College is the time and the place to discover your ambition and your passion,Ken Jeong, a doctor, comedian, actor and self-proclaimed "Instagram-model," told students who attended the final event of the Global Culture Month, sponsored by the International Student Assembly at USC.
"Follow your passion," Jeong told the audience. "This is the golden opportunity right now, to find something that you love to do. And that could be something you've loved since grade school, and you're reinforcing that at USC, or it could be something brand new. Either way, follow that."
Jeong, who plays flamboyant Papa Goh in Hollywood blockbuster "Crazy Rich Asians", described his undergraduate years at Duke University as the "best years of my life", because he got to "explore everything, from science to acting… to beer." It's advice he shares with his two daughters, urging them to follow their strengths and passion regardless of money.
"If I could make $100, that's better than making $100,000 in an area I don't like," Jeong said.
Jeong is best known for his roles as Chow in The Hangover (where he pounced and straddled actor Bradley Cooper naked ), and the crazy Señor Chang in the sitcom Community. He also wrote, produced and played the lead role in a semi-autobiographical ABC sitcom Dr. Ken, and is set to also star in an upcoming Netflix stand-up special.
Though he didn't start the night with his killer dance moves, he went all out in classic Jeongian comedy, even 'politely' poking fun at the moderator of the night, Kevin Shea, who is also a comedian. Not that Shea minded much, playing a good sport to Jeong's antics, even tweeting after the show "Thanks for having me sit in a giant chair and discover secrets about u."
While he wasn't full-frontal like he was in the The Hangover, he was openly candid throughout the night, speaking from his heart about taking the leap of faith to follow his passion for comedy and acting, as well as his own college experience. In addition, he credits the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" as a "movement" for industry-representation in Hollywood, since it is the first major film featuring an all-Asian cast in 25 years.
For his creative process, Jeong said that "I write what I know. I write about my life as an Asian American, as a father or as a physician. I just try to start anything I write from someplace that is real and relatable." Jeong also shared that during the filming of "The Hangover", the decision to jump out naked was his own idea, as he wanted to add an element of mystery to viewers, or to put it in his words, to let them think "What the f**k is going on here!?" The director, Todd Phillips, was more than open to the idea, even making Jeong sign a waiver so that he couldn't change his mind.
Additionally, Jeong opened up about his childhood, describing himself as a "popular, easy-going nerd" in high school (or in Shea's words, "just a nerd"), making him likable among peers who voted for him to participate in a mock male beauty pageant. While a chubby 16-year-old Jeong had to pose next to bulky jocks in a swimsuit competition, Jeong was unfazed and unflappable, owning the stage by striking exaggerated bodybuilder poses. Shockingly, Jeong finished first runner-up. Shea poked fun at him by saying, "You've been taking off your clothes since high school. That's crazy!"
Despite his success, Jeong remains incredibly humble. He talked about his own fear in leaving his "day-job" (being a doctor) to doing what he truly loved — acting. It didn't help that his own boss told him "I think you're making a mistake. I can't believe you're leaving all of this."
He credits his wife, Tran Ho, for his career, calling her his "best friend… the best partner ever" leading to cheers and claps from the audience. Jeong jokingly responded: "You don't have to clap. She ain't here."
Initially, Jeong wanted to be that "good f**king Asian, that responsible kid" since he held "Korean guilt, as a first-born son", and was going to suppress all the fond memories he had of acting "until getting therapy in my mid-fifties" to continue practicing medicine. It was his wife Tran who urged him to quit his job to pursue acting.
She even managed to get his parents to support him wholeheartedly, to which Shea humorously responded, "It's amazing how many Asian med students are going to drop out… You're going to influence a whole generation."
It's also surprising how his wife influenced his acting through more than just encouragement. While his wife is now cancer-free, she was battling cancer when he had got the part of Mr. Chow in The Hangover. By being on set, he could go "nuts, saying politically incorrect things" which was "all very therapeutic." The screaming was a reflection of his own anger that his wife was suffering, a pain he wished he could carry, he said.
He also shared about regrettable drunk moments in college, where as a freshman, "I got drunk on two Rolling Rocks. I was such a lightweight."
Jeong admitted that while he jokes about being a model minority, his GPA was about a 2.9 freshman year. "I wasn't even acting. I was just drinking at that time." It was only during the sophomore year that he started studying, being so intense that he still has nightmares about final exams.