With dark patches under his eyes, Justin Chon sunk down into a La-Z boy position at the guest lounge of the Grand Intercontinental Hotel for an afternoon chitchat.
His disposition was more Al Bundy than the hyper-active comic relief Eric Yorkie in the Twilight franchise.
It was also a look all too familiar for anyone who has lived and worked here for a considerable period and all signs pointed towards late night binge drinking.
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He was quick to throw that assumption out the window.
“No, man that’s not it. I quit drinking a little over a month ago. Drinking and smoking,” he said massaging his jaws.
“I think I slept last night with my jaws clenched.”
It was the last day of his weeklong visit to Korea during which he made the rounds with some of the biggest talent and entertainment companies to check out what they had on offer for him.
“I’m trying to get a feel for the local industry and what my opportunities are and what I can do here,” he said.
“The fact I got to meet with Yu Ji-tae was amazing. He came to a party I was having in Itaewon and, for me, that was like Leonardo DiCaprio showing up. … He came by to say what’s up and I was like what the hell?”
After five years of working in Hollywood, the 29-year-old Orange County native with the boyish charm has become something of a veteran.
He’s done everything from network sitcoms, independently produced passion projects, portraying an Asian gangster – an unwritten rite of passage for any young Asian actor in Tinseltown – and being part of the billion-dollar Twilight franchise.
Chon, for the lack of a better word, has become a seasoned pro.
