The Meteoric Rise of John Cho
By wchung | 22 Feb, 2025

John Cho is finally getting the respect he deserves in Hollywood.

Last week, the bluray version of Star Trek came out. Star Trek, being the surprisingly good movie that it is, was bought by a couple of my friends and since my friends enjoy sharing their bountiful treasures, we watched the movie together in large gatherings. I’ve already written about how much I liked the movie but today I just wanted to focus on one part of the movie that I enjoyed a little more this time around.

The ‘part’ that I’m referencing, of course, is the acting chops of Korean-American John Cho. Right now, he’s at the top of his game. He’s in his prime. People are taking him seriously and it’s about time. I feel a certain kinship with him because he was an Asian-American English major, and I am an Asian-American English major. It’s reassuring to see someone achieve success in a traditionally non-Asian field.

Let’s be real. Hollywood isn’t so welcoming to the Asians. 8 times out of 10, we’re the hypersexualized (female) or the completely emasculated (male). We’re relegated to the role of nerd, prostitute, restaurant or laundromat owner, ninja, samurai, kung fu master, terrorist or generally socially awkward character. The impressive thing about John Cho is that he’s disregarded or elevated these roles and changed the game for other Asian-American actors and actresses.

Look at his body of work. What is he known for? In the Harold and Kumar series, he plays Harold, a soft-spoken, well-mannered and shy Asian guy that gets bullied by his co-workers. Typical, right? But that’s only one layer. On the other layer, he’s a stoner Asian who knows how to party. He has a sexual drive. He talks trash and doesn’t want to settle for being the guy that everyone picks on, so he sets off on a drug-induced pilgrimage to the Holy Land of White Castle and learns how to rise above his lot in life.

And last year, John starred in Star Trek as Hikaru Sulu. I thought I wouldn’t be able to take him seriously because of his role as Harold, but he pulled it off nicely. He stepped into a role that rabid Trekkies would be hyper-critical of he made it out pretty much unscathed.

And now, he’s starring in a role as an FBI agent in the TV drama FlashForward. He kicks ass, is emotionally unstable, has a black fiancee and other things that aren’t typical of Asian-American culture. The amazing thing is that the role wasn’t written for an Asian-American. He didn’t audition for an Asian-American role; his ability helped him snag a role that was off-limits before.

So John Cho, I applaud you. You’re finally getting your due and I’m totally down to support you in all of your endeavors now. Your music is pretty good too.

11/23/2009 4:24 PM