Actor Reggie Lee in Drag Me to Hell

June 19, 11:14 AMLA Asian American Movie ExaminerEd Moy

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Reggie Lee at Drag Me to Hell Premiere.

Like many Asian Americans, Reggie Lee's parents wanted him to be a doctor, despite the fact that this would have made him unhappy.

Instead, Lee chose to became an actor and ended up much happier.

Many TV viewers will recognize Lee as Bill Kim on the Fox show Prison Break, but in recent years he has appeared in Tropic Thunder and two Pirates of the Caribbean films and was also in the first Fast and the Furious.

This year, moviegoers can see Lee in a small role in the new Star Trek movie and the new horror film Drag Me to Hell.

In Drag Me to Hell, Lee plays the character of Sam Rubin, a non-ethnic specific role, which is something the Filipino would like to see more of in Hollywood.

On Asians in film, Lee states: "Hollywood used to look at Asian actors as the bad boys, the delivery boys, whatever. But now, they are starting to see beyond that; they're starting to see Asian actors as human beings and casting them in better roles. So I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood to study, study and study, and show their best. I haven't stopped studying. There's an abundance of roles and all you have to do is prove to them that you are good for the role(s). Prove to them that you are just as good as anyone else. See yourself as a human being first, and not just an Asian."

Lee, who has been working in Hollywood since the mid-1990's has seen his hard work payoff with appearances next to major stars such as Chow Yun-Fat.

"It was fantastic," Lee recalls working with Chow. "He was like an older brother to me. He was the kind of person who would come to the set every morning and give you a hug, whether you are a star or an extra. He was just so gracious and happy to be there."

For all his success, Lee states that he remains grounded in his native culture:  "I'm Pinoy through and through. I watch The Filipino Channel (TFC) and Pinoy TV (of GMA) all the time. I miss the culture. I watch A.S.A.P. and S.O.P. because I love the singing. I watch all the tele-series. Name them and I watch them. I'm a big fan of Christopher De-Leon, whom I first saw in American Adobo, and Sharon Cuneta."

As for his acting aspirations, Lee recalls: "I saw Timothy Bottoms in a tele-movie called A Shining Season and it really moved me. I was maybe 8 or 9. Timothy played a runner who had cancer and he defied the odds by coaching a girls' team to victory. I thought, 'If this guy could move me and other people so much, then I want to do what he's doing, I wanted to be an actor. So I went to my parents and I said, 'I want to be an actor.' And they said, 'Oh no, you can't do that. Being an actor is not a stable career. You can go to college and have a degree first and you can do anything you want'. After summer, I asked for their permission for me to visit relatives in L.A."