For a show that hasn’t even aired yet, K-Town, aka the Asian Jersey Shore, has gotten a ton of hype. Everyone from gossip hawks like TMZ to Asian bloggers like Angry Asian Man were buzzing about the show this summer. Well, I had the pleasure of interviewing K-Town cast member, Joe Cha, himself!
Mike Le, one of the producers of the show, has been a wonderful supporter of our blog. In fact, he wrote in his blog that his inspiration for the show evolved from his own internal struggle, from feeling ashamed of being called a “fob” to having a greater appreciation for his Asian heritage. Read on for Absolutely Fobulous’ exclusive interview with notorious party animal, Joe “Knuckles” Cha.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a Korean-American born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in Bellevue, Washington, and now reside in Los Angeles, California. I have two younger sisters, Jennifer and Julia Cha, both characters themselves. My father passed away back in ’02 leaving my mother behind for me to bodyguard. I attended the University of Washington where I got a degree in partying and started my nightclub promoting career through my involvement with KSA as the activities coordinator for all five years. Fitness is a big part of my life and yes, I have a six-pack on my lower back.
Why did you choose to audition for the K-town show?
I was always a fan of Jersey Shore. When I was watching the first season, I thought in my head that it would be tight to have an Asian version of the show. Back in March when the campaign of the K-Town auditions was happening on Facebook, pretty much every person that I knew either texted, called, emailed, Facebook’ed me to try auditioning for the show. At first I was not taking the auditions seriously, thinking I wouldn’t even have a chance to place a part on the show. As the days got closer to the audition, I was just overwhelmed with all the response for me to give it a try.
How do you see the show changing the image of Asian Americans?
The show will validate any images of what people have on Asian Americans, good or bad. People stereotype Asians as the math whiz, the asexual male, the exotic female, the kung-fu guy, the nerd, the social reject. Yeah, we are all guilty of those but a whole lot more. In a sense, the show will create new stereotypes, images on how real we are and how much people can relate to us.
What kind of reaction have you received from your family and friends after being casted?
My friends always thought that I would be a part of something crazy like this. My sisters were like “Oppa (older brother in Korean), OMG!!”. My mother at first did not know what the whole concept of what K-Town is, but whatever I do, she gives me full support. Once she started getting questions about the show from her friends and peers, she knew then that I was a part of something special.
Some people say that K-Town is too much like Jersey Shore and that it can create a negative stereotype for Asians. What’s your take?
My whole take on the criticism that K-Town is replicating Jersey Shore is simple as this: I love them all, both positive and negative, keep them coming. Let’s keep in mind that Jersey Shore is not the first show that set off the reality concept. Real World set the whole structure up first with four guys and four girls living in a house together. Jersey Shore is just running off of the energy of that show, and so are we. And regarding the negative stereotypes, they’re negative if it affects you. Sure, we Asians might be labeled with the stereotypes as I mentioned before, but that is what role we have been given to play in the mainstream media. The goal for the producers is to portray the reality of Asian Americans through the cast of K-Town, break the old stereotypes and make new ones. Good or bad, why does it matter? Just as long as we are included, that’s all that matters for me.
Any updates on the show and where it’s going to be aired?
All I know is the producers are working very hard on selling the concept of the shows to the networks. We are getting close though so lets keep our fingers crossed.
Want to learn more about Joe and his favorite place to eat in K-Town? Stay tuned for Part II!
Check out our past AbFob Exclusive with Anh Oi Apparel founder!
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