreciated mainstream representation of characters of color on TV at the time, especially considering that the characters spoke Korean onscreen. Jin appears in the show for all six seasons.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Korean-American actor, Daniel Dae Kim, revealed that he had frank discussions with the Lost creators about avoiding Korean stereotypes with Kim’s character. Wary of how the pilot depicts Jin and his relationship with Sun, Daniel Dae Kim brought his hesitations to Lindelof and Abrams. Kim divulged that the creators asked him to place his trust in their storytelling capabilities, which he did—and with no regrets for how his character ended up: well-rounded, developed, and beloved. Overall, Kim expresses gratitude for his experiences on Lost and the opportunity he received to not only portray a Korean character, but to learn and perfect his Korean on an American television show. Read what Kim said below:

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Early on, there was some criticism from Asian American viewers about how Jin’s relationship with his wife, Sun [Yunjin Kim], relied on the stereotype of an overbearing man and a submissive woman. Did you discuss that with the show’s creators?

When I read the script for the pilot, I knew this was a land mine. My greatest fear was that the pilot of Lost would air but the series would not — because if you were to see the pilot as the totality of my character, you would have been left with that stereotype. While we were shooting, I remember sitting down with Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams and saying, “Guys, this character cannot progress in this same way.” They basically said, “Trust us.” I did, and it turned out for the best. As an Asian actor, you’re just looking to get hired. It’s about working within the system to try and change it when you have the opportunity. The character grew to a place where I don’t think you’d call him a stereotype by the end.

Since Lost, Kim has been in titles such as the series Hawaii Five-0 and the film, Insurgent, of the Divergent franchise. He has also appeared in and executive produced ABC’s hit medical drama, The Good Doctor, which is based on a Korean series of the same name. Kim is currently filming the upcoming season of the NatGeo anthology series, The Hot Zone, which will zero in on the anthrax attacks that took place just after 9/11 in 2001.

It is refreshing to hear a positive story about representation in Hollywood from an actor of color. Especially considering that, in today’s world, where racism against specific ethnic groups—particularly in America—has garnered international attention, the conversation never heavily drifts toward media representations of various groups. Although Daniel Dae Kim has been vocal about feeling trivialized within Hollywood on other projects, it is comforting to know that his role on Lost, one of America’s favorite television shows, remains untarnished from accusations of racial mistreatment, silencing, or stereotyping—at least in Kim’s case.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/daniel-dae-kim-lost-show-korean-stereotype-reaction/

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