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I was like, Oh, shit, Yeun laughs.
When you read the script, in Korean, he speaks pretty high level.
He uses complex words and metaphorical phrases to get to whatever hes talking about.
But Yeun soon found he could access more of this highfalutin Seoul playboy than he thought.
That exploration was pretty exciting.
You go to Korea, and if youre a Korean person, you just are who you are.
Then theyll judge you on your merits or your personality, and I can deal with that.
To be able to gain that punch in of understanding of the fullness of myself was really special.
Then beyond that, I would think that the navigation between those cultures is really …
I thought it was knowledge, but its so much more.
Its so much deeper.
Im still learning a lot.
You are on your own.
It is the truth, really.
Its the truth to feel alone.
I feel like thats closer to reality than not.
If anything, if we do feel together, its through that loneliness that we feel together.
If youre rich, you might feel alone.
If things are meaningless to you, because you have everything, thats super lonely.
I think that that was part of the casting for director Lee, as we talked about it.
And I was genuinely preparing myself to say no to him.
I wanted to do it justice, whatever he wanted me to play.
I ask because I kind of identify.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
If Ive been there with Americans, and theyre like, Oh, this is where youre from.
Its like, Well, not really.
Have you seenBlacKkKlansmanhere?No, I havent seen it yet.
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Theres this really interesting subplot with Adam Drivers character.
And you might see this part of his consciousness opening up as the film goes on.
Absolutely.I think acting is one of those places.
I would say even writing is probably one of those places.
Youre like, What the fuck does that mean?
Thats just how it is.
And that inherently doesnt allow you to feel like a full-fledged character.
Because there are no limitations.
Theres no inherent visual limitation.
Its really just all inner workings of who I am.
Its a bummer, but its also what it is.
It wasnt his responsibility for him to look for a role for an Asian person to fulfill.
That was really on me.
How so?Like quiet, demure, but under the surface … hes pulling some strings.
I dont approach that as a knock.
I approach that as the truth.
That was what was what was so fulfilling for me about that experience.
And thats hours and hours worth of conversation.
Do you think much about that potential role at all?
But you cant really compare Asian [representation] to black [representation.]
For anyone to do that is incredibly foolish and downright kind of offensive.
Not separate from each other we should all combine as a community and help each other as we can.
So then, the question becomes, what are we really fighting for?
I suppose representation, feeling like were part of the country, feeling like the freedom to be ourselves.
Sure, I get it, maybe Ill become [the chosen Asian leading man] …
I hope Im not …
I can never shoulder that.
Nobody can.Yeah, nobody can.
I dont even deserve that key in of accolade by any means, but its …
This is like a long conversation that I havent even really fully worked through.
Personally, Ive been having a great time exploring whatsme.
It seems to be working.
I mean, so much of what youre talking about is just the right to be an emotional being.Yes.
Its like the ability to be seen as a fully inhabited emotional being.
In the East, collectivism is so part of it that you realize that were … Because that weight doesnt exist if youre in a majority Asian society.
Right.Thats a freedom that I feel like we should all hope to attain.
There are no rules.
But I always had a stark tether to the States.
It was more of a un-comfort.
It was an un-comfort that really I felt most of all.
I was just like, Oh, I dont fit here and I dont fit there.
And I left it at that.
Thats what I felt.
You run into cultural issues.
Are you talking about theInstagram thing?Yeah.
Thats where I take full blame for that.
Thats what director Lee is talking about in this film.
The internet put a [new perspective] on everything.
A law here doesnt transform to a law there.
All of a sudden, you find yourself asking, what rule is real?
If no system is constant or consistent, then there are no rules.
Im sure a bunch of young people are confused.
They want someone to tell them how to live.
They want someone to tell them what the next step is.
But there is nothing.
Instead theres just a vast open landscape, which is terrifying.
But if you’ve got the option to overcome that, then its empowering.
I feel like thats the next phase.
Thats the incredible luck that Ive found myself in, to have gotten to make this film with him.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
