Puff, puff… ask?
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:Wish Dragonopens with two kids who clearly need each other.
Do you still keep in touch with your own childhood best friend?
John Cho stars on the Netflix series “Cowboy Bebop” and in the animated movie “Wish Dragon.".Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Netflix
JOHN CHO:I did recently get in touch with [him].
He was the cool guy, great at football and video games.
He was [also] Korean, but I was the more recent immigrant.
John Cho as Long and Jimmy Wong as Din in “Wish Dragon.".Sony Pictures Animation
I just saw him as someone who was American.
He was my model and my hero.
I was 7-years-old at the time.
We moved away later and lost touch.
What spurred you both talking again?
Our parents reconnected, and they put the two of us in touch.
Have you discussed the rise in crimes against the AAPI community with your son and daughter?
We had to bring up those topics as a family.
We had to talk about why someone would do that.
This actually leads into one of the things my wife and I have been struggling with.
Have your kids experienced this yet?
We had an incident with my daughter, something like that that you’re talking about.
What do you think of race relations?
Because it’s not a relation problem, it’s a justice problem.
Frame their identity globally, rather than locally.
Is it because of your kids that you keep picking Asian animated projects, likeOver the MoonandMirai?
and my litmus test was always, “What would I as a kid think?
Would I appreciate this or would I resent it?”
Would you be down for anotherHarold & Kumar?
Yeah, I mean we’ve talked about it before.
I think the last time me and the creators spoke was over a year ago.
And, I don’t know if the election has solved it.
I love the franchise for how much it broke stereotypes for Asian men.
I thought that was so important.
Yeah, I think the genre really allowed us to do and say things that weren’t being said.
I just want everybody in my family to be happy.
I want the kids to grow up without any major hang-ups.
I would love it if no one ever said a bad thing to them.
All I want is for everyone to be nice to my kids.
Before he was a dragon, Long was once a selfish emperor.
Would you rather be a ruler who was feared or loved?
Oh, man, it’s all about love!
I would like the love of my people.
