Randall Park is one of Hollywood’s dark horse comic and dramatic assets; strapped with impeccable comic timing and quirky script choices. But the 45-year-old actor-writer-producer (and many other things) has been thankful for everything that’s come his way. He last appeared in Always Be My Maybe which released on Netflix on May 31, a fun romantic-comedy with no frills and fluff.
Always Be My Maybe was co-written by Randall, Ali Wong and Michael Golamco. Many loved the story for its simple script but evolved character arcs, while also shoving aside the many South East Asian stereotypes we’ve seen in films well before this. When writing the film, though, this wasn’t a conscious mission to “make any statement,” says Randall, who is of Korean lineage. “We just wanted to tell a really good story which was also funny and romantic where the characters were compelling... then the Asian-American aspects made their way into the story organically.”
Randall Park as Marcus and Ali Wong as Sasha in ‘Always Be My Maybe’
The rom-com follows Sasha (played by Ali) and Marcus, childhood sweethearts who grow up next door to each other in San Francisco. They eventually grow apart with Sasha becoming a famous chef with restaurants sprouting all over the United States. Marcus, however, works alongside his father and hides a creative streak — something Randall hasn’t done in his own career so far.
“I identify a lot with Marcus and I feel very content with where I am sometimes which can be both a good and a bad thing,” comments Randall, “Complacency can be stifling and I do sometimes think that prevents me from being more ambitious. Playing Marcus taught me I can do both: be happy where I am but also challenge myself to take more risks.”
Taking this forward, Randall also proves actting chops in films including Ant Man and the Wasp, and Aquaman in which he plays the highly unstable and super-genius intellect and conspiracy theorist Dr Stephen Shin who becomes obsessed with Aquaman and the city of Atlantis.
Randall Park as Dr Stephen Shin in ‘Aquaman’
The film is set in San Francisco, one of the United States’ melting pots of cultures. With Ali being from San Francisco and Randall’s father coming to the city first when they emigrated, so it was a given for the two writers. “I actually grew up in Los Angeles but when Ali would be doing stand-up in the Bay Area and if I was around, she’d take me around and we’d see the city, so there’s a special meaning of the place to us, individually and collectively.” In that sense, the city itself becomes its own character in the film, Randall agrees.
Collaborations galore
Nahnatchka Khan also directs Always Be My Maybe and was a writer for the initial chunk of Fresh Off The Boat . The collaboration presented a new level of creative professionalism for Randall. “Ali and I ultimately wanted a director we could trust and we felt was fun and easy to work with. Nahnatchka is all those things and a genius... and she’s so good with comedy and story-telling. Originally she was attached to another movie but that fell through and we were like ‘we’ve got to get her!’”
Keanu Reeves and Randall Park (as Marcus) in ‘Always Be My Maybe’
Shooting a film like Always Be My Maybe was a sentimental experience. Randall says the last few days of shooting in San Francisco were emotional. “The bulk of that shoot was with Keanu Reeves (who plays himself in the film) which was so surreal because all of us had bonded and we were a family at that point. The new element which came in — Keanu Reeves who is a cinematic icon — presented fantastic footage and experiences.”
Keanu, who remains a quirky enigma to Hollywood despite his household name status, proves to be one of the more interesting pillars of the film. Randall recalls working with him, explaining, “If anything, he proved a lot of the rumours about him. Everyone has these stories about what a kind person he is. I saw how extremely collaborative he really is so game to do anything. He plays this version of himself and he was willing to have fun with the part. We didn’t realise how much he would bring... so no misconceptions, he’s truly a great guy.”
Constance Wu as Jessica and Randall Park as Louis in ‘Fresh Off The Boat’
We simply can’t talk to Randall Park without mentioning Fresh Off The Boat in which Randall plays Louis Huang who runs a Western steakhouse in Florida. One of India’s favourite shows, Chinese married couple Louis and Jessica (played by Crazy Rich Asians actress Constance Wu) emigrate to the United States to embrace the ‘American Dream’. The show has been universally praised for its honest and refreshing take on culture shock and Asian culture. Louis is father to Eddie Huang, the real-life chef and food personality, upon whose childhood the show is based.
The well-loved show on ABC has just been renewed for a sixth season, much to fans’ delight. Randall looks forward to the new season but shares he will certainly miss working with Nahnatchka on a deeper level.
‘Always Be My Maybe’ is streaming on Netflix.
