I just feel like I'm going to give the worst energy.
Hi, my name is Charles Kim.
My background and career as an actor, basically I've been entertaining audiences 50 seats at a time
for a very long while, 10 plus years, doing mainly sketch comedy, live sketch comedy in Hollywood,
various venues with my sketch comedy troupe OPM.
And along the way, I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of cool people, a lot of cool actors
and writers and directors, and among them, James Huang.
And I was lucky enough to be able to try out for the role of Charles
and to be cast in the movie starting from scratch.
I lied. I didn't try out for that role.
But in a way, I feel like I did in that James was really generous and good enough to come to my sketch comedy shows throughout the years.
And I like to think in some way I earned my spot onto this cast by having shown him what I can do on stage.
So even though I was appointed the role, so to speak,
I like to think that I was somehow auditioning for the role throughout the years.
As far as projects I've been in, I've been in Law & Order, Los Angeles, I, Carly, had different spots
and different shows on television.
As far as feature films are concerned, I just completed a movie called Wedding Palace,
which is like the Asian American, my big fat Greek wedding.
I was in Christmas in Compton, which, just like it sounds, it's an urban comedy
and it was hilarious, had a great time.
What I'd like to achieve as an actor, where do I start, where do I end?
Basically, I would love to have the career of, say, a Gene Hackman or Samuel L. Jackson.
I'd love to be known as the Korean Samuel L. Jackson.
That would be pretty badass.
But seriously, no, that's actually my honest answer,
but I simply want to do good work and work with great people and have fun along the way
and whatever happens happens.
I feel that there's definitely an art and craft to it.
I find a lot of cathartic release from playing roles that are close to me at heart
and at the same time, if there's a role that is quite a departure from who I am,
then I find joy in being able to explore, get into the skin of someone who I'm not.
Or to try to connect and find the oneness in this seemingly different character.
So I guess it's the joy of exploration and also there's a little bit of therapy in it, not to make it sound too serious or deep,
but it's just this thing that I can't quit.
I can't quit you.
The roles I usually get cast for are comedic, broad, very wacky.
That's actually one of the reasons why I really relished being able to play the character of Charles
and starting from scratch because I got to play some serious moments, some earnest, heartfelt moments,
because it's a very sincere story.
So there are laughs along the way to be sure, but the characters do go through a roller coaster
and it's emotional and it's real and I get to be along for that ride.
I had the coveted role of being the best buddy of James Wong's character
and that was really a treat because I got to play a type of role that I usually don't get to play.
It was a mixture of comedic and also dramatic because I had to sort of give James' character some motivation
to get his life together and that sort of thing.
At the same time, I also had to be his buddy and we get to be two guys on the prowl
and trying to score some chicks and basically James' character is going through a really rough time in his relationship.
There's a lot of emotional turmoil in there, but it's pretty cool how there's room for laughter along the way.
So here I am confronted with this opportunity to play such a character.
Usually I play the goofy, fuddy, duddy, dud ball who doesn't get a date and I play the Asian Chris Farley type character.
Kim Jong-il, I play a crazy Korean mom.
These are the type of characters I get asked to play, not the guy who has to help out.
Mr. Handsome Studley over here, so that was definitely a treat and an absolute sheer terror for me,
but one that I gladly welcomed and you'll just have to see the movie.
I also like the fact that James, as the writer-director, he had that breadth of vision to sort of make that type of a call
and I'm not saying that in a self-serving fashion because I got a chance to play this character,
but honestly it could have been that stereotypical macho bulging muscles
and Rico Suave type character could have been inhabiting my role,
but a lot of times the friends that we have, we don't match up to some sort of unrealistic Hollywood sitcom look
and there was something very genuine and authentic I think in the casting,
not just for my character but for a lot of the characters in this movie and so that's very refreshing.
One of the things I loved about this movie is that it doesn't have your typical saccharine suite Hollywood ending.
It's not depressing but keeping it real and not insulting the audience's intelligence,
so that's something I appreciated being part of.
