Alan Kim and Steven Yeun star in MINARI — Courtesy of A24
An unexpected delight on this year’s festival and awards circuit has certainly been 8-year-old Alan Kim. The charmingly precocious star of Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari brings smiles and joy to every interview, conversation, and Q&A. And in his first movie, he is also a very talented young actor.
With his smart yellow bowtie and a whole lot of energy, Alan Kim graciously sat down with me recently (via Zoom) to talk about books, Legos, and his great work in Minari.
Alan Kim and Youn Yuh-jung star in MINARI — Courtesy of A24
Karen Peterson/We Live Entertainment: What made you decide you wanted to be an actor?
Alan Kim: My mom was like, “Come on, let’s do a movie.” So I’m like, “Okay, I guess I’ll have a chance to do movie. So I found Minari and I did the audition and got in.
KP: What was it like going to your very first audition?
AK: It was really nice. I got to meet Steven [Yeun] and [Lee Isaac Chung]. I met Steven and the casting director [Julia Kim] and Christina [Oh]. I already met, Isaac in FaceTime.
KP: Were you nervous?
AK: No, it was much more of a fun day than nervous day.
KP: When you found out that you were going to be in the movie, were you really really excited?
AK: Yes. I was really excited to be in the movie.
KP: What did you do to celebrate?
AK: We went on a cruise that went to Mexico, but I was kind of scared on the boat and my sister got kind of seasick.
KP: Oh, no! Were you more nervous about the boat than you were about the movie?
AK: Yes, the boat, I was scared that it might sink. Like the Titanic. So I was like, “I’m too young to die!” {laughs}
KP: You are! But you got to do the movie. Can you talk a little bit about what it was like the first day?
AK: The first day I didn’t film. The first day I went to take some pictures and I got to eat ice cream. That was really good. Noel [Cho] ate her ice cream fast enough but I was slow. My mom’s like, “Quickly! Eat up! You can’t eat the ice cream forever.”
KP: It’s always a good day when there’s ice cream, huh?
AK: Yeah!
KP: How was it getting to know Noel, who plays your sister?
AK: It was really good. On the first day she gave me this coloring pad.
KP: What about Steven and Yeri as your mom and dad?
AK: It was really good. Steven, gave me jokes. And he was really funny. He also gave me a book, The Neverending Story, and it was really nice.
KP: That’s a great book. Have you read it yet?
AK: No, but… I guess I’m planning to.
KP: What was it like when you got to film your very first scene?
AK: My very first scene. It was when I said, “Mom, have you looked outside?” where the big, red tractor and Paul (Will Patton) and Steven there. They got to drive. I didn’t get to drive that. We also took some pictures on it which was really fun.
KP: Did you have a very favorite scene?
AK: My favorite scene was when I gave pee to grandma. It was so fun. I’m not sure if anybody else was there, the other cast mates. But I think it was just the grandma and me and I ran away. And that was really fun.
KP: You have some great scenes with her. Can you talk about working with Youn Yuh-jung as your as your grandma?
AK: Working with her was very nice. She was so kind. And I really it was really good.
KP: What was the hardest part for you?
AK: There was no hard part except the heat wave in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the summer it was way too hot.
KP: The movie started at Sundance last year. Did you get to go?
AK: Yes. It was the totally opposite of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the summer, so I liked it.
KP: So now that you’ve done this movie, is this what you want to do? Do you want to be an actor?
AK: I plan to be an actor.
KP: What are some types of movies you’d like to do?
AK: Any kind of movie as long as it’s a movie.
KP: When you were making Minari, can you tell me about going to the creek?
AK: Yeah, I got to go to the creek three times.
KP: Three times? That’s cool.
AK: Yeah. One time with when I go with the grandma, me and Anne. The second time is just me and the grandma. And me holding the net, I was actually trying to catch some fish because there was tiny fish in there. But they just swim all through the net holes.
KP: Aw, so you didn’t get any fish?
AK: No.
KP: Can you tell me about when you filmed the part when you go to the doctor’s office?
AK: In the doctor’s office, I was so tired that I accidentally fell asleep on Steven’s elbow so Steven’s just like, “Boo!”
KP: When I was talking to Yuh-jung who played your grandma, she told me that one of her favorite scenes with you was when you said she smelled like grandma smell.
AK: Oh. “Grandma smells like Korea?” That part?
KP: Yeah, that part. What does Korea smell like and what does what is grandma smell?
AK: Grandma smells like… a grandma? And Korea smells like Korea.
KP: Have you ever been to Korea?
AK: When I was a baby, but I can’t really remember.
KP: What’s something you learned from Isaac when you were doing the movie?
AK: He says like, “Don’t rush or don’t overreact.” Because if you rush to might make a mistake, or the words won’t come out properly. And don’t overreact it, just be yourself. Because if you overreact, it’s not really you.
