Grace Park stands as an Asian icon in entertainment who has paved the way for a more inclusive industry. As an ambassador for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Park is not just a figurehead; she actively stands as a shepherd to shaping the industry’s future. In an exclusive interview with Cold Tea Collective’s Natasha Jung at the festival, Park delves into her expansive career, its evolution, and the profound impact she envisions for the next generation of Asian artists and storytellers.
The pressures of the pursuit of perfectionism
Park compares her roles on Hawaii Five-0 with her current one as Katherine Kim on ABC’s A Million Little Things. As Officer Kalakaua, Park had to be a police officer, a professional surfer, a black belt jiu-jitsu expert, and multilingual, speaking four languages—plus looking like a supermodel doing it all.
“There’s just so many aspects which a lot of people think it’s cool, but I feel it’s a lot for women to be everything and never make mistakes,” Park says. “There’s an allure of that initially, but then later, it’s just too much, you know?”
She continues, praising the liberation with her latest role. “I’d say my most recent job on A Million Little Things was really satisfying. I got to be the everywoman. She’s a parent, you know? She’s a working mom. And so I appreciate that. Perfectionism is so draining.”
Finding power in the play
When asked if any of her previous roles could be written differently for an audience of today, she noted she was fortunate enough to play many flexible roles, where she wasn’t boxed in as a stereotype. However, Park believes the Asian identity would be written in a celebratory way.
“One of the things that I think I didn’t realize about myself was that growing up, I didn’t realize on some level I didn’t realize my Asianness,” she reflects. “Of course, in many ways, I did. We ate Asian food. My parents are Korean. I…
Read the full article here
