Reggie Lee: Fighting Stereotypes
Reggie Lee: Fighting StereotypesBy Edward Pollard |
Home Base: Los Angeles Where You’ve Seen Him: Prison Break; The Fast and the Furious; Walker, Texas Ranger Martial Arts Experience: taekwondo Reggie Lee has a problem: Every time he gets serious about his martial arts training, he gets hired for a new acting job. Born in Quezon City in the Philippines, Lee came to the United States when he was 6. After a brief stop in Los Angeles, his father, a doctor, moved the family to Ohio, where he set up a practice. It was the early 1980s, and the Midwest was not the ideal place for a half-Chinese, half-Filipino boy to practice any martial art. Lee began studying taekwondo, but the stereotyping soon made him stop. “In Cleveland, I grew up as ‘the Asian kid,’ ” he said. “I was teased about being Chinese. People would come up to me and get physical, but I refused to use [my martial arts training] because I felt if I showed it, it would feed the stereotype. Only when I was older did I realize it’s a part of my culture that I can embrace, not only for self-defense but also for its meditative, spiritual aspects. That’s what made me start again and keeps me coming back.” Lee came back to taekwondo five years ago, signing up with Ken Nagayama in Burbank, California. “It was the first time I studied really seriously, and then I had to leave it again because of work,” Lee said. Despite the sporadic nature of his training, Lee’s skills have given him an edge when it comes to roles that require stunt work. “I do as much as I can, but the directors never want me to get hurt,” he said. “Still, they appreciate it because I do stuff other people can’t. They can actually shoot me from the front instead of the back all the time.”
The part resonated with Lee’s experience in Ohio. “It was a rush script, but we all worked together with Aki and brought it to life because we were passionate about this project,” he said. “I knew we could bring a sense of humanity to these characters.” These days, Lee stays busy with his recurring role as Secret Service Special Agent Bill Kim on Prison Break. Most actors would kill for such a prime-time part, but for Lee, it’s one more instance of work getting in the way of earning a black belt. “I would love to be able to study for a period in which I don’t have to shoot things,” he said. “I intend to really go back into it once I’m finished with this job.” About the author: Edward Pollard is the managing editor for Black Belt. |
