What has “the Asian dude from Fast & Furious” been up to? While he’s beloved for portraying Han Lue in both ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise, Sung Kang is switching gears with his directorial debut in ‘Shaky Shivers.’ Join us for an exclusive interview as he opens up on his filmmaking process, stories that will make you ‘poop your pants’ with laughter, upcoming projects (*cough* Initial D), and his favorite car — all while snacking together.
Transcript
(upbeat music)
Nicki Sun: Hello everyone, welcome to The Nicki Sun Show. I’m your host, Nicki Sun. I am super excited because the next guest honestly needs no introduction, possibly a reintroduction because we all know and love him as Han from “Better Luck Tomorrow” and the “Fast and Furious” franchise. And might I say, single-handedly has put both hot and cool Asians on the map. But today we’re actually talking about his directorial debut with Shaky Shivers. So please join me in giving a warm welcome to Sung Kang. How are you?
Sung Kang: Great, Nicki.
Sun: It’s so great. Thank you so much for being here.
Kang: Thanks for having me.
Sun: Yeah, and you know, I know your characters are notorious for snacking in your scene. So I thought, why not snack while we get to know more about Shaky Shivers or directorial debut? Are you cool with that?
Kang: Sure.
Sun: We can also give the audience what they’ve been wanting, ASMR from Sung and snacks himself. From the biggest snack of all, right? Okay, so I actually did the liberty of finding the exact ones you snack on. So we’ll start with these and then we’ll upgrade to some other snacks as well.
Kang: Awesome.
Sun: So these are what you’re familiar with, right?
Kang: Yeah.
Sun: All right, can we refresh the audience why you snack in all your scenes?
Kang: The reason Han snacks in the Fast and Furious movies is the origin of Han actually came from Better Look Tomorrow, a small independent film I did with the director of Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious, Justin Lin. And Han in Better Look Tomorrow was a chain smoker. And when I got the script for Tokyo Drift, Han did smoke. And knowing that a lot of young folks watch the Fast and Furious franchise, I just felt like it was not the right thing to do to have a character that could possibly influence the idea of what it is to be, I guess, cool to be smoking. Because it’s a really bad habit and it’s very unhealthy for you.
But Han in the script, if you really look at the Fast movies, barely talks. And I felt like a snack, a character having a snack, you could be within the scene and then still have something to do. As an actor, you’re always looking for an activity, not just standing there. And when you snack, you can basically project what’s going on internally through the snack.
Sun: Oh, can you show us, give us what Sung Kang pissed off ASMR snacking looks like?
Kang: So if I’m looking at you and do something that I disagree with just before I’m about to eat it, I just toss it away, right?
Sun: We’re wasting food here.
Kang: Oh, or if I’m intrigued by what you’re saying, you know, I put it in there. Okay. Slowly chew.
Sun: I’m intrigued too.
Kang: Right? But if you’re a little anxious, you know, you’re kind of with the snack like this, you know, I’m kind of a little nervous, right?
Sun: Okay. Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you. This is the first time actually trying this too. I was like, I can’t wait. This is my first time trying the actual snacks with the snack, Sung Kang.
Kang: How do you like it?
Sun: It’s really good. Yeah. It’s like peanuts, crunchy. Can you describe, because this is also audio and video, what it tastes like?
Kang: It’s not that good. (laughing) No, the taste is really weird. It’s a, I guess it would be a very Japanese or Asian taste to it. I mean, savory, that’s for sure. I guess you could describe savory. It’s not cheesy, which I love, like cheesy, baked, you know, Lay’s chips.
Sun: When we’re talking about cheese though, like you have a favorite cheese?
Kang: My favorite cheese? I’d say blue cheese. Blue cheese, okay. I like blue cheese too. We’re not everybody likes blue cheese. Mozzarella cheese, I love, right?
Sun: Okay, well since you said these snacks were not as great, I actually have a surprise for you. Friends over at Bokksu, I don’t know if you’re familiar with them.
Kang: I don’t know Bokksu.
Sun: They send you premium snacks directly from Japan.
Kang: Wow.
Sun: I’ve never opened this before. They sent us two so we can go through it together, but I feel like it was time to upgrade the snacks.
Kang: Bokksu, I wonder what that means. Yeah. It probably means box. (laughing)
Sun: But we have a whole bunch of snacks in here. So I just wanna, can you describe your process when you’re choosing a snack first of all? What do you go for? Are you going for the crunchy? Are you going for savory, sweet? Cause there’s a little bit of everything in here.
Kang: I always look for the cheesy first. Okay. Yeah, the sweet I like to save last. I like crunchy for sure. So what do we have here? We have a little–
Sun: It’s cool because they also tell you what snacks and where they’re from.
Kang: Oh yeah?
Sun: Yeah. So we have snacks from Hiroshima, Osaka, Tokyo.
Kang: Okay, one of my favorite cities in the world is Kyoto. So what snack is– Okay, let’s look at this snack.
Sun: So it’s the one that looks like this, this and this. So okay, this is a tea. So we can’t brew tea right now, but this snack, let’s see, you can taste these all together. I’m like, I should have put this–
Kang: I can’t find it. I know. Is it this one?
Sun: Is it this one? No. It’s like a white one. Or is it this candy one? Oh, you know, it might be this candy. The handmade citrus candy? This one. Okay, should we try one?
Kang: Oh no, we don’t want the candy.
Sun: He’s like, I don’t want candy yet. Okay, so we’re going through the process.
Kang: Oh hey, hey, look at the chips. Look at the chips.
Sun: There we go, we found one.
Kang: Pure potato. Obviously it’s a potato chip. Let’s try this one. Oh my gosh, we’ll do this then. This is a great box though.
Sun: I was like, trying to open this delicately. Wow, you got it open like that. I had to tear mine from the side.
Kang: Okay. Mmm.
Sun: Yeah?
Kang: Wow. This is a delicious chip. Truffles. It’s a truffle potato chip. Yeah. This is probably very expensive. This is probably like a $30 potato chip. Wow. Wow. Very good.
Sun: Awesome. Well, I’m glad we found a snack that Sung likes so we can continue our interview, but going from acting to directing, what made you do that switch? Like what made you feel like this is my time to go from acting to directing?
Kang: By default, there’s very little opportunity for me for Sung as an actor to play roles that I feel like I can spread my wings as an actor. Being in the Fast and Fierce franchise is great. It’s changed my life and gives me access to so many things in the world, but it’s yet to quench or satiate that artistic fulfillment as an actor. And as I’ve gotten older, it’s become less about me and what legacy or what am I gonna contribute to the world before I leave?And I’ve had the opportunities to work with some great directors and filmmakers and be a part of projects that have given me so many tools in my artistic box. And I felt, and I do feel now that maybe this is how I pay it forward. And if my journey in life is not to, when I Oscar as an actor, perhaps I can create those opportunities for other folks. And I needed a reason to wake up in the morning because when you’re waiting for the phone call to happen as an actor and that phone call doesn’t happen, your light behind your eyes start to dim. And I don’t want to start aging into older life and meet people without excitement to wake up every day. And as a director, even though this is my first feature I’ve directed, every day there was a purpose behind it. And it wasn’t necessarily about me and what I wanted. It was about, hey, I have the ability and opportunity to create a experience for other people’s Hollywood. And then to be able to work with actors and actresses that I think also have the similar struggles in Hollywood, but then give them roles that are three dimensional, give them roles that I would have loved to play or opportunities in front of the camera that I would have loved. And so it wasn’t easy because you have to grow into this place in your mind where it’s not about you anymore. And again, we all need a purpose. And as a director, I can create those opportunities myself. I can write the script. I can go and raise the little money that you can get for these films, but I can create these opportunities that I’ve never had and that I yearn for, for others. So, yeah.
Sun: That’s so selfless. Sung, you’re like one of the first to really, and I have to thank you because it really has made Asian, like Asian representation, representation in general is just so huge. And to see yourself other than the stereotypes, the caricatures we had, we were able to be cool. We were able to be like, hot, you know, it’s like you can cast us to be others. But in your time as an actor, what was that one role that you crave to see on the screen, which is now you’re directing, you’re providing opportunities for that. But what is that role or maybe that movie that you wished we as Asians could have played?
Kang: Well, there’s so many, Nicki. I mean, you go on your Netflix queue or you go to the theater and you see films like, you know, Oppenheimer, or you see, you know, TV shows like Last of Us. And, you know, when you watch it, you go out, these actors get to play such a wide range of emotions. And, you know, there’s such a great character arc. So it’s almost like everything that I watch that does not have our face in it, that I yearn to play and I still yearn to play, you know? And, you know, there is this conversation that things have changed since I’ve started. Of course it has. I think the internet streaming, the world has become more global, the acceptance of Asian pop culture is very prominent today. However, you know, just speaking for myself, I think people, they get a little confused that, oh, you’re Han in this massive franchise and there must be all these opportunities. But at least I’m speaking for myself, Nicki, is that those opportunities are not there. You know, of course I can make a living, right? But many times I ask myself, what am I doing on set? And, you know, I feel like, you know, basically they can just find another Asian person to do that. And if it’s casting for diversity’s sake, it’s something that, yeah, it’s great. And it pays your bills, but it doesn’t quench that artistic thirst, that hunger. And, you know, I was listening to an interview that Michelle Yeoh did during her Oscar tour at the Hollywood Roundtable. And all of these wonderful actresses were talking about, their approach to the characters and the different roles that they got to play. And it went to Michelle. And I love her so much because she is honest and transparent and it’s not sugarcoating, like even her situation in Hollywood. And she said something in the like of, you know, it’s wonderful that you guys get to speak on that issue, that idea and the notion of, you know, being able to play so many different roles. But for her, it’s maybe once in a decade. And it made me realize that I’m not alone in my thinking and that is reality. And sure, every decade or so, there’s a movie that pops that represents, you know, Asians, I guess, in Hollywood films. But it’s, you know, we have a long way to go. And as an actor, I just don’t feel like those opportunities are coming. And that’s why by default, by necessity, you know, behind the camera is the only place that I can continue and to keep the light shining behind my eyes and be excited about waking up in the morning.
Sun: Amen, can I get a chip for that?
Kang: Yeah, especially this one.
Sun: Well, let’s talk about that because you are creating that light for other actors. I know you have the amazing lead VyVy Nguyen in “Shaky Shivers.” So can you talk about now you are creating this light for others, why horror? Like the first one to go into, was that intentional? Like what made you go, this is my directorial debut. I’m gonna do like 80s homage to comedy and horror.
Kang: I didn’t think I was gonna do a horror movie. I thought, you know, because I’m a child of the Sundance movies and those festivals and, you know, and TIFF, I thought I, you know, and I was looking for years for, you know, like a coming of age drama that represented, I guess, you know, my personal story. And I couldn’t find the right one. And also I did not have, I felt at the time, like if you start off with such a personal story, do I have the tools in my director’s toolbox to be able to execute? I questioned that. I wasn’t sure of that. And I needed something a little, like, I guess less bandwidth to sink my teeth into because I wanted to make sure, first I had the stamina and I actually, you know, I needed to find like the why behind, why am I going behind the camera? Is it a phase I’m going through? Is it just because, right?
And we shot “Shaky Shivers” during the pandemic, the height of the pandemic. It was like the peak of it. And everybody was going through a tough time. And I knew at that time, you know, I wanted to direct something, but I also didn’t want to be sad every day and, you know, and be depressed after, you know, you watch a scene. Like I wanted to laugh, you know, and I wanted to share, you know, this experience with some old friends and new friends. And, you know, it was very, I guess, selfish in that part is like, I did not want the circumstances of what everybody was going through during the pandemic to, you know, be a part of my filmmaking experience, right? Especially the first one. And my long-term and current writing partner, Anstrangoni and his buddy, Andy McAllister, wrote “Shaky Shivers” with two distinct ethos. One was they wanted to celebrate their love affair for the 70s, 80s and early 90s, practical makeup effects. That’s being replaced by technology today. And they had done a short documentary about this gentleman, Gabe Bartales, who actually made all the monsters for our film “Shaky Shivers.” And, you know, he–
Sun: Incredible, he’s a legend.
Kang: Yeah, a journeyman. Yeah. You know, and truly passionate about his craft. And his field, his art form, that generation of artisans slowly being weeded out and dying off and being replaced by technology. So they wanted to celebrate, you know, that era and that craftsmanship. And also, you know, what I used as my Northern star for “Shaky Shivers” to give me like a purpose of why I’m telling the story is Andy McAllister, one of the writers that shared with me, he’s like, you know, I created these female characters, Karen and Lucy, because I wanted to share my love affair with practical effects with my daughter, his daughter, his daughter was like eight or nine at the time. But he didn’t want to scare the bejesus out of her like a slasher horror film. And so he created these two characters that she could find and leave after watching the movie, not only, you know, experiencing the beauty of practical effects, but then also the message that this story gives that, you know, it’s okay to be comfortable in your skin. You don’t have to be the homecoming queen. You don’t have to be the most popular person in town. As long as you have one friend, one partner in crime, you’re good. That’s all that matters, especially today with all the pressures that social media gives young folks, right? Yeah. And I love that message, right? And I felt like, oh, I could do this, right? And so, you know, did I think I was gonna do a horror movie? Do I think I’m gonna continue? Probably not, right? I have other stories I want to tell, but I knew that I had a weak side. You know, my understanding of post-production, you know, was, it was non-existent, right? Like actors, you get to be a part of pre-production and you’re definitely a part of actual physical production, but post is, you know, the third part of making a film. And that’s a language that I did not understand. So I said, what a great opportunity to work on a smaller film and that doesn’t cost a lot of money. And even if we don’t make money, or if it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world. So, and at the end of it, I realized this is something I love to do. This is where the best version of “Sung” comes out, right?
And I love, I realized how much I love filmmaking. I love being the first person there. I love being the last person to lead. I love all the obstacles even that a film challenges you with. And I love the collaboration. And then I love the twinkle in everyone’s eyes when we’re doing something or we get some movie magic happening in that scene. And you get to be a part, you get to be a conductor in everybody’s Hollywood dream, right?
Sun: What has been the biggest difference? And it could be funny, it could be a challenging, but going from acting to directing, were there some things that happened on set? You know, as an actor, I got this, but as a director on a small budget film, I don’t get this. And I’m like, wow, like crafty, for instance, we don’t have crafty.
Kang: Well, we had crafty. I mean, our only currency on “Shaky Shivers” was people’s passion and our friends coming in and donating their time and cooking food for us and doing craft service for us. But, you know, I think just like in any field, the management of people and dealing with the human condition and human drama is like the hardest part. And how does one as a director in the leadership position stay zen and not allow these things that are challenging you on a daily or hourly or minute to minute basis. Now, how do you not let that energy infect the rest of the people working on the set? I mean, like we had a gentleman that caused so many problems for us. And he was in the film department, I mean, in the camera department. It was a guy that like rack focused. So, you know, he’s, you know, the DP, he’s like looking through the viewfinder and there’s someone that, you know, make sure that, you know, the scene is in focus. But this guy, sweet guy.
Sun: The 1st AC
Kang: Yeah, first AC, yeah. So this guy’s super sweet guy, but he was like half an hour to an hour late, almost every day. And on a small film like this.
Sun: You’re getting the tea today.
Kang: I mean, it costs a lot of money. It’s an hour for a small film like this. And then you could, you know, you could be shooting like your third scene for the day. But every day he’s like later and later and later. And then we started getting complaints from the different departments. Because every department had like their own cabin. So everybody roomed together in their own house. And we were getting complaints that the toilets were all clogged up, but anytime people got home, right? And then, so at first, you know, somebody within their house is like, you know, clogging up the toilets. But then we found out that this guy was like waiting for everybody to go to work. And then he would sneak into the house because he had everybody’s like door codes on this massive email chain. And he was the serial pooper.
Sun: Oh my gosh.
Kang: So he would go and clog up the toilets. And then he’s a half an hour and hour late. Like, where were you, man? And he doesn’t say anything but a quiet guy. And then, you know, and it got to a point where we were like, what is this dude? So, I remember somebody followed him and then they found out that he was sneaking into people’s homes and serial pooping.
Sun: Oh my gosh.
Kang: And then the toilets clogged up every day.
Sun: What are in these chips? I mean, I’m liking this, but you know, like–
Kang: But these are the problems you have to deal with. Like, who knew?
Sun: I mean, did that add a like spooky element?
Kang: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. There’s nothing spooky about that. It’s so frustrating because you’re like, when I watched the movie, I’m like, oh man, I could have had that one scene that, you know, we couldn’t shoot because we didn’t have the time because this guy was pooping, right? So, yeah.
Sun: Oh, I’m eating a chip for that. Yeah, ASMR would just calm the nerves down all the time. I can see why you snacking every scene. Like, this is really, really nice. But let’s talk about your lead cast. What did you find in VyVy and Brook? And were you involved in the casting process? And also, why was it so important to have like an Asian lead too? Because I’m sure because of you directing it, you had some say to make sure that representation was at the lead standpoint.
Kang: Well, I don’t really engage too much in that conversation about, you know, representation. They go, you know, as an Asian American, you know, director now, you know, are you thinking about casting Asian Americans? Like, I go, well, I don’t have to think about it. Like, it’s the world that I exist in. I don’t like go, hey, you know, let’s go and fight this fight. It’s like, well, I know that Asian Americans, you know, there’s enough good talent and great talent out there to be able to play these parts. But I don’t go in there just going, hey, I’m just gonna start casting everybody as an Asian American. I don’t think that’s fair for the project as a whole.
Sun: Yeah, 100%.
Kang: You have to hire the, you have to cast the best actor. And, you know, parts and the actor, they go together like a perfectly tailored suit, right? I mean, there are enough actors and talented actors out there that can take a role and they can execute it. And it’s like putting on a jacket off the rack. It fits, right? But then a tailored suit, a tailored jacket is perfect for that person. And when you watch films and you go, story was great, production was great, the director obviously knows what he’s doing. And then however, that role and that character, something just did not like work, right? And then you see a film and you’re like, oh my God, that person was born to play that role. And so that was the approach that I went into casting.
And Brooke Markham that plays Lucy, she was the first person to be cast. And she was referred to me by producers that had worked with her in the past. And it’s within like 30 seconds, you know, there is this vulnerability, there’s this ability and there’s this light behind her eyes that, okay, this is a person that’s gonna be able to bring Lucy off the paper and make it her own, right? So, what is the method behind the madness? It’s like, you just trust your gut and you go, that is Lucy, she was born to play Lucy. Now, Karen was just difficult overall because I looked at all different ethnic backgrounds, right? So yes, it’d be great to have an Asian American person to play that, but I opened it up just as I would hope that, if I’m in a project, I don’t wanna be cast just because I’m Asian American, right? I don’t want that charity. I want to be the person that visionary, that director says he was born to play that, right? And so we just kept looking and looking and looking and looking and didn’t matter if they were white, African American, Hispanic, it did not matter. It just, there was no fit and I didn’t know what to do, right, and it was like, on the last hour, a friend of mine that went to UCLA film school had cast VyVy in his thesis project in his short film. I was telling him about the character and how difficult it was and then he showed me this tape and I was like, wow, that’s Karen. That’s, VyVy is Karen, even in the short. It’s like, that’s Karen. And then we did a chemistry read with Brooke and VyVy and within the first 30 seconds, we go these are tailored parts for them, right? And the rest of it, it’s having seasoned actors, actors that actually care about their craft that call them like real, real thespians, real actors and that in town just to be famous or make a buck.
They are, when you talk to Brooke and Vivi, they are trained and serious thespians, right? So it made my job super easy. I mean, the director’s job is just to hire people that are better and more talented than you and then it makes your job easy. So somehow we got lucky and it worked out but I don’t like it when someone meets me and they’re like, hey, I’m gonna cast you in this film for diversity’s sake. I go, I don’t want that role. That’s like, I don’t want your pity. Like in my– – I said charity, we don’t need your charity. Yeah, I don’t want that. Cause then it’s gonna, the film’s gonna suffer and then the camera doesn’t lie. Camera knows, right? And the audience will see that, oh, there was probably somebody better but he’s here for diversity’s sake and I don’t wanna do that, right?
Sun: Yeah, well, what has been the most joyful part about directing VyVy and Brooke in their scenes or even Herschel, like when he spoke yesterday, he’s like, what a sweet man. I didn’t know if he was that tall or he shot forced perspective. So when he stood up, I was like, oh, he really is that tall. But yeah, could you describe the process of you as a director? What was your process like on set?
Kang: Well, each actor is different. You have to approach each actor differently. Brooke, I don’t have to tell her anything. She is trained in Lambda. She comes from Shakespeare background and she will take the role and just make it her own, right? So she shows up prepared, everything. She makes everything her own. So basically it’s just calling action with her. And if you have some questions, a director has to see the force from the tree. And so you help her kind of go, okay, this is where you were the moment before and this is where we’re going. But with her, it’s super easy, right? And VyVy, I leaned on her because her enthusiasm and her energy is so infectious. She’s like, she is like a shining light when you walk into a room, right? Like her love and her appreciation of being on a movie set, right? It’s still, I wouldn’t call it young, but I would call it, it’s vibrant, right? And in terms of the work as an actress, again, she’s super trained. So there’s really nothing for me to do, right? And Herschel, it’s interesting, Herschel and I have known each other probably like 25 to 28 years and he was my Shakespeare tutor, right? So he actually taught me Shakespeare, right? In our theater company. And just because I think just, he needed, I would say, more conversation before each morning started, right? And I think there’s some actors that just wanna talk it out. So we would spend like an hour before talking about the scene, where that character’s in the moment and what he thought about the words. And because he has this love for Shakespeare, the word is so important for him. So it’s to go into the subtext and talk about, what are we actually saying? And what are we not saying what’s underneath the word? So with Herschel, I did in mind because we have such long history and he cared, right? So as a director, you realize, I guess it’s kind of like being a parent with a bunch of kids. Each kid, you’re gonna have to approach them differently. Some kids, I talk to my friends that have children and they go, the daughter, I never have to tell her to do homework, right? But her IQ is actually lower than the son that they have to like basically strangle to get him to finish his homework, right?
So it’s just, I think, understanding who and what their cadence is, right? And just kind of being there for them, right?
Sun: How much of a fan are you of horror films? Because I’m gonna come clean when I was given the opportunity to possibly interview you. Like, you’re gonna watch the film. I don’t do horror, I don’t do scary. I get scared at the slightest thing. I think I had nightmares watching like Super Mario, the live version for like five years. I was like, oh my gosh, I recruited like a couple of friends to watch it with me. And it wasn’t that scary. It was funny, it was well grounded. You got me to really like horror movies again in that way because as you were saying, like there’s so many different like horror films now that it’s just too crazy. Like I can’t stomach that, but can you stomach like horror films?
Kang: Not the ones of late. You know, the ones from when I was growing up, they weren’t, I think, you know, there was still like a filter between you and I think the characters within the film, right? Because I remember there were practical effects. So, you know, you knew as soon as you watched it, it was like, this is fake, right? Where today, you know, with technology is taking over, so you can’t tell many times. And I just don’t like being scared, right? And I don’t like gore. I don’t like devils and exorcisms and stuff like that. Like I just, it’s not my thing, right? So, you know, films from the 80s and 70s, like I can eat them up all day because to me, they’re, you know, they’re always borderline campy, right? So, and a lot of times they don’t take them so seriously, right? You know, I think the scariest movie I ever saw growing up was like Exorcist, which is like, I mean, that stuff, kids should not watch that, right? And I think because of that film, I don’t like that type of film that makes you have nightmares. I like the campy stuff, like, you know, like Evil Dead and, you know, they’re monsters and there’s all this crazy stuff going on. But again, there’s this gap between like, you know, the audience and what’s going on, you know, on, you know, in the movie. So it’s like, most of the time I’m laughing, right? And that’s where, you know, I really wanted, you know, Shaky Shivers to be like, people say it’s, describe it as a horror comedy, but actually it’s a comedy for me using the tropes of the, you know, early horror movies, right?
Sun: Yeah, no, the friendship was just so beautiful to see and especially from two female perspectives because we don’t see that a lot as well as, you know, a diverse like best friend kind of like buddy comedy horror. So kudos on that. There was a couple of things that happened in the scene though they were talking about things that they were embarrassed by in their high school and I was wondering if you have any memories of high school or time that you can share that you were embarrassed by.
Kang: Yeah, Karen talks about her pooping in her pants, right? When she went cross country, right? And that was actually, I could totally relate with that. When I was in high school.
Sun: Was that drawing from your own experience?
Kang: For sure, for sure, yeah.
Sun: Just wanted to double check.
Kang: I was in high school, I think sophomore, sophomore in high school and I had the flu, right? My mom, she still sent me to school. She sent me to school even if I was, like I could have had my leg amputated and I still had to go to school, right? I was like, it was like, I mean, this was a bad flu and I remember I think I was in like algebra two class or something like that and then I needed to go to the bathroom and to go pee and I was standing there and then I sneezed and I pooped in my pants.
Sun: What did you do afterwards? Did anybody see, did anybody hear? We’re just backing away?
Kang: No, no, no, no, no, no. It was, so I was alone in the bathroom and I’m like, and there’s, like it’s not something you could just like wipe away. Like it was, I was like, oh my God, like everything, like everything is out in my pants, right? And I’m looking down and I’m like, oh, oh, any minute now, someone’s gonna come in and like the world is passing in my head, like I’m going, oh no, they’re gonna come in and I’m gonna be the dude that pooped in his pants and I’m not gonna hear the end of this. So I took off my underwear and I threw it in the garbage, right? And there’s poop everywhere. There’s like a whole trail of poop, right? I mean, it’s like, it’s like, it’s diarrhea. It’s not even poop, it’s diarrhea. It’s like a gallon of diarrhea just trailing to the garbage can and nothing, I’m like, okay, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. So I just started running. I hopped over the fence and I like ran home.
Sun: And no one saw you.
Kang: I think people saw me, but I’m running like full sprint. Like I just, I ran home and then as soon as I got in front of the house, like I got the water hose and I hosed myself down and I stayed, you know, and then I went in my room and like just went out of the covers and I was just praying that nobody saw me go into the bathroom. And, you know, the next day I went back to school and you know, no one saw it. Nobody saw it, yeah. And now I don’t care. Like, you know, it doesn’t matter. Now it’s a good story, but yeah, I did poop in my pants.
Sun: (laughing) Sung Kang pooping in your pants. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Okay, well, I mean, I guess things are only embarrassing if you get caught, right? But that was embarrassing to you personally.
Kang: Oh yeah, come on. And it was like diarrhea in your pants. Like in high school, it’s like end of your life, man. (laughing)
Sun: But you’re like, look at you now (laughing) And then they were talking about Shaky Shivers being the new flavor (ice cream shake). If you were to create your own Shaky Shivers, what flavor would it be? What would be in your shaky shivers?
Kang: I think the base would be Rocky Road ice cream, which I love, right? – Yeah.
Sun: And what else would there be?
Kang: Maybe there would be some mochi. I think, I love mochi.
Sun: With the marshmallow from the Rocky Road? Or substitute to that?
Kang: Yeah, for sure. No, no, no, no, no. Put that in there. Like a really light mochi. And then just like a really fine, fine, like high quality whipped cream, right?
Sun: What is high quality to you? It’s like a lot of, if it’s more dense or it’s more like airy.
Kang: Well, I don’t even know how whipped cream is made, so I just know it tastes good. It would be like a very fancy version of Cool Whip that tells you like, I don’t know, whipped cream at all. But Cool Whip is pretty good, right?
Sun: Yeah, yeah. So it’s like, so the Cool Whip to me is more on the dense side, and then you have the Reddi whip, which is like out of the can
Kang: No, no, no, that isno good.
Sun: So that’s not the high quality one. We’re talking about Cool Whip high quality whipped cream.
Kang: Yeah, yeah. Cool Whip. I think I’ve seen that. There’s like regular Cool Whip, and then there’s always a premium version, right? Like the blue label Cool Whip. (laughing) – And if not, you need to like clean that. – Or organic milk or whatever, organic cream, I’m sure. It’s just an excuse to charge more money.
Sun: Yeah, well, let me ask you a question, just, you know, Asian to Asian. Are you lactose intolerant?
Kang: No.
Sun: You’re not? I am so beyond jealous right now.
Kang: I don’t think a lot of Koreans are lactose. I think more Japanese are. What are you?
Sun: I’m Chinese.
Kang: Yeah, are you lactose intolerant?
Sun: Yeah, I’m lactose, but I wasn’t lactose until like 10 years ago. And I could eat cheese as long as I pop in a lactase pill, but even if I do ice cream and cheesecake, I still can’t do. So when I saw Shaky Shivers and it’s like ice cream, and I’m like, well, no one on that set is lactose intolerant.
Kang: Yeah, it seems like more Japanese folks or people that come from Japanese, like background or lactose. Koreans, I don’t, is most of the Koreans I know, they can put down some ice cream.
Sun: Yeah, okay, so you would go for the Rocky Road. Your Shaky Shivers would be Rocky Road, Premium, Cool Whip, and Mochi. Okay, all right, Shaky Shivers by Sung Kang, the ice cream. Oh, I love that. Well, I gotta ask like, what, if I’m allowed to, because I know we have a whole bunch of things going on in our industry right now, but what is next for you that you can talk about?
Kang: Well, I can talk about them because, and we’re in the height of the strike right now. And the great thing about the Screen Actor Guilds Union, you know, the Actors Union is that it’s not like they don’t want their members to not work. So, you know, I’ve been working since we’ve been on strike because, you know, each production that I’ve been a part of applied for the interim agreement. So as long as these projects are in line with whatever future negotiations that SAG is fighting for, they’re okay for their members to go and work on it, right? So I just did a film in Asia with this wonderful Asian American director that I always looked up to, George Huang, who did “Swimming with Sharks” back in the 90s. And he’s a, you know, he teaches screenplay writing at UCLA currently. And we got to go and collaborate together in Asia and make this like, you know, this action love story. And so as an actor, I just, I literally just finished that one up. And then I have a, like a non-scripted, like world travel show that I’m hosting(…) to talk to people that have a connection with cars. But it’s really not–
Sun: I think you know something about that.
Kang: But I don’t really go and talk to them about the cars so much. It’s really about what makes them inspiring people because in my experience, I’ve noticed that when somebody is really great at racing or car building, there’s something usually very admirable and amazing about them as a person. So, you know, through cars, I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people that I admire. I was like, I love to share that side of these people in the car community. And then on the director’s side, I am ready to, like I am itching to go and direct another film. So I have-
Sun: You got the bug, you got the bug, the director’s bug. So what would the next film be for a director? You did horror comedy. What’s the next genre?
Kang: The next one is, it leans towards comedy. I guess it would be in a tone of like the original “Wonder Years,” right? But it’s about my childhood with my parents and my sister and the deep South where I grew up in Georgia, Gainesville, Georgia. Gainesville, I grew up in Gainesville. That’s small. It’s a poultry capital of America. So we don’t have much going on there, but it was a great childhood. And I’d love to tell that story about my family and that time in the 80s growing up. And then being a family, especially a biracial family at that time, like growing up in the deep South, but then laughing at it and using comedy to address all of the issues that we had to deal with during that time. And it’s very personal that I do that movie first because my father, he’s getting older and his health is not that great. So I don’t know how much time we have left with him. So I’d like to finish that movie before he leaves us.
Sun: Amazing, thank you for giving us such insight. I just wanna go back a little bit because you said that the film that you’re doing for your family about, what is it about your family that you love the world to know? What is the most important crucial element in that that you hope audiences will get from that?
Kang: I hope, you know, I think right now, I hope I can execute it, but the thing that my parents have left and given me, I think to even be able to navigate Hollywood and be a person that looks like me in America and still keep that light behind my eyes is that they never saw themselves as victims of any situation, right? You know, my stepfather is African-American and he marched with Martin Luther King. He grew up in a time where he would tell me, it’s like, you know, he had to worry about getting lynched, right? But he does not see himself as a victim of anything, right? And my mother finds comedy in every situation, right? And they, you know, they worked hard in their life. There was a lot of struggles, like, you know, and anytime I’m about to start feeling sorry for myself or start blaming the situation or blaming somebody else, I step back and I go, you know, what would they do? And my mother would definitely just laugh at it and make fun of it, right? And then my dad would say, you know, it’s like, look, this is life, you know, it’s like, that is just a part of life. It’s like, so what’s the solution? You gotta work harder, right? You gotta be the first one there, last one to leave and as long as you know, and then there’s good enough people out there that they will know. And you stick with that, just keep forging it and one step forward, like, to dwell in, you know, the negativity and look at the world, you know, half empty. It’s like, where’s that gonna get you? You know, and then when I was younger, I didn’t understand it. I’m just like, you know, are you just passive or, you know, why are you so docile in these situations? But, you know, it’s like, what is that? What is the point? And it’s something that in the worst, you know, circumstances, they were able to like rise up and still find like beauty and people and positivity. Like, you know, my dad,he refuses to talk about and remember and give like the spotlight on people that did him wrong, right? He’s like, you know, one state, take that real estate in your head, that’s when they start winning, right? So I hope through this film and I get to share, you know, what, you know, type of music and cadence that they had in their life. And there was always happy songs, you know, it was like happy days for them all the time. Even though, you know, if you really look back on it, it was like some really, really tough and difficult days, you know, so. Yeah.
Sun: My gosh, well, can we end on one sweet snack?
Kang: Sure.
Sun: Yeah, your pick, dealers choice. Well, not dealers choice.
Kang: Let’s see, let’s go, let’s see. Ooh, I love this stuff. All right, what is that, the makgeolli? This is a, yeah, a maple cream pancake. The Japanese snacks, man, I mean, they know.
Sun: I’m gonna try this other one that we were going to open, but you’re like, nah. (laughing) (crunching) I was like,(…) although if I keep putting this in my mouth, you’ll hear like clanking against my teeth. So I’m just gonna look at and like put it back in the bag. – So good. – But this one’s mine, you can have the other one. – So good.
Kang: Are they here in America?
Sun: I believe they are, but they are directly shipped from Japan and every month is different. They package premium Japanese snacks so people can experience Japanese culture all over the world, which I think is really, really cool.
Kang: That’s great.
Sun: Yeah, I have to ask too really quickly, what car did you drive over here?
Kang: I didn’t drive today.
Sun: You didn’t?
Kang: No, but typically my daily driver is, I think one of the best cars ever made for mankind is, I have a, my daily driver is a, 2023 Toyota Sienna and a minivan.
Sun: Minivan.
Kang: It has 18 cup holders, Nicki.
Sun: 18 cup, do you use all 18 cup holders?
Kang: I do, unfortunately. Most of the time it’s filled with a bunch of junk.
Sun: What’s going in your 18 cup holders?
Kang: I mean, cup holders is really underappreciated.
Sun: The world wants to know Sung. What do you put in your 18 cup holders?
Kang: Cups.
Sun: Yeah, cups.
Kang: Cups, you know, your iPhone, your chargers, come on, you can put these snacks in there. I could throw a bottle of water and it’s gonna hit a cup holder. And this thing gets 36 miles a gallon. I mean, gas in my neighborhood is like $6.50 a gallon. And look, I have other sports cars, but with a minivan, it’s great because you’re under the radar, like police never bother you. Because even if you’re going fast, you look like you’re going slow. Right? And when you’re tired, you can just pull over. I have this mattress for my dogs in the back. And when I was editing Shaky Shivers, sometimes I’d be driving home at like four in the morning from downtown and I couldn’t make it sometimes. So I would pull over and just go to sleep for half an hour, right? So this van has changed my, I think like whole being, because I’m so happy.
Sun: That is so deep
Kang: I mean, I think it’s one of the best inventions ever created by a human being. And also–
Sun: Is there a table in the middle?
Kang: There is.
Sun: Can you fold down the middle seat?
Kang: Well, there’s like, you know, it’s almost like a full table. You could like get in and out and in the box, and then you could just, you could literally just set it there. And it’s like a driving table, right?
Sun: Oh my goodness.
Kang: And then I don’t have this option because it wasn’t available. Like the car that I got didn’t have this, but there’s a vacuum cleaner option. So you can just literally pull out a little hose and for kids like drop in their snacks.
I mean, it seats nine, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, eight. Most minivan seat, seven, this seats eight. So I like to drive and I like to drive people around. And you know, it has like a phone charger. You just put your phone down. It’s like, it has that, like the Bluetooth in that is great.
Sun: Man, you are selling this.
Kang: No, and look, Toyota doesn’t pay me nothing. Like I have no connection with him, right? But I’m —
Sun: We’re all about to get minivans.
Kang: Yeah, I mean, the Toyota Sienna and the minivan is where it’s at. Have other cars. Like, you know, look, you gotta have like, you know, have your sports car, have all of that. That’s all great, but 36 miles a gallon, come on, right?
Sun: And a minivan? On top of that?
Kang: Yeah, and just, it’s so smooth, so quiet. No one ever bothers me, right? You don’t really have to worry about people trying to like, you know, mess up your car, break into your car. Cause what’s a minivan gonna have? Like a baby seat, right?
Sun: 18 cup holders.
Kang: Yeah, it’s the best car, best car.
Sun: Oh my gosh, well, I love to end, this is where I ask everybody the question, is what do you wish society focused on more? Like, is there something that’s been on your mind lately? Like, you know, I wish society talked about this more.
Kang: Huh, well, I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, but I used to think, I used to think that people got along, especially in America, better. You know, no matter religion, sex, orientation, you know, politics, I felt like there was still this overall pride of being American.
And that was, to me, I was like, what, that’s the American spirit is that? It’s this acceptance and tolerance of whatever you are, and whatever you believe in, we’re still on the same team. And I don’t feel that as much. And maybe it’s because I’m getting older and I’m not in touch with really what the zeitgeist is today. But, you know, it’s hard for me to be on social media and even watch the news today. It’s because everybody’s arguing with each other, you know? And I think if we just listened, and it’s not about you, right? All the time it’s about us, right? And how can we, and what can we do to make us better? And not you better, it’s not just about you, right? But us better. I think that respect and that love affair we had of being American and living in this country, that we would be proud again. You know, it’s like when I travel around now, it’s like, you know, when you used to say, hey, you know, I live in LA, I’m from America, it’s like, you know, people’s eyes would light up, right? Levi’s was like, if you had Levi’s, it was like, wow, that’s from America.
And not so much, and it saddens me. It really, really makes me sad. And I’m so proud to say that I’m from America, that I grew up here, that this is who I am. But something is going on, and look, we need to argue, we need to debate, but at the end of it, we still need to come together and be able to break bread and still be able to shake hands and give each other a hug goodbye. And there’s less and less of that, so I just wish, I hope that all of this eventually, the dust settles, and then we realize that, hey, man, we’re all here together, because if they lose, I lose, if I lose, you lose, right? So, and I know it’s hard, you know, it’s like, and I’m not political, like I don’t, you know, I wouldn’t say, and I’m an activist, I don’t like to talk about, you know, that on a personal level to the public, but I do feel like I’ve had this blessing to be able to play a character like Han in “Fast and Furious” where I can go anywhere in the world, and people feel like they’ve grown up with me, they feel like they know me, they feel like they can trust me.
Sun: They have a friend.
Kang: Yeah. And it’s beautiful because they don’t care what my religion is or my politics are, they don’t even care, you know, what my ethnicity is, they just go, hey, you know, you like cars, you’re a cool dude, you like snacks, we’re all the same, right? Yeah.
Sun: Well, Sung, I appreciate you, thank you for breaking bread, breaking snacks with me, taking us through a joy ride of minivans, pooping, and your directorial debut, Shaky Shivers, thank you so much for being here, it really has meant a lot.
Kang: Thank you, Nicki, really enjoyed this conversation.
Sun: Appreciate you. Well, thank you to everyone who is watching and listening to The Nicki Sun Show, I’ll see you in the next episode, bye! (upbeat music)