Paul Sun-Hyung Lee – Kim’s Convenience

By starrymag | April 8, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been busy working on

A) It’s been kind of like a nice sort of forced rest because I was burning the candle at both ends for quite a while. Even my doctor was saying I was needing to slow down a little bit just because I was working a little bit too hard. It’s nice to take this break.

Q) We love seeing you at conventions in cosplay. What is it that you love so much about participating?

A) I grew up a nerd and a geek. That was me. I was going to conventions before going to conventions was cool. Growing up, that was sort of my fandom because I was always sort of…I always kind of felt like “the other,” like I was on the outside looking in. And all these sort of genre shows that I really sort of loved that had alien species…I kind of felt like I was the alien, so I can relate to these stories about these different civilizations and cultures. I mean, “Star Trek” was a huge thing for me, Star Wars as well. Space 1999, Lost in Space, Gilligan’s Island…All these stories that I grew up watching and being a part of sort of helped create who I am now. So, I love cosplay because it’s a chance to sort of as an adult revisit these childhood loves of mine. When you’re a kid you kind of go, “Oh my God! That outfit is so cool!” And you didn’t have either the resources or capabilities to recreate that and as an adult you can. It’s really neat. The internet has been a great boon for that because I’ve been able to connect with other fans and read their build threads and I can pull ideas from them and be able to source materials and things from other fans. And these fan communities are just invaluable in terms of anyone who wants to startup and make a costume. There are incredible resources online that you can have unfettered access to.

Q) “Kim’s Convenience” has become such a standout series. How was Appa originally described to you?

A) I’ve been playing Appa now since 2011. I’ve lived with this character and helped develop him back in 2005 because “Kim’s Convenience” started off as a play. Ins Choi, who is the co-creator of the television series, is the playwright of “Kim’s Convenience” the play. I was fortunate to sort of be on the ground floor when he was first starting to develop it from two scenes that was part of a play workshop into a full-length play. So, on and off from 2005 onwards, two or three times a year I’d participate in workshops to help the play. He’d write and he’d have actors come in and play. We’d read what he wrote and we’d give feedback. He’d take some of those notes and he’d incorporate it. Then, we’d have a public reading at the end of the workshop. So, for Appa, I always knew who he was going to be just because from the first moment I read him it was like my dad and my grandfather and my uncles – all these stubborn Korean men that I grew up around. It’s a rare treat for an actor to read for a role and come to the realization that, “I know who this character is. I know who this character is, how they tick, I know how they think, I know how they are going to react. It’s so lovely because it’s so authentic and so real. It’s just so heart-achingly so home for me and I never, ever had a role like that.

Q) Do you have much of a say in how he continues to develop?

A) We have a fantastic group of writers and what they do is write for our voice. It is such a collaborative process because working with Ins, he came up with the character but then I helped create him. And then he wrote to my strengths and used my voice as the voice of Appa. I would get the lines from him and then incorporate my own sort of take on it. So, it’s collaborative that way. In regards to the television series, for sure the writers are taking things from me but I’m also taking notes from them. And I’m taking what they give me, which is based on how they see me perform Appa, and I make it my own as well. So, it’s a really great (and I hate this word) synergistic process. We’re all pulling on the same rope and we’ve got a hand in bringing Appa to life and it’s very rare.

Q) What does it mean to you that Appa and Umma are so supportive of their children – going against the stereotype of wanting them to be lawyers and doctors?

A) I think that’s tremendous. Every family is different in that sense in terms of how the parents are going to react to the choices their children make. I think there is a begrudging resignation sometimes with Appa and Umma (Jean Yoon). They are not thrilled with Janet’s career path, but they are supportive of it because she is showing that she has an aptitude for it and has some skill. They are still deathly afraid that she’s not going to be able to make a living from it, but they are there to support her. In terms of what Jung is doing, he had such a troubled youth that I think they are just relieved he has any sort of job and not running from the law. But it’s nice because the Kim family is very pragmatic about the way they go about their lives. They know there are certain things they’d rather have their children do, but they also are realistic enough to know that life isn’t always ideal. And every advantage you try to give your child it really is up to them if they are going to use it or not. So, it’s that old adage, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink.” That’s what I love about the Kim family – they are pragmatists, but they will let you know if they disapprove, which is great.

Q) The catchphrase “ok see you” has become so popular! Was that always something in the script or something you created?

A) That was right from the beginning from the play and I’m still really shocked how much it took off. [smirks] It’s just how he speaks. It’s a common phrase that I think a lot of people…It becomes a catchphrase that everybody kind of goes, “Oh yeah! That’s very clever!” I remember doing the play I was very new to Twitter and I had maybe a hundred followers or this or that. I would tweet incessantly after every performance to try to create and online buzz. I would hashtag “ok see you” even way back then. Now, with the invent of the television show, it’s really taken off. It’s cute too because they will ask me, “Am I being racist if I say ‘ok see you?’” [laughs] I get a big kick out of it like, “No! It means you are a fan of the show.” It doesn’t mean you’re racist. It’s a phrase. It’s not as ridiculous as someone trying to copyright the phrase (for example), “You’re fired!” That is when it gets silly. But “ok see you” means you are a fan of the show. Watching “The Mandalorian” and everybody suddenly saying “this is the way” or “I have spoken” – there are certain catchphrases that sort of capture the fans sentiments. If it’s used, I think it’s a lot of fun.

Q) The relationship between Appa and Umma is so beloved. What do you think it is about their marriage that makes them such a good couple? They did go to couples therapy, but they didn’t really need it.

A) If you watch it, they actually say, “I’m only doing this to prove you wrong.” They often do a lot of things out of spite and these are things that are supposed to help them. [laughs] They go to them but for the wrong reasons. But they end up learning from them, which is what I love. And I think that’s a lot like real life, too. A lot of times we go do things because we’re obliged to or because we have to and you end up sort of learning something at the end and then going, “You know? That was a really good thing. I’m glad I went.” That’s what I love about the Kim family as well. They realistically portrayed in that sense. I think that is what makes them so relatable is that they are not a model minority sort of family that does everything right and everything is great. They make mistakes and they fight with each other. They’re petty. But they learn and they grow. Above all else, they love each other.

Q) What I love about these characters is they don’t try to assimilate. They have accents and aren’t trying to change who they are in any way.

A) It’s such a treat to be able to play characters like that, like you say, are rooted in reality. They don’t have to be explained or apologized for. They are not put up on a pedestal. They are not considered “the other.” In my career, it’s been a long time playing these little roles, expositional parts, where you are the other. You are not treated like a human being. The character you are playing is an ethnicity and not a real person. That’s the difference between Appa and Umma and it’s a lovely thing as an actor to play, especially an actor of color to be able to play a human being with a background, with strengths, with weaknesses and to have them accepted. It’s really just humanizing people who maybe don’t speak perfect English or maybe come from a different culture, but that doesn’t make them less human or less worthy of having their stories told. I think for the longest time that was the narrative in North American television was you were made the other. So, if you had an accent you were either the butt of the joke or the evil person or there was something that distinctively made you separate and unrelatable to and easy to sort of alienate and build those walls up between. It’s heartening on the one hand that people are accepting of Appa and Umma because it shows that if it is a good character that it doesn’t matter where they come from, people can relate to them. If it’s well written and well performed and it’s fully realized it shouldn’t matter at all. And we see them. We see actors who are deaf and hard of hearing and they are being accepted on television. You have all these people who are black and indigenous people of color as well and their stories are being told. So, we’re getting away from the white narrative and having people of color and their narrative being shown and it’s being successful because it is good storytelling and they are realistic portrayals. So, yeah, absolutely I think it’s heartening to finally be able to show that the Kim family, or Asian characters, can be made human. They can be made real and people will relate to them even if they aren’t Asian or don’t come from that culture. That’s one of the strengths of “Kim’s” – we make it universal and people relate to these characters and they love these characters. And that’s a huge, huge win for everybody because I think it normalizes being diverse and being different. It’s not something that we should shy away from and run away from. Just because you might have a little bit of difficulty understanding somebody it doesn’t mean they are less intelligent than you. It doesn’t mean that they are less than you. It just means you need to work a little bit harder to get your thoughts across or to understand their thoughts. But at the end of the day, we are all human beings and the measure of our worth shouldn’t be how we sound or how we look, but hat we do and who we are.

Q) What have been some of your favorite episodes you’ve filmed?

A) We have so much fun when we’re shooting every episode. We’ve shot so many now (Oh my God! I can’t believe I’m saying this!) that I’m confused and I’m not sure which episode is which. It sounds crazy, but there are certain standout ones (especially Season 1) that you remember a lot more just because everything was so new. And we were doing the show…I’d never been on a show like that before with the comedy and the writing and the characters. Because of the novelty to it, it really sticks out. So, for me, some of the fun ones that I remember most distinctively in Season 1 was the “best before date” with the ravioli and everybody gets food poisoning and they think it’s the ravioli. The scenes with Andrea Bang where I’m eating that cold can of ravioli and just stuffing my mouth and trying not to laugh and spray it all over her face. The hair and makeup department made us look all sick with the makeup and it was lots of fun just doing those scenes. It was a game – we were trying to make each other laugh but not show that we were trying to make each other laugh because they are so stubborn, these characters. That’s a standout. There are great heartfelt moments as well like in Episode 13 with the family singing contest where they are all sort of together, but not really. Janet is moving out. Other seasons too – like the relationship with Appa and Umma. The business award I think was Episode 2 of Season Two was a great one for the two of them because it showed their dynamic. Then, Season Four…Again, some really, really fun moments when Appa came back from the dentist and was high as a kite. To be able to play that sort of absurdity, but try to keep it grounded in reality was a lot of fun.

Q) You have such great comedic timing. Is it something that has always come naturally to you or have you had to work at it?

A) I always thought I was funny! [chuckles] It’s one of those things where it is a skill where you do develop it and hone that craft, which is great. It helps when you have excellent writing and fantastic scene partners like Jean and Andrea and Andrew and Nicole. It’s like play. It’s a lot like playing an instrument, too. You do have to have that sense of timing. I think a little bit is in there as well. You have to have some natural ability. You can learn timing, but I think you can feel it as well. For me, I guess I’ve always gravitated towards comedy. When we were doing it on stage, I always likened it to playing an instrument because you have to feel the sense of the room and know when to drop that note, when to hit that line or it is not going to work. There is definitely craft to it, but I’ve always felt that I’ve had this inner sense of timing. Just for comedy though! Because I’m a terrible musician though. [chuckles]

Q) We’re headed into Season Four. What are some themes that are going to be explored?

A) Season 4 I think is our strongest season yet, just because we know what we’ve done…I think Season 3 was great because we expanded the worlds and Season 4 is contracting back with more of a focus on the relationships between the characters. There are some really great laughs. We see movement on all of the storylines that have sort of been up in the air. Specifically, with Jung (Simu Liu) and Shannon (Nicole Power) and with Janet and Raj (Ishan Davé) and Nathan (Benjamin Sutherland). Appa and Umma’s relationship continues to grow. We actually have more scenes this season with Appa and Kimchi (Andrew Phung), which is a great thing. Of course, Appa and Jung. We see movement on all those storylines. So, I think it’s a very satisfying season for the fans. They will have a lot of their questions answered. I already know my social media exploded when it dropped. Every time it drops on Netflix US it drops around the world as well and then my social feeds just explode because fans are so happy that a new season has dropped. I’ve already had a bunch of people say, “I watched it all! When does Season 5 come out?” So, it’s really heartening and it’s very funny, but I think people really enjoy Season 4 and it ends on a hell of an up. That’s all I’m going to say. That final episodes that we shot, I remember reading the script and getting goosebumps. Again, it’s an absolute honor to work on this show and I can’t wait to go back to work.

Q) Going into Season 4, were you hoping to share more scenes with anyone in particular?

A) I love it because they are excellent actors – everyone of them. John Ng, Sugith Varughese and Derek McGrath. Season 3 though had no scenes with Andrew Phung. None. Apa and Kimchi did not get any scenes together. Season 4 we remedy that and so I get a chance to hang out with one of my best friends, Andrew Phung, which is fantastic. He’s so talented, so generous and so funny. It was great to really tear it up with him. Jean is my partner in crime and I love the way our relationship is explored. And I love the fact that we’re showing a mature Asian couple being a couple. That relationship is rarely shown on television. So, it’s lovely to see they still have that romantic side, that physical side, to it. They are human beings too with wants and desires. I didn’t have any scenes with Nicole this year, Ms. Shannon. So, I’d love to have more scenes with her in the future. Pastor Nina! Amanda Brugel is amazing. I love teasing her because she’s so much fun to work with because she’s so unprofessional and so easy to make laugh. I tease her about that all the time. She is an incredible talent. Then, James Yi comes in and plays Jimmy. He’s an amazing talent as well. It’s nice to get another older Korean man involved in the show. [laughs] Appa needs a proper villain in his life, which is great. The people who come in are always the best of the best and that’s one of the loveliest things about working on “Kim’s.” Even if they just come in for a day, you know they are the best actors for the role. That is a real blessing. It’s a real blessing to be able to work with such talented, amazing actors.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do?

A) I would love to say to them, first and foremost, thank you so much for watching the show and for showing us your support. We have the best fans in the world! They are supportive, they are accepting, they span a wide geographical range. But, also, in terms of age range and walks of life and different ways of identifying themselves. We have as diverse a fanbase as we do the cast, which I love. We are humbled by the support and eternally grateful. We promise that we will continue to do our best to bring you guys the best stories possible and stay true to the characters that you guys have fallen in love with. Thank you so much for letting us do this because without the fans we are nothing. That’s incredible. We’ve done over fifty-two episodes now and we got renewed for two more seasons. I’ll keep making them as long as people keep watching them. So, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.