WORDS: IRVIN RIVERA

When I told Justin H. Min about how his tumblr blog posts reminded me a lot of author Lydia Davis’ works, he lit up. I mentioned that upon learning that he likes short stories- the small, bite-sized snippets of life, memories, ideas, or anything that eventually becomes part of a bigger picture. 

Justin H Min’s success stories (playing Ben from The Umbrella Academy, Yang from the upcoming A24 film After Yang) may seem like small victories, but these vignettes play a bigger role in connecting the bigger narrative for Asian Americans who are trying to make it in Hollywood.

Spending time and interviewing an Asian actor, I can’t help but think of mainstream Hollywood shows with Asian leads portrayed in a positive light. By that I mean the show’s lead, the protagonist, not just someone who falls within the long list of stereotypes and archetypes created by Hollywood towards Asians. Yes, there are several. But there’s not a lot. There’s Crazy Rich Asians, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Killing Eve, Fresh Off the Boat, The Mindy Project, Superstore, Nikita, Never Have I Ever, Kim’s Convenience, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, The Umbrella Academy, Mulan, etc.  I could probably list more but I promise the list is not that long. Maybe that’s why Justin H. Min’s portrayal of the ghost “Ben” from The Umbrella Academy connected deeply to the audience.  

It’s seeing a familiar face on-screen and also playing a character so well that it relates and lingers to the audience’s subconsciousness. Min’s affinity to reading and writing translates well into his acting works. If you watch his earlier works with Wong Fu, up to his most recent gig in The Umbrella Academy, you can definitely tell how much he’s evolved and how much effort he puts into his work. There’s an innate charm in his portrayal of his characters. Perhaps part of this charm emanates from his humility. “Fans” is a word he would not use to describe the people who admire and enjoy the shows he’s into. But he definitely captured the hearts of his audience. He represents the minorities, the under-represented people still waiting for their big break.

Writing about a writer is challenging. To write about Justin H. Min the writer, the actor, the photographer, is extra challenging. But if there is one thing I learned from spending an afternoon with this artist, it’s that I have to do the best job that I can in any given situation.

We, at A BOOK OF, hope that you enjoy and learn something from this issue.

As we live through one of the most stressful times in modern history, inspiring success stories like Justin H Min’s create ripples that will soon make waves- waves that will hopefully create positive shifts in the stories and narratives that we all share together.

“I think the reason why umbrella Academy connects to a lot of people, it's like it reminds them of their family. You see so many characters in each of our families and you see that sort of dysfunction that is real and true to all of our families.”

We love how you also involve yourself with projects aligned with Asian creatives and narratives - Your projects with Wong Fu (Dating after College, Dating your Co-Worker), American Refugee, your upcoming film with Kagonada. Do you ever feel a sense of responsibility to represent the Asian culture in general?

Yes, it's something I've thought about and I do feel a bit of responsibility for the community. But at the same time, I can't let that completely take over the work. You know, when I show up on set, and I'm trying to be an actor, it would be too much if I'm thinking about what I'm doing for the Asian community in that moment. So I think the most I can do is do the best job that I can. You know, it's to be professional- to be prepared, to do good work. And I think hopefully, that will make the community proud and then do my part. But I think if I try to overwhelm myself thinking about that every day, it'd be too difficult. 

Yes, I was thinking about it. That's a big burden. 

Yes, exactly. And again, I think as we're talking about - I'm blessed that so many of us are rising together. So I think even a few years ago, if you were the one or two Asian American actors, there was way more pressure, and way more weight but because a lot of us are coming up together, it feels like that responsibility spread a little more evenly.

You play characters that seem to be disconnected on the surface but connect the most to the audience’s core. How do you manage to do that?

I don't know. As an actor, you never know how a character will resonate with an audience, right? The same way goes for a show. You can be on a show and you don't know if that show is going to be popular. You don't know if it's going to resonate with an audience. And again, you just do your best, right? You bring yourself to each of the characters you play and hope that the audience will connect with something. I've been fortunate enough to play a character on a show that is not only popular, but that has somehow resonated with audiences. So I don't know if I was thinking about that as it was playing it, but it happened, and I'm very thankful for that.