With a career that spans acting, writing and directing, Park reveals that the portrayal of other people brings him an immediate sense of joy. “Acting is the most fun for me,” he says. “With acting, you’re only responsible for your role and fleshing out this character’s many sides. It’s a great thrill to work along with other actors and bring those energies together.”

Yet, directing offers an unmatched thrill. “It’s so much work and energy to direct a feature film,” Park says. “You’re using every part of your brain and working directly with many different people. It’s challenging, but also fulfilling to piece together a movie.”

Citing Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig as his role models, Park hints at his film‐making aspirations: “I want to keep making movies like Shortcomings, which isn’t an obvious blockbuster kind of film. But [this is the kind of movie] that I love the most. It’s definitely something I want to do more of.”

The path that led him to where he is today is equally compelling. As a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in English and minoring in
Asian American studies, he began his creative journey by co‐founding an Asian American theatre group with like‐minded peers.

Park would go on to do a master’s degree in Asian American studies, and worked as a graphic designer upon graduating while moonlighting in stand‐up comedy. Approaching his thirties and still living with his parents, Park left his day job for a position at Starbucks. During this time, he went for numerous auditions for small roles on network TV, and dealt with repeated rejections, which tested his resolve. “There were so many auditions where I felt I did well, but then I wouldn’t get the part,” he recalls.

Facing the dim prospects of a career as a performer, Park considered an entirely different path. “I’ve always liked to draw, and I thought I could be an architect
one day and should go to architecture school. To do that, I had to take some prerequisite classes,” he says.

“I went to community college to take a basic physics class and on the first day—I was so dumb at that point—I couldn’t pass anything. After two days, I quit and went right back to auditioning. Every time I tried to quit [acting], I felt like fate would just bring me right back to that path.”

That persistence ultimately paid off. Park’s early roles included a stint on MTV’s Wild ’N Out, and a brief but impactful appearance as “Asian Jim” on NBC’s The Office—a character that continues to go viral on TikTok, despite the episode airing over a decade ago. A career‐defining role for Park came about In 2014, when he played Kim Jong‐un in the political satire film The Interview alongside Seth Rogen and James Franco. But it was his portrayal of Louis Huang, a Taiwanese father and entrepreneur in the series Fresh Off the Boat, that launched him into the limelight at the age of 40. 

From bit parts to breakout roles

Today, Park boasts an impressively diverse filmography. His roles span the Marvel and DC cinematic universes, including fan‐favourite Jimmy Woo in Ant‐Man and WandaVision, as well as Dr Stephen Shin in Aquaman. He has also appeared in a wide range of series and films, such as Netflix’s Blockbuster and Always Be My Maybe.

Due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike at the time of writing, Park is unable to disclose some of his more recent projects. But it is safe to say his career shows no signs of slowing down. “When you have a dream, perseverance is important. Every setback is a test to see whether you’re going to get back up and keep going after it. I’m glad I stuck it out,” he says.

As his career gains momentum, so has his standing as an emblematic figure in an industry yearning for genuine representation. Asked about the  weight of this role, he responds with unvarnished honesty. “I’m too old to think about those things,” he says. “I don’t try to be anything but myself. That’s all I have the energy for at this point. I have good intentions, but I’m human. I’m prone to making mistakes and learning from them. I try not to overthink things too much. I just try to be me.”

Park holds on to this sentiment in the way he approaches his craft. As he navigates the complex terrain of Asian representation, he exercises caution, careful
To prevent it from being the central theme of his work. “I don’t put too much thought into it,” he admits. “If it’s a story about the human experience, and it happens to have characters who are Asian, I focus on approaching the material honestly.”

His method lies in an authentic approach to his roles and the narratives he chooses to tell. “To care for the characters, I need to identify with them or have sympathy for them to some degree, even when they’re complicated or not ideal depictions,” he explains. “As long as it’s a deeply human story, I think it’s worth telling.”

But representation clearly plays a role in his life choices; take, for example, his enjoyment of Beef, the Netflix series starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.
“Such stories, where we get to dig in deep into what it means to be human, are what excite me now,” he says. True representation, according to him, encompasses the full spectrum of the human experience. “It’s about the good, the bad and everything in between.”

As we talk about the layers of human experience explored in shows like Beef, it is clear that Park’s directorial debut is an extension of his quest for nuanced storytelling. The film brings Park’s journey full circle, as he first discovered the graphic novel 16 years ago while in the thick of failed auditions. 

Shortcomings focuses on Ben Tanaka, played by Korean American actor Justin H Min, a manager at an art‐house cinema in San Francisco, and delves into themes such as racial fetishism and the tensions within Asian American communities. Far from the one‐dimensional Asian male characters often depicted in Hollywood, Ben emerges as a multilayered individual, echoing Park’s vision for authentic storytelling.

“He’s not the stereotypical Asian character that we’re used to seeing. He’s opinionated and harsh, but also funny and charming,” says Park. “We haven’t seen a complex and flawed character like that in terms of Asian American representation,” he says. “There are so many advances right now in terms of Asian representation, especially in America, but characters like these are still missing.”

The film opens with a satirical nod to Crazy Rich Asians, subtly commenting on the polarising views within the Asian American community about how Asians should be portrayed. Mirroring Park’s own real‐life contemplation, Ben at one point asks, “Why does everything have to be some grand statement about race? Can’t it just be a good movie?”

Though restricted from discussing upcoming projects due to the strike, Park opens up about Imminent Collision, the production company he co‐founded with friends—film producer Hieu Ho and writer Michael Golamco—that co‐produced Shortcomings. “Our focus is telling comedy‐forward stories from an Asian and Pacific Islander viewpoint. Our main goal is to find unique voices, give them a platform and collaborate with talented writers to develop projects that offer this perspective. It’s been fun and gratifying. We have a bunch of projects in the pipeline,” he says.

As our conversation draws to a close, Park offers a glimpse of his path ahead, one marked by unwavering dedication to his craft. “I try not to think about the future
too much. I focus on the work and just do it. I hope I’ll be able to act in a lot of great projects and continue working with great people.” As he settles even more comfortably into his seat, he says, “My hope is to direct another feature, and for our production company to generate more shows and movies. I want to keep doing what I love,” he says.