Brian Tee

Parts for Asians are hard enough to get, and if Tee, which sounds kind of generically Asian, helps me get roles, so be it. ”

I grew up playing 'Mortal Kombat' as a kid. I was always a fan of the video game. Saw the movies as a kid as well. ”

The ability to stretch my range into all genres and characters is something I take great pleasure in doing. I thoroughly enjoy it. I consider myself a character actor, though some think of me as a leading man. As an actor, I love shifting gears from character to character, and the more range I can expand, the better. ”

When you're Shredder for Halloween as a kid, and now you get to play him, it's like a childhood dream come to life. ”

For the most part, the roles Asians can get aren't necessarily well-rounded, and more often than not, they're stereotypes. But that's all we have. And then we see each other all the time at auditions, because we're all going for the same role. I've made a lot of friends that way. ”

I had a lot of funky things as a kid. I had dinosaurs and comic book stuff. I was eccentric; imagination drove my decor. Dinosaurs, for sure, were in there! ”

It's the transformation that drives me. I want to do it all and never want to be boxed into something as a particular type or style. I never want people to think they know me. I hope to build a repertoire that one can look at and say, from to role to role, 'Was that Brian Tee?' ”