Daniel Dae Kim is widely credited with having broken barriers for Korean-American actors in Hollywood.
Since his debut in 1992, Kim has starred in a few popular drama series, including Lost and Hawaii Five-0, and has been outspoken in his advocacy of racial equality in the American entertainment industry.
Now, the 48-year-old is branching out into production, in particular Korean titles in the United States. The Good Doctor, a remake of the hit 2013 KBS drama of the same name, written by Park Jae-bum, is set to air on ABC on Sept 25.
In the original series, actor Joo Won is a paediatric surgeon with autism and savant syndrome. The ABC series will feature Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy in the role. The show also has a multiethnic cast of Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chuku Modu and more.
Kim said producing has given him a “surprising” amount of satisfaction and newfound freedom.
“As an actor you can only get the roles that you are given. As a producer you can create a world from the ground up and populate it with the types of people you want to see, ones that reflect the actual reality around you,” he told The Korea Herald in an interview recently.
Kim is hopeful that more Korean TV dramas will be readapted for American television in the future – his production company 3AD has several projects in the works – but says they need to be tweaked for the American system and audience.
“You can’t just rely on romance. For a show to succeed in America you need something beyond a love story – an engine that can keep it going for several seasons maybe.”
Intense Emotions
Korean dramas tend to be hyperfocused on the intense emotions of characters, he noted. “I remember watching Winter Sonata. There was a lot of ‘I love you but I can’t be with you.’ … In Korean dramas, (the characters) feel everything 100%. If they’re in love, they’re deeply in love with their whole body, their whole being.
“These things are, I think, unique to Korean culture and the way (Koreans) express (feelings). That’s one of the dangers of trying to bring a Korean format to America. Relationships are different in America. Things like divorce and family are treated differently.”
Regardless of the adaptation process for remakes, however, Kim feels original Korean dramas “shouldn’t change at all” and should remain true to their distinctive identity.
“That’s the character of K-drama.”
Kim pointed out that many Asian-American actors get “tired of just waiting and hoping that someone will write” a multidimensional, fulfilling role for them, so they venture into the creative process themselves.
Gradual Transition Toward Racial Equality
Recently, Korean-American actor Justin Chon of the Twilight film series wrote and directed the film Gook, which was released in the US on Aug 18. The film centres on two Korean-American brothers and a manager running a shoe store in Los Angeles when a riot breaks out and upends their business.
The film was invited to the Sundance Film Festival this year and stars Korean-American comedian David So, among others.
Kim predicts more of such movements will take place. He also believes that a gradual transition toward racial equality is taking place in Hollywood, though it may feel slow to many.
“I think it’s changing. We’re having roles for Asian men where they get to be sexy and funny. … But it’s ridiculous that we still have to face those obstacles.” – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
