THAT 90’S SHOW STAR REYN DOI IS PROUD OF HIS ASIAN CULTURE

BY IRVIN RIVERA

PHOTOGRAPHER: IRVIN RIVERA, FASHION STYLIST: CHARLOTTE HARRIS, GROOMING: ELIE MAALOUF

That 90’s show star REYN DOI is absolutely proud to represent his culture in the show. For Doi, visibility “is very important because I do believe that Asians should be represented. That’s why I’m so proud to be Asian and I hope that everything becomes more and more diverse”

 

In this interview, the rising star spoke about his character Ozzie- sweet, sassy, judgmental and fun person that he plays on the sitcom. He also spoke about his journey as an actor so far, the challenge she faced, the highs, the lows, his dream projects and more.

Hi Reyn, how are you? How’s the New Year for you so far?

It’s been so good so far! So many things happening in preparation for our show’s launch so it’s been exciting!

How’s Ozzie’s character evolution throughout the show?

Ozzie is honest, he won’t think twice when he wants to say something (he’ll just say it), and he’s judgmental, but also there’s a sweet side to him. Over time throughout the season, you’ll see the sweet side to Ozzie come out, but he’ll always love making those little, rude comments to his friends. 

How would you describe the show?

“That 90s Show” is sort of like a continuation of “That 70s Show.” You’ll see Red and Kitty now as grandparents to Eric and Donna’s daughter. It’s a new generation of Point Place kids, but their interests have not changed at all, except of course fashion. 

You’ll see the new kids go through a lot together but at the end of the day, just like in the original show, they love spending their time in the basement. 

What’s unique about this new show?

What’s unique is that we were able to get most of the original cast back together, and although I wasn’t around when they filmed “That 70s Show”, I did watch 4 seasons, so on-camera you can see how close they all are. Basically, it was like a joyful reunion happening in front of my own eyes. 

Also, all of us kids have such great chemistry together, even when filming one-on-one scenes or group scenes, so I hope that shows when the audience watches it. 

What’s the best part about playing your character?

My character, Ozzie is the complete opposite of me as a person. Ozzie is very straightforward, honest, and judgmental at times. And of course, Ozzie has a sweet side to him and becomes vulnerable to the people he can trust sometimes. I could never be as brutally honest as Ozzie, I just don’t have the courage to say things even if I feel them. I would worry that I may offend the person, but Ozzie doesn’t ever for one minute think he has offended someone. 

Talk about the challenges and the highs that you experienced during filming?

Filming in front of a live studio audience was nerve-wracking at the beginning. It took me a couple of episodes to be able to feel comfortable, but then at a certain point, I started to look forward to those Friday night live shoots. The audience keeps you awake the whole time, they give you so much energy. I couldn’t imagine our show being filmed any other way. 

But, working with the original cast was a blast! Topher actually came up to me and complimented me on a movie I did, “Barb and Star” and I was so happy. He and Debra Jo also had lunch with all 6 of us kids, and we sat on the floor and it was a good time. And when Wilmer came he gave me the best advice, “Take advantage of those rehearsal times because you get to be creative and play around with your character. You have one chance to show the network and producers, so if a joke doesn’t land it could get cut.” 

How did you manage to rise above the challenges?

Everything takes time, so in regards to the live shows, it took time for it to not be challenging in my head. When I got to film scenes live with Kurtwood and Debra Jo it made the scene go quickly and overall just made the scene so much fun, the audience loves them! There was this one interrogation scene that we did, Ozzie loves Kitty but is very rude to Red and has a lot of sass toward him, so we’ll see how the relationship evolves. 

What’s the most memorable moment for you throughout the whole process of making the series?

There was one week my mom wasn’t able to come to set, so I was by myself and it was towards the beginning of the season, so I was very nervous and stressed, but that week made me become more independent and made me stronger. Although I hope that never happens again, if it does, at least I’ll know what to do. 

What is your proudest moment ever from acting?

I’ve only cried twice when I booked a role. One was my first theatrical role on TV the other was when I got the role for this show. 

Everyone’s process is different and each has their unique approach to things. Can you walk us through your creative process whenever you go and film a scene?

Although I have time to think about my scene before we start filming, once we start there are many ALTS (lines that are given to make the scene funnier or change the scene a bit), our amazing showrunner/creator, Gregg Mettler gives to me all the time. I don’t have any time to think about how to prepare for the new line, so it kind of comes out naturally, which actually makes it funnier. 

How did acting start for you? Was it something that you’ve always wanted from a young age?

I would be the emcee for my preschool’s performances and parents would come up to me and compliment me on my talking skills. I never knew I would end up here today at 14 filming in Hollywood. It sort of happened naturally for me, but I’m so glad I got introduced to acting because whenever I’m not filming I miss it so much. 

How important is Asian representation for you in mainstream media?

It is very important because I do believe that Asians should be represented. That’s why I’m so proud to be Asian and I hope that everything becomes more and more diverse. You don’t see a lot of Asians on screen, so I’m very happy/proud to represent my culture and the people of my culture. 

What’s your dream project?

I would love to do a horror movie one day, I would probably want to be the killer and hopefully, there are many sequels to the original, and I, as the killer, never get defeated! 

Aside from acting, what else keeps you busy?

School of course, but I do enjoy seeing my friends from the show and some not from the show whenever we have time. I actually gather with friends more than I would have expected, when you think about how I actually don’t go to regular school. 

What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned that you always carry with you?

Always stay humble. No matter how successful you become or where your career takes you don’t forget where you started, and there are many people in the position you were in when you started out. Another lesson that I consider valuable is to never give up. You aren’t going to book every audition you get, and it may take months, or even years, for you to get your first job. But just know, that there is that right project out there for you somewhere. Patience is key, with this industry there’s a lot of waiting. I know waiting is hard because I’m a very impatient person, but waiting does pay off. 

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

“The Journey of Reyn Doi.” My journey throughout Hollywood hasn’t been easy at all, but I hope if I were to tell my story one day, it will inspire others, and I hope they can learn from my book. I do love writing, so maybe one day I’ll juggle the job of an author and put that on my resume too.