Star of Netflix’s ‘Kim’s Convenience’ talks Star Wars, Simu Liu, and the end of the Canadian sitcom
- ‘Complicated and messy’ is how Paul Sun-Hyung Lee describes the cancelling of the sitcom about a Korean immigrant family in Toronto after five seasons
- Lee, who plays family patriarch Appa, talks about what the series means for Asian representation, his role in The Mandalorian and his pride in co-star Simu Liu
Diehard fans of Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience feel producers have pulled the plug too soon on the hit show despite its burgeoning global fan base and a network commitment for another season.
The endearing show about a Korean immigrant family delves into the minutiae of life in multicultural Toronto. The parents run a variety store, the son works at a car rental shop, and the humour derives as much from intergenerational misunderstandings as racial, social and sexual politics.
“He’s part of the lovable dad trope, but I try to make him as true and authentic as possible,” the Korean-Canadian actor says. “The thing I don’t want is for Appa to be too much a buffoon or a cartoon. Everything he does is for good intentions with his family in mind. There is a lot of love there. Initially I think he was kind of Archie Bunker-like (Carroll O’Connor’s character from All In The Family) but he’s open-minded.
“In the show’s very first episode, he’s a homophobe. He didn’t want a gay pride parade outside his store. But it’s not hate, he just doesn’t understand. He thought it was too much noise, too much traffic. Later, he asks a trans character, in a very honest open way, why is she like that? When the character says it makes her most comfortable, he gets it.”