<\/p>
Justin H Min takes on the title role in new sci-fi film After Yang, playing a robotic child \u2013 or \u2018technosapien\u2019 \u2013 who mysteriously stops functioning.<\/p>\n
The film is the second feature from acclaimed filmmaker Kogonada and approaches the genre in an extremely gentle way, while still asking profound questions about what it means to be human \u2013 and more specifically, what it means to be Asian.<\/p>\n
This latter point was of particular interest to The Umbrella Academy<\/a> star Min, who explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com<\/a> that\u00a0he was able to draw on \u201call of my personal experience\u201d for the role.<\/p> \u201cI was born and raised in the States and obviously don\u2019t look white,\u201d he said. \u201cSo navigating the world as someone who feels very American, but also is perceived as Asian, was something I\u2019ve always grappled with. And the older I get, the more it continues to intersect with my work and my life in terms of how I\u2019m perceived for certain roles or whatnot.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s interesting because in many ways I do feel Asian and in many ways, I don\u2019t,\u201d he added. \u201cBecause [like with] that beautifully written monologue that Yang gives about tea, it\u2019s something that resonates so deeply.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like, I know these stories from my parents. I know the history from history books. I know the language. And yet, it\u2019s not substantiated by something that\u2019s actually real, because these are all distilled versions of what my parents are telling me.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019ve always been searching for what is real to my Asian identity.\u00a0 It\u2019s not something I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever really have answers for. But it\u2019s a constant exploration and journey, and I think that\u2019s one of the things that the film explores so well.\u201d<\/p>\n