

So it was then, even when I was going to USC in the last year, I was spending my time earning money as being an extra, you know, so I was exposed to that industry, and pretty soon my agent said, “No, you’ve got to be an actor.” So right away, she got me jobs, and lucky enough, in a sense I was prepared. So I transferred all my credits from UFM to USC and graduated as a civil engineer, you know, and worked for the LA County building roads. In other words, I was studying in Minnesota, UFM, and then transferred my credits to USC because I thought there were opportunities here in Hollywood, and almost none for me in Minnesota. Hong: When I started, I was still a civil engineer. I want to know, did you ever expect that you would end up at this spot when you were just starting out in the industry? I’d love hearing it, I cried when you were talking about it. Yeah, I attended the CCA event that you spoke at last year honoring Asian Pacific Islanders, and your speech was so moving. With a first season under the belt and a second season on the way, we spoke with Hong about his time in Hollywood and his recent work in these award-winning projects and Asian American-created stories. He is a sort of guide to Sam before he is taken by Riley Greene ( Matthew Rhys), forcing Sam and his friend Elle ( Garielle Nevaeh) to go and save her.

Grandpa is a whimsical character, one who understands the magical and mystical mogwai and naturally comes off as a bit aloof. In Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Hong voices Grandpa Wing, Sam Wing's ( Izaac Wang) grandfather.
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Recently, he gained new critical acclaim for his role as Gong Gong in Everything Everywhere All at Once and appeared in the series American Born Chinese. A familiar face in the industry, he's long worked to increase Asian American representation in Hollywood. Known as a character actor, many people might find his voice familiar as he's voiced characters from Mulan, Jackie Chan Adventures, Teen Titans, Kung Fu Panda, and Turning Red. Starting out in the 50s, Hong has worked with everyone from Groucho Marx to Clark Gable. James Hong has had a storied career in Hollywood.
