A Hawaii Five-0 actor is ready to sidestep action roles for something a bit more romantic… despite nearing 60.
Videos by Suggest
Daniel Dae Kim, 57, recently opened up about his thespian heart’s desire while promoting his new Netflix spy series, Butterfly. Of course, Kim has made his mark with memorable sci-fi and action roles, from roles in Lost and Hellboy to portraying police task force member Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five-0.
“I would love to be a romantic lead,” Kim recently told PEOPLE. “Just boy meets girl — but I am getting a bit old for that, so it may be man meets woman,” he joked.
Kim told the outlet that he wants a romantic lead role because Asian men have been misrepresented in Hollywood in paste decades.
“Traditionally in America, someone who looks like me does not get the girl,” he added. “I’m so glad to see that changing. I really hope that’s a barrier that not only our community breaks, but one that I get to participate in breaking.”
The Hawaii Five-0 Actor Recently Made Tony Award History
Last fall, he made history as the first Asian actor to be nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play, thanks to his standout performance in the Broadway production of Yellow Face.
“I started my career on stage, and I started at a time where representation was very different from where it is today,” the Hawaii Five-0 said of the nomination.
“To be nominated for [best lead actor] is a dream come true and a really good metaphor for where we are culturally. We’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still a ways to go… the next step that we have to take, and not just for me, but for all of us, is for an Asian man to win that category,” he told PEOPLE.
In Butterfly, he portrays a former intelligence operative on the run from his own daughter, who happens to be an agent. Filmed across 21 locations in South Korea, the show features both Korean and English, showcasing Kim’s dedication to global Korean storytelling.
“It’s not often that you get to see what’s essentially a love letter to Korea for global audiences,” he explained. “If you’ve never been to Korea or seen Korea, you’re gonna get a nice view into what that country and culture looks like.”
The full season of Butterfly is now available to stream on Prime Video.