We love John Cho. John Cho is a bonafide star, and should probably have his own major franchise by now. From his comedic roots with Harold and Kumar to his television lead roles in a wide range of shows from Flash-Forward to Selfie to his always scene-stealing performances as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, he’s usually the bright spot of whatever project he’s in. The Internet agrees; two years ago, a social media movement called #StarringJohnCho swept Twitter, with users imaging Cho as the lead of The Avengers, James Bond, and other big titles.
In 2018, it worked. Cho led the film Searching to critical acclaim; the film is the first Western contemporary thriller to be headed by an Asian-American actor. Cho spoke of the importance: “I haven’t thought of that, but what is meaningful to me is seeing the image of a whole, loving Asian-American family [more] than anything else. It’s very rare in movies. The image of that is much more startling than it should be. It was surprising to me how powerful it was. I want the future to be where it’s completely normal to see an Asian-American family on-screen.”
Searching is one of my favorite films of 2018. Taking place entirely on laptop and phone screens, it tells the story of David (Cho), who’s daughter Margot (Michelle La) goes missing. As the investigation’s detective (Debra Messing in a turn that’s far from Grace Adler) struggles to piece together what happened, David turns to his daughter’s laptop for clues. The unique point of view only amps up the tension, rather than distracts from it. At the core of an immensely taut script is Cho’s intense, heartbreaking performance, which proves he’s been leading man material for decades. Why didn’t he lead the Taken franchise with chops like this? More importantly, can we put him as the lead in more things now?
Cho touched on the importance of it all in a touching Instagram post.
We had the chance to sit down with Cho prior to the film’s release. He talked about the #StarringJohnCho movement, and a bit about breaking new ground in his various roles. We also talked about the uniqueness of Searching’s point of view. Check out the interview below. Searching is available on Digital today, and will be coming to Blu-ray and DVD November 27.
(Image: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Image)
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