Interviews with Daniel Dae Kim

[Lost News]

The Insider, 3/22/06:

Is Lost's Jin Going to Be a Dad?
by Matt Webb Mitovich

Does Sun have a bun... in the oven? That is the question fans of ABC's Lost (Wednesdays at 9 pm/ET) have been left to ponder in the wake of the latest promo, which has Jin's honey raiding Sawyer's stash for a pregnancy test. Is our population of castaways going to increase by one? TVGuide.com spoke to Daniel Dae Kim about the prospect of Jin celebrating Father's Day on the island, his 24 encore and more.

TVGuide.com: In this week's episode, "The Whole Truth," what story is Lost telling?
Daniel Dae Kim: You're going to see another chapter in Jin and Sun's story that complicates their history. You're also going to see on the island an event that changes their future.

TVGuide.com: The promos show Sun asking Sawyer for a pregnancy-test kit. Is that a big part of what happens?
Kim: Yeah. That's one of the big questions: Why is she looking for the pregnancy test and what might the result be?

TVGuide.com: Is this possible pregnancy the outcome of something Sun and Jin did before the flight, or have they been enjoying some off-screen, behind-the-palm-trees nookie?
Kim: [Laughs] Well, since they reunited, they have "found a new appreciation for each other." Let's put it that way.

TVGuide.com: Does Jin appear in the episode's flashbacks, or are they primarily about Sun?
Kim: It's more Sun's story this week, but Jin plays a pretty pivotal role. It seems like our history is always tied together somehow.

TVGuide.com: How does what happens change the dynamic between them?
Kim: It will be majorly different. Let me put it another way: Something significant happens that's going to change the course of their relationship. Watching them and how they have interacted since reuniting will prove to have been worthwhile, because you'll soon see them interacting on a different level.

TVGuide.com: OK, but Jin's not going to be speaking perfect English by the end of the episode, is he?
Kim: Not that I know of. [Laughs] But who knows!

TVGuide.com: Were you relieved or disappointed that the second round of Jin-Sun flashbacks softened up your character a bit? The first flashbacks painted him as a ruthless sort.
Kim: The great thing about this show is that with every flashback we learn something more about each character. Just like in my experiences with real people, no one person is all good and no one person is all bad. As you learn everyone's history, you start seeing them as more than just a "good guy" or a "bad guy."

TVGuide.com: What sort of new doors have been opened for you since Lost started?
Kim: It's been good. In terms of trying to find a project over the hiatus, I've been meeting a lot of people, and I feel like Lost has really increased my profile a little bit. It's a great show — well written and well acted. I'm glad the people in the industry enjoy it.

TVGuide.com: Are you one of Jorge Garcia's poker buddies?
Kim: Yeah, I am. Jorge and I are probably the two most enthusiastic poker players in the cast.

TVGuide.com: Jorge told me that what he wants to do with his Lost raise is buy one of those professional-quality automatic card shufflers like they have in Vegas, which can handle a couple of decks at once.
Kim: Yeah, we tried out a couple of the ones you can buy in the stores and they don't work too well.

TVGuide.com: Who are the big winners at the games?
Kim: Jorge's won once, I've won once, Josh [Holloway] has won once.... Harold [Perrineau, Michael] bets big. [Laughs] Cynthia Watros (Libby) has played with us.

TVGuide.com: Oh, the girls get invited, too?
Kim: The women are always invited, it's just a matter of whether they'd like to participate. It's a great way for all of us to get together and spend time doing something not related to the show.

TVGuide.com: What have been the best and worst parts of shooting a TV show in Hawaii?
Kim: The best part about shooting in Hawaii is that it's Hawaii. [Laughs] People make it their goal to live in a place like that, and we not only get to live there but we have incredible jobs there. The worst part is being so far from my family and friends on the mainland.

TVGuide.com: When I honeymooned in Maui, I was initially skeptical about why all the locals were so friendly. Then it hit me — they live and work in Hawaii. Of course they're happy!
Kim: I think you hit it on the head. There's a reason it's called paradise.

TVGuide.com: How many episodes does Lost have left to shoot?
Kim: I think we're shooting Episode 20 now, so we've got three or four more to go.

TVGuide.com: The producers have said that a May sweeps episode — perhaps the season finale — will reveal the exact reason Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. Are you excited to have that question answered for yourself?
Kim: Anything I can learn about the story line and what's going to happen in the future is welcome.

TVGuide.com: I understand that you reprised your role of SWAT team leader Tom Baker for the recently released 24 video game?
Kim: Yes, I recorded a part for the game and I was really thrilled to be able to do it. I loved my time on 24. I appreciated it and thought I was really lucky, because it's another show like Lost — very well written and well acted. To be a part of the video game made me feel a little more like a part of their family.

TVGuide.com: Do you keep tabs on 24?
Kim: I haven't, because it's a show I'd rather watch on DVD, to be honest with you. I feel like a bit of a junkie — I have to get my fix really quick.

TVGuide.com: You were featured in People's last "Sexiest Man Alive" issue. In retrospect, do you think there's anything you could have done to beat Matthew McConaughey for the 2005 title?
Kim: [Laughs] It's just an honor to be nominated.

 

[Lost News]

And a related article from USAToday:

Kim surfaces as sex symbol on 'Lost'
By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

After chatting for a half-hour on the phone from Hawaii, he mentions that fans might be interested to know that tonight on Lost, "there's a pretty long scene in which I'm shirtless."

Then he adds, "Oh, man, I think I'm red."

Ever since an episode in November featured a shirtless Kim, 37, revealing rippling abs, his profile has jumped. He's a sex symbol, and even rarer, an Asian sex symbol.

"Let's face it: Asian men aren't necessarily considered sexy in America, and severe underrepresentation in the media has a lot to do with that," says Phil Yu, creator of angryasianman.com, which tracks all things Asian. "It's not that Asian men aren't or can't be sexy. You just normally don't get to see it.

"That's why it's so refreshing to see a regular Asian guy like Daniel Dae Kim portrayed and perceived as likable and attractive, just like anybody else on television."

Wednesday on Lost (ABC, 9 ET/PT), the story focuses on Kim, who plays Jin-Soo Kwon, and his wife, Sun, played by Yunjin Kim (no relation). Viewers will learn more about "the secrets that damaged the foundation of their marriage," he says.

Kim praises the complexity of his character but says fans didn't always see it that way. "When I started, I got a lot of letters for my portrayal of an Asian man. They were concerned the character might be stereotypical and that he was one-dimensional." But as his character has softened, "the mail has been really positive. I think it was the fact you got to see a lot of different colors. He wasn't just this overbearing, domineering husband."

Adding to the mystique is that Jin speaks only Korean. Kim had to brush up on his Korean to play him. Although his family moved from South Korea to Pennsylvania when he was a toddler and he spoke Korean exclusively at home until he was 6, he began to forget it as he went through school. The show has tutored him.

Kim says the cast has banded together. "As the show got successful, it became this whirlwind. I think all of us got caught up in it." Now, "we're familiar with Hawaii, our characters, each other. We've become more of a family."

He recently bought a house in Hawaii and says his wife and their two sons, ages 9 and 4, love to be outdoors. The good weather helps him keep in shape for those shirtless shots, but he doesn't do a certain number of sit-ups each day.

Instead, "I try and do something active — running, hiking or playing tennis."

He laughs when he thinks about making People's list of the sexiest men alive in 2005. "It's not ever something I saw as a career goal. It's very flattering. I'm hoping I'm the first in a long line of Asian men and women to be seen that way."

As for the sexy scene tonight, Kim says it takes place in the bedroom. "I think I'm going to watch it with one eye closed."

 

[Scarlet Crystal]

He's such a nice guy. ^_^