John Cho’s embracing fatherhood — on screen and off
Throughout actor John Cho’s prodigious career, the South Korean native has met and exceeded every challenge.
This extends from his performance in a touring production of “The Woman Warrior” that came to Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 1994 to his raunchy, hilarious hijinks in the “American Pie” and munchies-inducing “Harold & Kumar” series, to his intense, Oscar-caliber portrayal of a desperate dad trying to find his daughter in the 2018 thriller “Searching,” and more.
Perhaps most impressive is that Cho, who grew up in Los Angeles, has aced it in just about every film genre there is. The extra-busy actor even carved out time to write what some consider one of the 2022’s best young adult novels, “Troublemaker,” wherein a 12-year-old Korean American boy bears witness to the 1992 L.A. Riots.
Whew! That’s a lot. But when asked how he manages to juggle so much, Cho says he has no sage advice.
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” he says with a laugh.
Given that he’s starred in thrillers, comedies, sci-fi (including a recurring gig as a gay Sulu in J.J. Abrams’ successful “Star Trek” reboot), indies, TV series and romances, is there a genre the Cho — whose latest project is starring in the Amazon Prime tearjerker “Don’t Let Me Go” — prefers?
“I’m a fan of movies,” Cho says. “I’m not Brad Pitt. I just can’t pick up the phone and say make it happen. But if something comes across my desk, I pick the stuff that I would want to see. I put myself into the viewer’s seat. So I guess I pick roles that mirror my own viewing habits.”
In “Don’t Make Me Go,” which drops on Amazon Prime July 15, Cho plays single dad Max, who receives devastating news that he has terminal brain tumor just prior to embarking with his demonstrative teen daughter Wally (newcomer Mia Issac) on a California-to-New Orleans road trip. Cho, father of two, says he was drawn to the role because of its realistic portrayal of a single dad and for its message about living in the moment.
The theme of appreciating the present hit hard during the film’s shoot during the early days of COVID-19 in New Zealand. Fortunately, Cho’s immediate family was with him on location, but being in another country and separated from other relatives and friends brought additional stress. “Don’t Let Me Go” was shot in New Zealand to accommodate Cho’s schedule since he was already there filming Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the classic anime series Cowboy Bebop,” which was canceled by the streamer after one season.
“While it was great to be in a place that did not have COVID at the time,” said Cho, “we could not move back and forth and since there was no vaccine (then) we were worried about our friends and family. If you can’t hug your family and friends, what else is there?”
“Don’t Make Me Go” had its world premiere in June in the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and has received varied reactions from critics, with — much of the criticisms being directed by a bold late-in-the-film development. Cho and Isaac have won favorable reviews for their performances and father/daughter chemistry. And there’s even a killer Karaoke number from Cho.
Cho credits the good chemistry with his co-star to the film’s 29-year-old director Hannah Marks, who helped the two actors create a genuine back-and-forth as parent and teen.
“I’ve always found that when I look around and there’s a really good cast there’s (also) a strong connection to the director,” he said, singling out how Abrams created a similar sense of teamwork with the “Star Trek” crew.
But it helped that Cho connected instantly with budding actor Issac, who also has a pivotal role in Hulu’s social-media satire “Not OK” (streaming July 29).
“I felt immediately that she could be my daughter. She felt that I was very familiar to her and she felt that I had a similar vibe to her father so we just sank right into it. I was also mindful of the fact that this was her first film and I really wanted it to be a good (experience) for her.”
Having grown up in what Cho described as a more authoritarian household (his father was a minister), he drew on his more relaxed relationship with his children in order to play Max.
“The part of Max I could really relate to is his wanting to control all the circumstances for his kid. And having to let that go is difficult and that’s sort of the journey of the movie.”
The acting bug hit Cho while he was at UC Berkeley, working toward his eventual BA degree in English. A last-minute replacement was needed for a very small part in a play and Cho landed it. From there, he entered a not “super promising” environment for Asian American actors, but eventually segued into roles in TV and in movies.
Cho looks back fondly at his time spent in Berkeley, and considers the Bay Area to be one of his spiritual homes, along with South Korea and Los Angeles, where he and his family currently live.
“It was the ’90s and I don’t think it’s a controversial statement, but (Berkeley) was a lot weirder in the ‘90s,” he said, quickly adding “that’s the highest compliment from me. It was a place that encouraged people to think outside of the box and that was a time in my life when that’s what I wanted. I took chances that I don’t know I would have taken in another place with the same mindset.”
Cho is happy to see Hollywood changing for the better when it comes to Asian Americans in the industry, but there’s still a lot of room for growth.
“I think technology has upended everything, including social norms,” he said. But he adds, “I would still say we’re in our toddler phase.”
Having been in the business for decades now, the actor, who turned 50 a month ago, is not exactly ready to be a wise old sage. But …
“I will give you one tip that I’ve been enjoying for a number of years. I don’t know if it does any good,” he said and pauses for dramatic effect. “But…. I try to eat vegetables. Three meals a day. And breakfast is a tricky one, but get your veggies in at breakfast time.”
He’s come a long way searching for those juicy White Castle burgers.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.