When Sung Kang stopped by Deadline’s New Hollywood Podcast, we learned a lot about his return to the Fast and Furious franchise with F9, which Universal will release in theaters June 25. He also shared a lot about his time in Hollywood.
First thing’s first, he introduced us to his dog, Daeji who is a star all by himself. From there, Kang talked about his early days in film and TV which included an “embellished” management firm as well as his role in the 2002 groundbreaking Sundance pic Better Luck Tomorrow directed by Justin Lin. The ahead-of-its-time drama was bolstering Asian representation in film before Hollywood realized diverse storytelling was something people wanted. And let’s not forget — Better Luck Tomorrow is unofficially part of the Fast & Furious universe. To many, it’s considered a prequel to the first Fast & Furious movie which debuted in 2001.
Fast-forward to 2021, Kang’s career is flourishing as he returns to the ninth installment of the blockbuster which has proven to be a timeline-hopping and nitrous-infused romp for over two decades. Kang’s return as Han Lue is a huge deal as his first appearance was in 2006’s Tokyo Drift — where he died. Then he became so popular that the franchise started to build around him. He appeared in 2009’s Fast & Furious, 2011’s Fast Five and 2013’s Fast & Furious 6 — both of which happened before his death in Tokyo Drift. In the sixth installment, we learn that Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw caused Han’s death. From there, a #JusticeForHan campaign kicked off and director Lin responded.
Watch on Deadline
Kang talked to us about his journey as Han which began with Better Luck Tomorrow and how it was like returning to finally return the blockbuster franchise amidst the wildly popular #JusticeForHan campaign. He also shared his hidden talent of miming with us. Listen to the episode below.