Jason Tobin: Living the Dream

Hapa Mag - December 9, 2020

By Alex Chester

Hard work does pay off, and Jason Tobin is a prime example. I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing this Warrior star, because not only is he incredibly talented and hardworking, but humble too. I’ve been a fan of his since Better Luck Tomorrow, a film that quite literally was way ahead of its time in 2002. It took another 16 years for the Asian American diaspora to have another film that would break such barriers and boundaries — aka Crazy Rich Asians.

Jason has certainly paid his dues in the Hollywood scene, and Fast and Furious fans will be happy to see him return in 2021 to this franchise. 

What was it like navigating being a mixed-Asian kid in Hong Kong and how did it compare to when you moved to L.A. at 18? 

That's a great question. It's interesting because being mixed and all, I went to local school, and you get teased for being mixed or whatever, but overall I had a great upbringing. There has always been this sort of feeling of “I'm not Chinese enough” in Hong Kong, but in the U.K. I'm definitely not English enough, and in America I'm not American enough. It’s really interesting because literally Young Jun said the exact same thing in episode 5 of Warrior Season 1. He said, "A Chinaman who’s never been to China and he was born in San Francisco but he sure is not American." I really thought that the words that Young Jun says are words that have come out of my own mouth several times. You just have to deal with it on different sides you know?

Do you notice a difference in how you are perceived in Hong Kong vs. London vs. L.A.? Has that changed at all throughout your life and career?

You mean me being Hapa?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's really weird, because I was talking to someone about this recently. You know, I grew up watching Star Wars movies, and I remember thinking, "Oh, why aren't there any Asian people in them?” In science fiction there are aliens, like all these weird aliens, and my god, there's not one Asian person. Then similarly, when I get cast in an Asian role, I do feel like people sometimes go, "Oh, but he's not really Asian. He's mixed." So it's like you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. My question is then, as an actor I can only ever play someone who is half-Chinese and half-English? Like forever? That's it? In that case, I might as well just give up or I would just have to write my own material. In a way it's like we're trying to break down doors in the industry, but then sometimes people in our own community are holding us back too. I really grappled with something recently when I auditioned for a role in a SciFi film that’s set in space, on a planet that doesn’t exist. It's fantasy, and the father of the young girl lead is Asian. The actress playing her is ethnically Korean, and so they said to me, "Oh you know we need to find a Korean actor to play her father..." I understand the sentiment of wanting to be careful of something like yellowface or blackface, but in my head I thought, “Jesus man, even in outer space they’re being so careful that I can't play the father of this girl?” It's so confusing sometimes. And then I've also heard people say, "Oh, they didn't cast a real Asian. They cast a Hapa because they’re still bowing down to the white man." People cannot recognize their own racism. It is what it is.

You’ve used it several times so I guess my next question is, when did you first hear the word Hapa growing up in Hong Kong?

In Hong Kong, the word they say is Eurasian. They use the word here too, it’s still pretty common, but I know that in America or Hawaii they use Hapa. Being Hapa, it’s just been something that I’m used to using ’cause when you meet other Hapas it’s just the word you use... or Eurasian. I feel very comfortable using that word. I feel like it just fits right.

In Warrior, you're working on (your passion) acting and martial arts, based on an idea by (the highly respected) Bruce Lee, produced by Better Luck Tomorrow’s Justin Lin (with whom you must have a great rapport from BLT, Tokyo Drift, and F9) — that combination sounds like it must be a dream come true for you. How does it feel?

Man, it is a dream come true. It’s absolutely a dream come true. I'm a kid from Hong Kong who had a dream to become an actor, and Bruce Lee is from Hong Kong. He taught martial arts, paved the way, and I thought, you know, this is something I could do. I literally packed up a bag at 18 years old and moved to L.A. It's been many years since then, and I’ve had many ups and downs, and although there’s been lots of great successes, there’s been massive long periods of being [at] rock bottom. Warrior came at a perfect time. My wife and I were sitting in our apartment in K-town, where we filmed Warrior, and I just turned to her and said, "Honey, I've achieved all my dreams." I can't believe it. That I can share it with my wife and kids has just been an absolute pleasure. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and it's just been a dream come true on so many levels: the quality of work that I get to do and the people I get to work with. I've learned so much, and yeah, I can't believe it. I often think that I’m in a simulation because this could not have panned out any better in my imagination.

Congratulations, it's so awesome. Do you have a favorite episode or moment in Warrior?

Well, to be completely selfish, my favorite episode is episode 5 of season 1, and the title of that episode is "The Blood and the Shit." It's the standalone episode, kind of like a little movie of a drawing in the middle of the season. It's my favorite because up until episode 5 we see my character, Young Jun, in a certain way, and in episode 5, although not an origin story, you see a whole new side to him. I think it's the episode that really wins people over because on the surface Young Jun is this brash, larger-than-life, spoiled manchild, and in episode 5 you realize he's someone that acts that way because he's trying to survive. And that's the episode that I felt that, you know what? I'm not Chinese enough, I'm not American enough, I'm stuck between two lands. I've always heard the expression "I feel like a bird between two trees." That's our gift you know? That's something we can bring into our work. I always try to use Bruce Lee's philosophy, which is to honestly express yourself.

Speaking of Better Luck Tomorrow, with the whitewashing of AsAm roles following this film, do you think that Better Luck Tomorrow was ahead of its time?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Absolutely ahead of its time. Justin Lin made the film for $250,000, it was sold for just under a million, and he was offered a million earlier to actually make it with a more typically all-American cast — in other words more Caucasain. I would never ever get cast if that were the traditional, all-Caucasion or predominantly Caucasian movie. They would never think "Oh, lets have an Asian guy play that role." No. You know, I would be the nerd, or the computer guy, or the tech guy. It was way ahead of its time, and it stands the test of time. I watched it recently and I was really impressed... like wow, it really still holds up.

Do you think representation in Hollywood (specifically for actors of Asian descent) has changed at all since Better Luck Tomorrow’s debut in 2002?

You know, for many many years after I did Better Luck Tomorrow, I lived abroad. I lived in South America, I lived in the U.K., I lived in Asia, and I would look at Hollywood movies and TV shows and look at my colleagues, and it wasn’t like it changed, you know? Same thing. Whatever. But now that more time has passed, when I look at what it’s like being Hapa in the media in the U.K. or Australia, for example, I would say that America and Canada are way beyond where they are, even if they feel under-represented. It’s definitely getting better, and I think a show like Warrior is a testament to that. Ultimately, I think what it comes down to is not about pay or being “invited to the party.” We have to fill the party. We have to be the creators, we have to write, we have to produce. It’s because of people like Justin Lin and Jon M. Chu. We have to write our own stories.

In an industry that’s so focused on appearance and “type,” do you believe being mixed has cost or gained you any casting opportunities?

That’s a big one actually. In the spectrum of being Hapa, I think I look very Asian. People see me as full Asian, so in that regard, I haven’t had any issues. Back when I was in Hollywood, I’d been studying acting and getting to the point where I was confident, but I wasn’t really booking any jobs. And it was because as an actor I had this idea, “Oh,I’m an actor, I can be whatever you want me to be.” One day, I thought, “You know what? I bet if I bleached my hair blond, I would start booking jobs.” I bleached my hair, and, sure enough, the next week I booked like three jobs. It was a huge lesson because it taught me that, just like as an actor when you’re playing a role, you have to make a strong choice. Don’t let people rely on their imaginations too much. At the same time, I remember being criticized for it, “You think you’re white?” First of all, that’s stupid and it’s racist, and two, I am half-white so fuck you. I apologize for my language.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I’m so happy to talk about Warrior. I’m so happy to talk about how I got here, and as much as people have asked me about it, I hope they keep on asking. [...] Everything that I’ve expressed to you, this incredulity, this gratefulness, this sense of achievement — I really enjoy when people ask me that because I feel like I’ve always wanted to live a great story, and I feel like I’m privileged in that regard. [...] I feel really inspired by Bruce Lee and everything he did. He really got me through some difficult times as a kid, and it’s good to give back to his legacy, talk about it, express my gratitude, and appreciate. It makes me very happy. And by the way, Bruce Lee was Hapa too.

*THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED AND CONDENSED FOR CLARITY