Victoria G Interviews André Dae Kim

Victoria G: What inspired you to become an actor?

André Dae Kim: When I was younger, I struggled a lot with not being really good at one thing, my friends at the time were playing soccer or hockey, or could play drums or guitar. My parents put me in a lot of different programs and the one thing that kind of stuck was theatre and improv, so I kept doing that and eventually went to a high school that specialized in arts and specifically theatre. When I was there I didn't see a lot of roles in my schools productions that I wanted to go for which led me to looking online on Facebook and craigslist for local auditions for non union shorts and productions. Eventually that led me to Degrassi and I've been working in the industry ever since.

VG: Who are your acting inspirations?

ADK: Joseph Gordon Levitt has always been a favourite of mine. But there are tons of ppl I admire and mimic and learn from like Idris Alba, Benedict Wong, Ryan Gosling, Robert Pattinson, Amy Adams. Big fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Bong Joon Ho as well.

VG: What is your favorite thing about acting?

ADK: The Freedom. The art form is all about play and discovery. You can't find anything else like it anywhere. And your constantly making a fool of yourself which is encouraged.

VG: What was your first acting job?

ADK: First Job was Degrassi but my first actual film gig was a Ryerson Student short called Nails and I'll never forget my director Alex! Thank you for letting me get rid of all the fake blood in your apartment.

VG: What is your favorite project you have ever done?

ADK: Salvation was one of the coolest roles I've ever got to play. And Mary Kills People was one of the most Challenging roles. Both of those are high up there for myself. Along with a short I did called Whistleblower.

VG: What are some qualities you look for in a project?

ADK: Substance for one. Along with room for creative suggestions from my part as the actor. I like scripts that have a clear idea of what they want. Even if that means the project is more campy or light hearted.

VG: Which character that you have played so far has been the most similar to you?

ADK: Joshua from Mary Kills People. I've never had cancer before but the character itself was very much like me I believe. Very introspective and a little bit of a pessimist. I could see a lot of myself in him. Which kind of made it more challenging.

VG: One of your most notable roles was as Dylan Edwards in the CBS series, Salvation.

What can you share about your time working on that series?

ADK: Salvation was an amazing production. Everyone was amazing on that set. Working with Ian and Rachel mostly, and they were both such strong actors it really motivated me to step my game up. That show was also very cool because you never knew what was going to happen next and it was a fun thrilling ride. I'm very sad it ended when it did but enjoyed the experience none the less.

VG: How would you describe yourself in three words?

ADK: Open-minded, thoughtful, and Stubborn

VG: What are your social media handles?

ADK: Insta is andrekim7 and Twitter is andre_kim7 I'm not very active or interesting on either so I do apologize for that.

VG: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

ADK: Still acting and still learning. The last 10 years of my life I've been very nomadic so I'm hoping in 10 years I can find a place I can call home.

VG: What are three qualities every actor should have?

ADK: Actors come in all shapes and sizes so I think it's different for everyone depending on the circumstances. For myself I would say Persistence, Empathy and Patience.

VG: Do you have any advice for an aspiring actor?

ADK: I think the best advice I ever got was "find what you love and let it kill you."

VG: What's next for you?

ADK: I have a few projects coming up in the next year that I can't speak too much on right now. During COVID I was working on writing quite a bit so there might be something with that in the distant future.

VG: RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS Orange or Green

ADK: Green, sorry changed my mind orange for sure lol.

VG: Pop or Rock

ADK: Rock

VG: Hockey or Basketball

ADK: Basketball (Volleyball is my fav though)

VG: Singing or Dancing

ADK: Singing

VG: Cats or Dogs

ADK: Love both but Dogs.

VG: Chicken or Steak

ADK: Steak

VG: Hot weather or Cold weather

ADK: Cold weather

VG: Marvel or DC

ADK: DC

VG: What have you been doing while in quarantine?

ADK: Writing, gaming lots and lots of movies. Thanks to a friend of mine, a lot of really old and foreign movies as well! Broadening my horizons just a bit.