Actor Tim Kang takes a less-than-appealing role and turns it into what may be the studliest Asian American character on TV.
ISSUE: Fall 2011
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Han Cho
With a season-to-date average of 14.4 million viewers, CBS’s highly rated show The Mentalist begins its fourth season this fall. The crime drama follows Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), a specialist hired for his “psychic” abilities, and a team of top-rate investigators, including Special Agent Kimball Cho, played by Korean American actor Tim Kang.
Viewers may find it hard to believe that the levelheaded, deadpan Cho was originally written as a socially inept, slightly overweight married man with two kids. Instead, the character has morphed into a former teen gang member with the brilliant mind and athletic physique of a Green Beret, a strong, silent type with a new girlfriend (played by Chinese-French Canadian beauty Sandrine Holt). So what happened?
“It took some juggling to shape him into something that I could believe in,” says the 38-year-old. Growing up as an avid TV and film fan in San Francisco, Kang was always bothered with the lack of positive representation of Asian Americans in the media. “They were never the heroes. Bruce Lee was the only ‘Asian American’ hero that we could look up to and not be ashamed of. And that was a little disconcerting.”
When Kang first read the script for The Mentalist, he realized that Cho “was just yet another example of not seeing a potential in a certain character. I thought, ‘Wow, some of this is really funny, but stereotypical.’ So I took some of it, kept some of it, and changed it around.
“He is certainly all the things the producers had originally envisioned,” adds Kang, “but he’s not just a book- worm. He’s a little more than that.”
Kang’s fresh take on the character can be attributed to his training in Off Off Broadway shows and the America Repertory Theater’s M.F.A. program. However, he sees “nothing sexy” about his role or his big break as a series regular on a hit show. In fact, he sees it as a “gift and responsibility.”
“To this day, I have not figured out the rhyme or reason to this business,” says Kang. “But I have certainly been afforded the kind of success that you should be proud of. And I am proud of it. I get to do something that I love every single day.”
— Han Cho
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Boy, did the stars shine bright at KoreAm Journal‘s Unforgettable gala — and 20th anniversary celebration! — last month. Audrey checks out some of the stylish studs that strutted down the red carpet.
JuJu Chang and her clan were adorable. Look at those matching smiles!
Singer Ameriie looked like an angel. Ameriie also presented an Unforgettable award to baseball great, Chan Ho Park.
Lovely Lindsay Price (a former Audrey cover girl) nearly missed the party. She thought the gala was held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, not Park Plaza in downtown Los Angeles. Despite the tardiness, Price was still red carpet ready.
Nicole Bilderback’s saucy red number lit up the winter night. Loving her matching red lips too!
Grace Park is a goddess. But you already knew that.
Rockin’ sneaks with cool tux? Check. Effortlessly chic one shoulder cocktail dress? Check. Super cazch semi-prom pose? Check. I wish I was this stylish when I was a teen!
They may be in basic black but Lisa Ling’s dewy, to-die-for cheekbones keeps her and hubby Paul Song’s ensemble anything but boring.
With that steely stare and jawline, who cares what actor Tim Kang is wearing?
For more of Unforgettable 2010 photos from Mas Chae, Tada Chae and Eric Sueyoshi, check it out here!
