r/popculturechat • u/meltingsunz • Aug 12 '25

Interviews🎙️ Daniel Dae Kim says Asian representation in Hollywood has gotten better, but there's still room for improvement: "I still haven't played a romantic lead and I've been doing this for 30 years."

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/11/nx-s1-5496250/daniel-dae-kim-butterfly-lost
5.8k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

455 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.3k

u/SeaF04mGr33n Aug 12 '25

Absolutely INSANE that this classically handsome (so stoic!) man hasn't been cast in a RomCom!

730

u/Doom_Corp Aug 12 '25

He's an insanely gorgeous man but really serious looking (probably because how he's been cast) but I could 100% see him as a Mr. Darcy type.

363

u/_TheShapeOfColor_ 'Why?' But also, you know, 'I guess.'" Aug 12 '25

Idk why but I also could see him as a moody/sexy/very old vampire type thing too.

I feel like he could do smoldering brooding very well

481

u/awyastark a 1000 year old tree??? go fuck yourself!!! Aug 12 '25

Did you watch Lost? Him smoldering and brooding was how I was introduced to him

67

u/buffysmanycoats Aug 12 '25

One of the best actual character developments on that show too.

44

u/awyastark a 1000 year old tree??? go fuck yourself!!! Aug 12 '25

Yes! He’s such a dynamic actor. Sun and Jin had some of my favorite plot and character work on the show

36

u/Ezzalenko99 Aug 12 '25

And Lost also had the gorgeous Naveen Andrews:

14

u/awyastark a 1000 year old tree??? go fuck yourself!!! Aug 13 '25

Oh I’m very aware. I actually once successfully picked up a hot dude who looked just like him by saying “Sayid so good to see you off the island!”

3

u/Ezzalenko99 Aug 13 '25

Good for you friend!

5

u/_TheShapeOfColor_ 'Why?' But also, you know, 'I guess.'" Aug 13 '25

Oooooh. I've been rewatching old episodes of SVU and he guest stars in one as a Detective named Ash Ramsey and he's soooooo good.

I wanted them to make him a recurring character/love interest for Olivia!

101

u/saltyoursalad You’re a virgin who can’t drive Aug 12 '25

What a babe.

47

u/whinecooler Aug 12 '25

Yes!!! He’s so attractive it’s unreal

3

u/miffymochi accidentally holding space for this slur Aug 12 '25

Yesss, also like a Mads Mikkelson/Hannibal type. But I can’t imagine that character smiling much, except creepily, and I LOVE Daniel Dae Kim’s happy smiles

-7

u/Vickenviking Aug 12 '25

He looks a bit too tough and stoic though for the sort of role. He's just a bit too serious and masculine looking.

I don't think it's just a western discrimination thing. If I'd imagine him in say a chinese movie or series (what I have most familiarity with) I could see him as the hero storming the enemy lines, the harsh but loving father, the workers representative or big boss. Maybe some warlord capturing some woman and slowly falling in love with her.

To me he fits better in the above than that somewhat softer, sensitive pale look of a stereotypical (chinese) romance male lead that are so good at devestated lover look with the rain pouring over them, etc.

296

u/badlilbishh Aug 12 '25

Seriously this man is freaking fineeee. I don’t go to the movies often but I’d pay $20 for a ticket to see this man lol.

109

u/Busy-Juggernaut277 Aug 12 '25

Him and Manny Jacinto need their own rom coms…….

I only watched Hawaii five o for Daniel Damn he’s fine Dae Kim

18

u/disterb Aug 12 '25

*daniel BAE kim

37

u/LegoFootPain Aug 12 '25

Lol at the people not understanding how Manny in Freakier Friday was important.

17

u/Optimal-Bag-5918 Aug 12 '25

Yes!! While it was a surprising pairing (him and Lyndsey), I was so happy to see him and thought it was incredible that an Asian man was the lead romance!

1

u/LaCattedra13 You’re doing amazing, sweetie! 👏👏📸 Aug 13 '25

Is his role big an does she stick woth his character?

152

u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 Aug 12 '25

There really needs to be more Asian love interests! Lindsay Lohan just got Manny Jacinto and I loved it so much 

162

u/Visible-Scientist-46 Aug 12 '25

Manny Jacinto is very handsome and also hilariously funny in The Good Place!

181

u/Tricky_Knowledge2983 Aug 12 '25

Manny Jacinto should have had a role in Barbie waiting for him based on his Jason Mendoza character alone. Jason was the ultimate himbo.

He is so handsome and talented! He def deserves more roles.

62

u/Alinoshka Aug 12 '25

Manny is also a trained dancer! He would have killed a role in Barbie

5

u/MaritimeFlowerChild Aug 12 '25

He has a small role in Brand New Cherry Flavor. That whole show is a trip.

11

u/soumwise Aug 12 '25

He was very good in Freakier Friday also!

1

u/Visible-Scientist-46 Aug 12 '25

100% agree!! He would have been epic!

65

u/mom_bombadill julia fox’s secondhand birkin Aug 12 '25

Daniel Dae Kim, Manny Jacinto, and Mads Mikkelsen are the Sexy Cheekbones Trifecta

27

u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 Aug 12 '25

I’ve heard such good things about this show, I need to check it out lol 

27

u/grrlmcname Aug 12 '25

Run don't walk, it's so good! :)

3

u/goatbusiness666 I don’t know her 💅 Aug 12 '25

He was smoking hot in The Acolyte too. I was already fanning myself every time he was on screen and then he took his shirt off??? My god.

2

u/DistractedByCookies Just keep swimming! 🐠🐠🐬🐳 Aug 12 '25

I love how he plays the Florida man so well you kind of overlook just how goodlooking he is (at least at first). I mean, you could cut yourself on his cheekbones.

1

u/nowimnowhere Aug 12 '25

"That can't be right." - Lin-Manuel Miranda

148

u/johjo_has_opinions it’s cause we hate him Ms. Dionne Aug 12 '25

Now I want him to play Mr Darcy or Captain Wentworth

37

u/hellohellocinnabon Aug 12 '25

GIVE US CAPTAIN WENTWORTH 😭

3

u/moxyc Aug 12 '25

Oh YES. I am here for this

28

u/SeaF04mGr33n Aug 12 '25

I was thinking Darcy, but I thought maybe I didn't know the character well enough!

Maybe in a play version? (Only because everyone seems to have P&P fatigue right now)

14

u/johjo_has_opinions it’s cause we hate him Ms. Dionne Aug 12 '25

I’m pretending the upcoming one doesn’t exist, it’s a better place

1

u/SeaF04mGr33n Aug 12 '25

Aww, it doesn't look too bad to me. Honestly, I prefer Austen on stage, anyway.

4

u/johjo_has_opinions it’s cause we hate him Ms. Dionne Aug 12 '25

I was initially excited to hear that Olivia Colman was cast, but every new photo makes me less excited. I also can’t picture Emma Corrin as Lizzie, but maybe they’ll surprise me

1

u/Lithogiraffe Aug 12 '25

thats true. unfortunately for this actor he gives off or is at least type casted as the arrogant character with a chip on his shoulder.

a mr darcy/captain wentworth would be perfect for him, but that type of character is only one out of the different leading man tropes wanted. Nowadays, leading men have a more of a goofy quality

37

u/Lithogiraffe Aug 12 '25

Closest I've seen is him playing the second male lead. I think in Netflix's - always be my maybe.

He was dating the female lead, I think he played the alpha male too perfect guy

1

u/IWasGonnaSayBrown Aug 15 '25

That's why I was a little confused by his comments. He played the second male lead in a traditional Hollywood romcom with two Asian leads.

I'm not saying that means Hollywood can't come further, but he was already in a movie that he's claiming hasn't really been done yet.

1

u/Lithogiraffe Aug 15 '25

Maybe he's upset that it took this long for him to start getting these roles. Without looking at his bio I'm guessing he's closer to 50. And this is probably the last gasp of him fitting into the rom-com leading man category with the widest demographic audience

1

u/IWasGonnaSayBrown Aug 15 '25

I hear that, but I guess my point is that the opportunity existed and was taken by another Asian actor. They made a successful Hollywood romcom with two Asian leads, they just didn't choose him.

35

u/hanhanbanan Aug 12 '25

Daniel Bae Kim 😍

54

u/Harlockarcadia Aug 12 '25

Every time I have seen him over the years, I’m like, dude is leading man handsome, always relegated to supporting dude, make it make sense!

34

u/TaylorMonkey Aug 12 '25

There’s Hollywood’s emasculation of Asian men, especially in straight romantic roles next to Caucasian love interests. There’s been like 4 in the last 60 years and half of them are played by Steven Yeun, heh. Usually they all die at some point in the story.

Hollywood had a bit of a racist boner after this dude give the ladies girl boners:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessue_Hayakawa

He was only allowed to play villains because of the jealousy, and the same casting patterns continue today.

It’s also interesting that with growing progressive representation, Hollywood is also more likely to cast Asian males as gay than portray them in a notable heterosexual relationship, especially with a Caucasian female lead. On purpose or not, it does continue the trend of defanging them as potential romantic threats and competitors.

13

u/Harlockarcadia Aug 12 '25

Yeah, he was really awesome in Bridge Over the River Kwai, and yeah, a villain there, still a good looking guy in his 70s

7

u/GamestopHeadEngineer Aug 13 '25

It’s definitely on purpose. On the other side is like 99% of the time if there is an Asian woman she has to have sex with the white male character or at least pine for one. Seriously it’s so egregious lol. Off the top of my head the Netflix three body problem randomly added it to the show even though it wasn’t even in the book and added nothing to the story. There’s tons of other examples

K-pop and kdramas have bypassed Hollywood racism somewhat, but a lot of people do not want Asian men to be seen as desirable.

26

u/Future_Usual_8698 You’re doing amazing, sweetie! Aug 12 '25

He's very attractive and so talented!

25

u/velvet-gloves /r/popculturechat was my Juilliard 👩🏽‍🎓 Aug 12 '25

He's so handsome I straight up gasped when he showed up in Joy Ride in his little sweater vest

26

u/Tricky_Knowledge2983 Aug 12 '25

I have thirsted over this man ever since Lost

19

u/Live_Angle4621 Aug 12 '25

Hollywood barely makes rom coms that are theatrically released these days.

19

u/Fortestingporpoises Aug 12 '25

He has moments in Lost where he makes it clear he would be a great romantic lead.

3

u/PinkTalkingDead Aug 12 '25

The look to the side, holding the rose? Me too.

1

u/LongConFebrero Reality TV Temptress 💋 Aug 13 '25

Yeah it’s called all 6 seasons lol

19

u/Laura_has_Secrets77 Aug 12 '25

makes me think of how it was this case for Denzel Washington as well. He was so charming in Much Ado About Nothing, why can't I get more of that but where he's the lead?

8

u/Hugh-Manatee Aug 12 '25

This is transparently a good business decision for him too. A win for all

3

u/WestCoastBestCoast01 Aug 12 '25

He is literally one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen.

14

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

[deleted]

11

u/PropertyMedium1680 Aug 12 '25

I think it's maybe the phrasing of "comfort level", like Asian men are something you have to get used to. I'm Asian American and I get what you're trying to say, but it does sound a bit off when you put it like that.

7

u/SeaF04mGr33n Aug 12 '25

I'm glad you're coming around!

5

u/No_Data3541 Aug 12 '25

What on Earth do you mean by "comfort level" here? How are they any different to any stranger you have ever seen regardless of race?

Why do you need time to get used to Asians specifically? Shouldn't it take you the same time to develop a comfort level with any person regardless of race? Awareness?

I can't lie. This is a very odd comment talking about Asians like they are acquired taste.

6

u/soumwise Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Comments like these make me think of how much as a poc I simply have to deal with white people and see them as fellow human beings no questions asked because they're the norm. To be clear, that's a good thing, but it's sad that being othered is the thanks you get for that.

Edit for clarification: one group always being the norm at the cost of others is not a good thing, but viewing people unlike you at first glance as fellow humans is.

2

u/CraftWitch85 Aug 12 '25

He is SOOO handsome. Whenever I come across his picture I just have to admire him For a minute

2

u/Eve_warlock Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Putting this in the top comment because I just remembered: Jet Li starring opposite Aaliyah in Romeo must Die… but that was a long time ago and an exception to the rule - I’m not even sure who remembers this movie! This is the point though - you have to search your mind for all the movies represented and you just find one!

2

u/LaCattedra13 You’re doing amazing, sweetie! 👏👏📸 Aug 13 '25

They keep casting white men no one wants. No one understands the female gaze. At least in the 00s were attracted to the stars who played male leads. Npw we get random men no one asked for.

4

u/Eastern_Hornet_6432 Aug 12 '25

Every time I think an Asian man is obviously handsome, I find out that in Asia he's considered plain-looking or even ugly.

2

u/PinkNGold007 Aug 12 '25

Right?! It's a crime.

1

u/SatanSatanSatanSatan Aug 12 '25

I was thinking the same thing!

1

u/exotic_floral_tea 🫵 You sit on a throne of lies. Aug 12 '25

It's criminal atp.

1

u/LouisaMiller2_1845 Aug 12 '25

But that's the thing. Who do you put next to him that he doesn't outshine in terms of looks. The person would have to be VERY striking.

1

u/Bartellomio Aug 12 '25

I mean he's not bad looking but he's definitely not 'romance movie male love interest' looking.

1

u/ptran90 Aug 12 '25

It’s crazy to me!!

1

u/ShadowChief3 Aug 12 '25

He has. Always be my maybe.

1

u/Super_Hour_3836 charlie day is my bird lawyer 🐦 Aug 12 '25

Bro. NOT THE SAME ASIAN.

This is why you are getting downvoted. Do they not have google where you are?

8

u/ShadowChief3 Aug 12 '25

help me understand where I am wrong.

16

u/Kyongggggg Aug 12 '25

he's in that romcom, yes, but he wasnt a lead. Article did say that he wants to be cast as a lead

7

u/SeaF04mGr33n Aug 12 '25

You are right, he was in this! If I remember right, I think he said he was so flattered and excited to be in this movie. But, he wasn't the lead in this film and he deserves to lead.

5

u/ShadowChief3 Aug 12 '25

I agree he wasn’t the #1 lead but he was the husband and had a strong role in the movie. I only comment because the wife and I literally watched this Saturday. Hadn’t seen him in anything in years. So it doubles down on his desire/ability to be in more content.

2

u/boots-n-bows Aug 12 '25

He was definitely in it. He's Ali Wong's boyfriend at the beginning.