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Your first reaction when you see his
face is that you have seen this guy somewhere before. He happens
to be Jason J. Tobin. He is one of the hottest up-and-coming
Asian American actors to grace the movie screen and television.
You may have recognized him from the movies, Beverly Hills Ninja
or Yellow. You may have also recognized him on the television
shows, Nash Bridges or The Wayans Bros. He has starred in commercials
for SNK’s Fatal Fury II, Coca Cola’s Surge and for
Levi Strauss‘ 501 Jeans. You can see him in video games
such as Sony Playstation‘s Road Rash 3D.
Although not as
well known as a professional in martial arts like Jackie Chan
or Jet Li, Tobin is very well trained in Tae Kwon Do and Thai
kick boxing. With multiple talents and interests, there is much
more to learn about this talented actor. I recently caught up
with Jason after his return from Hong Kong.
DENNIS:
You were born
and raised in Hong Kong and are now living in Los Angeles. Do
you feel Hong Kong has changed since the country is no longer
under the British colonial administration?
JASON:
I was just in Hong Kong last week. To tell you the truth, I
feel that there really hasn't been much change. Of course there
are the subtle changes, but Hong Kong always changes!
It’s such a fast moving city. Of course, the first thing
I noticed was the new airport that is just enormous. I liked
the old airport because of the view of Hong Kong when you land,
but the new one is pretty impressive even if it is a little
disorganized. It's funny though. A few years ago you really
didn't hear that many Mandarin speakers but now you can get
around HK speaking Mandarin.
DENNIS:
What kind of atmosphere
did you grow up in?
JASON: I'm a real
product of British Colonial Hong Kong. My father is British
and he moved to Hong Kong and worked for the government. My
mother is Hong Kong Chinese, so I was really raised in both
worlds. My parents separated when I was just a baby. I lived
with my mother in a tiny place in a housing estate with my grandparents,
uncle and cousins. My first language was Cantonese. Then my
father took custody of me when I was five. I lived in his huge
apartment that the government paid for. That’s when I started
to learn English. My father began to move around a lot. We lived
in the Philippines for three years. My father decided to send
me to boarding school in England when I was nine. I stayed there
for about four or five years. During that time my dad moved
to Singapore. I spent a lot of summer holidays in Singapore
or Hong Kong. Then when I was fourteen I moved back to HK. I
went to a British school called King George V. Apparently when
Bruce Lee was a kid he used to come over to our school to pick
fights! I think I’m fortunate that I got
to travel a lot as a kid. We lived in Australia briefly too.
I think travel has been my best education. I think it also helps
me as an actor.
DENNIS:
I noticed that
in your bio you said you consider yourself "Eurasian".
Can you elaborate more on this? I noticed that in your bio you
said you consider yourself "Eurasian". Can you elaborate
more on this?
JASON:
When people ask me "what I am" I don't really know.
I never really lived in one place long enough. Sure I’m
British. I love soccer, rugby, cricket and squash but I’m
not really that English. Sure I’m Hong Kong Chinese, but
I’m not really that Chinese. I lived in the Philippines
for three years and can speak the language. I’m not Filipino
even though I remember living there so vividly. I’ve been
living in America for five years. Am I American? I don't know.
I tell my girlfriend all the time that I am my own state. Bound
by no country.
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DENNIS:
I'm really impressed by the several martial arts that
you have trained for. You seem to be a guy who loves
hobbies that involve a lot of "risk". I'm
really impressed by the several martial arts that you
have trained for. You seem to be a guy who loves hobbies
that involve a lot of "risk".
JASON:
I love doing stuff that pumps a lot of adrenaline, or
something very exciting. I love to dive, snowboard,
bungy jump, etc. I want to learn to skydive next. I
love doing stuff that pumps a lot of adrenaline, or
something very exciting. I love to dive, snowboard,
bungy jump, etc. I want to learn to skydive next.
DENNIS:
How
far are you into Thai boxing and tae kwan do?
JASON: I’ve
been training in the martial arts since I was a child.
I have a black belt in tae kwon do. I really like Thai
boxing. I’ve trained in it off and on for several
years.
DENNIS:
With all
the risky hobbies that you are interested in, have you
ever gotten hurt? With
all the risky hobbies that you are interested in, have
you ever gotten hurt?
JASON:
I have been hurt a few times. I broke my wrist on a
shoot, during a scene where I’m running from the
cops and I have to jump off a wall. Also, I was knocked
out once and taken to the hospital when I was rolling
down a hill in a barrel! Last season, I had five stitches
in my head from a snowboarding accident. I went down
to the medic and he told me I needed stitches but the
snow was just too good so I went back and snowboarded
for another few hours. I went to the hospital that night.
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DENNIS:
How did you get involved
in acting?
JASON:
I got interested in acting because of the many movies I watched
as a kid. In Hong Kong they didn’t have any age restrictions,
so I got to see all of the films especially the scary and violent
ones! When I was nine I went to boarding school in England
and I had my first drama class. That was it. I loved
it. However, I never really thought of it as a career
until I was about to leave for the university. I was on
my way to study law in England. At the last minute I decided
not to go, but instead became an actor.
DENNIS:
What preparations
or training did you go through to become an actor?
JASON: I study acting all the time. Currently I study
at the LA Theatre Sports Company. They do improv comedy. I have
a private coach that I work with a lot. I also go to workshops
for scene study.
DENNIS:
You were part of the fantastic film "Yellow." What
was it like to work with the director, Chris Chan Lee?
JASON: It was a great experience for me. I made a lot
of friends from that movie. Working with Chris was great, he
pretty much let me do what I wanted. He really only directed
me once and that was at the audition. I did not quite have the
character and then he said "he's not that smart",
then I got it. The character Yo Yo was born.
DENNIS:
You worked with
a number of talented Asian American actors on "Yellow".
What was it like to work with them?
JASON: It was a privilege to work with some fine talent.
Some of them will be big stars one day. I think "yellow"
proves that there is a lot of talent out there. It also proves
that Asian Americans can act! That’s been the stereotype
for along time, that Asians couldn’t act.
DENNIS:
What was it like
to be part of Nash Bridges and work with Don Johnson?
JASON: Don was really cool with me. I had auditioned
for another part, but didn't get it. He liked my work so much
that he gave me another role without me even reading for it!
Many people had come in to read for it but he gave it to me
anyway. It showed me he really trusted my ability. People always
see me as young, so it was cool of him to cast me in a slightly
older role as a cop. I owe him one. I loved working on
Nash Bridges. I was in San Francisco for ten days and I only
worked three so the rest was a holiday.
DENNIS:
What
kind of obstacles have you encountered, being an Asian actor?
JASON: Well, the first thing is that there aren’t
as many roles out there, and even fewer good ones. Surprisingly
the most resistance came from other Asians. When I told other
Asians what I wanted to do they laughed and said that it would
never happen. They said it would be another ten years before
we saw an Asian face on the screen in anything good.However,
I have never had any doubt that our time is on its way. It’s
inevitable. You only have to look at UCLA and USC film schools
to see that there are so many Asians there. Asians are finally
going down different paths, not just medicine, law or business.
I actually believe that it is an advantage that I am Asian in
this business because we are the next big wave. We are where
the black moviemakers were ten years ago. It’s a good time
now for us Asian actors.
DENNIS:
In the United States
we are seeing more Asians appearing in movies and on television.
Many Gener-Asians want to see more positive roles for Asian
actors but are worried that the only "hero" roles
in movies for Asians are currently reserved for the martial
artists. What is your take on this?
JASON: Well, I say to all those people, stop complaining.
Look at the positive side. Our time will come, just be patient.
You never hear Italians complaining that Joe Pesci and Robert
De Niro always play negative roles. It’s all a matter of
time. We see so few Asians on the screen that when we do see
them, we want to see them as the good guy who doesn’t know
martial arts. When Asians are more common on the screen, then
you won’t hear so many of those angry voices.
DENNIS:
What are your goals
(personal and career) for the future? In the next ten years
where do you see yourself?
JASON: Making movies. It’s a cliche in this town
that actors want to direct but I think it's a natural progression.
There are some fine directors that started in front of the camera.
I want to be married with lots of kids, and be free enough to
travel around the world.
DENNIS:
What final words
would you like to leave for the GenerAsians out there who want
to pursue a career in movies or television?
JASON: If you want to make it in this business and you
want it bad enough you'll make it. Don’t let anyone stop
you. I always tell people the first thing they should learn
to do is to say "#$@$ off!" If they say, "You
can't make it!"...Tell them to "#$@$ off!" Sure
it is hard, but so is being a doctor. Nothing worthwhile in
life is easy. Being an astronaut or a politician is hard too.
So is being a mother.
DENNIS:
Jason, thank you
for taking the time for this interview. What final words do
you have for your fans?
JASON: For those
of you who have seen my work, I thank you for watching and I
promise it will only get better.
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