Randall Park has admitted that he worried he’d be kidnapped after appearing in The Interview.
Having played North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in the 2014 comedy, Park admitted that he was afraid of even visiting Asia. However, the political satire wasn’t the only reason why the 49-year-old was hesitant to visit.
Despite starring in the hit sitcom Fresh Off The Boat, the actor was concerned about how his character, Louis Huang, would be received.
Advert
In the ABC show, Park plays a Taiwanese man who immigrated to the United States with his family – hence the title. However, the Marvel actor actually has Korean heritage, with his parents moving to California in the seventies.
It’s this that made him anxious when filming scenes for the series in the capital Taipei, with Park admitting on The Late Show that he’d been worried locals would be offended.
“I did wonder how they would take that. I didn’t know if would be a problem,” he confessed to host Stephen Colbert.
Thankfully, everyone was incredibly excited for the actor to be filming in the country and Park revealed that residents were ‘super nice’ to him – although not for the reason he’d expected.
Advert
Unknowns to the Korean-American actor, he bore an uncanny similarity to the former local mayor, Hau Lung-pin, with the pair making headlines because of this.
Authorities even arranged for the men to meet with a set visit whilst Park was shooting the country’s capital.
Though he might have won over the people of Taiwan, the Wandavision star didn’t feel at ease during the shoot.
Advert
He even admitted that he’d avoided visiting Asia after appearing as the North Korean dictator in The Interview, thinking he face retaliation for his send-up of Kim Jong Un.
“I wasn’t afraid, but I did think for a second, like, maybe I’ll get kidnapped,” he joked, explaining: “At the time, a lot of people said you’ll be fine – just don’t go to Asia.”
Trying to avoid a continent that is nearly a third of the planet is no mean feat, but Park thought it was best given the dictator’s notorious reputation.
The film garnered so much hate in North Korea that it’s alleged that the nation was behind the infamous Sony Pictures hack with five films being leaked, including war film Fury.
Advert
Whilst Brad Pitt might not have avoided the backlash, Park did and joked that he was ‘thankfully’ not kidnapped.
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, World News