{"id":2879,"date":"2016-10-11T13:26:31","date_gmt":"2016-10-11T13:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thunderbird.tv\/2016\/10\/11\/kims-convenience-bypasses-stereotypes-for-authentic-slice-of-korean-culture\/"},"modified":"2016-10-11T13:26:31","modified_gmt":"2016-10-11T13:26:31","slug":"kims-convenience-bypasses-stereotypes-for-authentic-slice-of-korean-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thunderbird.tv\/2016\/10\/11\/kims-convenience-bypasses-stereotypes-for-authentic-slice-of-korean-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Kim’s Convenience bypasses stereotypes for authentic slice of Korean culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cecilia Lu \/ Daily Hive Vancouver<\/em><\/p>\n

Kim\u2019s Convenience<\/em>, which premieres this\u00a0week on CBC, is the latest Canadian entry in a new trend of diverse programming on the small screen.<\/p>\n

Culminating recently with Netflix-breaker Luke Cage<\/em>, the movement really grew legs around series\u00a0like Fresh Off the Boat<\/em> and Empire<\/em>. Now it\u2019s Canada\u2019s moment to shine, and Kim\u2019s Convenience<\/em> stands to become one of the most important pillars in CBC\u2019s house of cards.<\/p>\n

The series centres\u00a0around the everyday life of a Korean-Canadian family in Toronto, made up of immigrant parents\u00a0and their two adult(ish) children. Featuring an all-Asian main cast, Kim\u2019s<\/em> belies the now-scrutinized stereotype that Asians can\u2019t play starring roles. What\u2019s more, the show goes deeper\u00a0by creating diverse and nuanced roles, ones outside of your typical movie-star handsome, youthful and perfectly-accented stars.<\/p>\n

How does Kim\u2019s Convenience<\/em> resonate with your life? What really hit home for you?<\/h3>\n

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee:<\/strong> Oh my god, the whole thing. I used to joke that [Kim\u2019s<\/em> creator] Ins Choi was following me around. The Korean family that runs a convenience store and lives above it \u2013 that was my family. Kim\u2019s<\/em> made me realize that I had never seen any semblance of my family\u2019s story on screen. When you\u2019ve gone so long in your life without seeing anything like that, you try to go on other peoples\u2019 stories. There\u2019s always a bit of a disconnect \u2013 you\u2019ll be watching something and go, \u201cOh, that\u2019s an idealistic White family life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Andrea Bang:<\/strong> Janet and I are quite different. I think she\u2019s cooler. [laughs]<\/em> She\u2019s a lot more feisty; she would be in the middle of things, where I\u2019d probably just sit on the side and hide.<\/p>\n

Paul, you\u2019ve carried the character of Appa through\u00a0a national theatre tour and now a\u00a0TV series. Did you ever think you\u2019d get this far?<\/h3>\n

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee:<\/strong> Years ago, we always had these big aspirations, joking around about \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great with\u2026\u201d We had high hopes but limited expectations because, well, we\u2019re in Canada.\u00a0It\u2019s one of these blessings that just kept on coming on and on. It was a dream for me, but it seemed like something unattainable, like winning Lotto 6\/49.<\/p>\n

Andrea, you\u2019re relatively new to the acting scene \u2013\u00a0this is your first breakout role. What\u00a0was the audition process like for you?<\/h3>\n

Andrea Bang:<\/strong> It was crazy. I sent a tape from Vancouver, and waited for two to three weeks. I went through all the emotions, before I found out that I got a callback. Finally, we did a chemistry test in Toronto, and that\u2019s where I first met Paul.<\/p>\n

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee:<\/strong> She was amazing. She was up against a shortlist \u2013 the best of the best. The other ladies were all fantastic in their own right, but there was something about the way Andrea did Janet. When we did the scene, she got so mad. We dropped the pretence of being actors, and were so present and immediate in the scene.<\/p>\n

Andrea Bang:<\/strong> At the end, I was sick for a week, because I had been so stressed!<\/p>\n

Why do you think this show\u00a0is important for Canadian audiences and identity?<\/h3>\n

Andrea Bang:<\/strong> Growing up, for me, I didn\u2019t have a lot of actors to relate to, and that\u2019s one of the reasons why I didn\u2019t pursue acting until later. I didn\u2019t think it was a possibility. Unconsciously, my brain would be attracted to the token Asian character on screen. Like in the original Power Rangers<\/em>, there was one Asian character, Trini. Or in All American Show<\/em>, with Margaret Cho \u2013 I thought that was an awesome show,\u00a0but\u00a0it was cancelled after one season.<\/p>\n

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee:<\/strong> Canada isn\u2019t white anymore. When our culture isn\u2019t reflected on our screens or our stages, it doesn\u2019t promote a sense of unity. When I was growing up, I didn\u2019t have many idols of strong Asian men. When you\u2019re raised without seeing yourself on screen, it affects your sense of self-worth. It\u2019s important for Canada, especially, to show that we\u2019re a diverse, dynamic society. When you finally see something like Kim\u2019s<\/em>, you realize that there\u2019s a part of you that\u2019s been underrepresented and buried by so years of being silent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cecilia Lu \/ Daily Hive Vancouver Kim\u2019s Convenience, which premieres this\u00a0week on CBC, is the latest Canadian entry in a new trend of diverse programming on the small screen. Culminating recently with Netflix-breaker Luke Cage, the movement really grew legs around series\u00a0like Fresh Off the Boat and Empire. Now it\u2019s Canada\u2019s moment to shine, and … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKim's Convenience bypasses stereotypes for authentic slice of Korean culture - Thunderbird Entertainment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thunderbird.tv\/2016\/10\/11\/kims-convenience-bypasses-stereotypes-for-authentic-slice-of-korean-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kim's Convenience bypasses stereotypes for authentic slice of Korean culture - Thunderbird Entertainment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cecilia Lu \/ Daily Hive Vancouver Kim\u2019s Convenience, which premieres this\u00a0week on CBC, is the latest Canadian entry in a new trend of diverse programming on the small screen. 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