John Cho Quotes

Powerful John Cho for Daily Growth

About John Cho

John Yohan Choi, famously known as John Cho, was born on June 18, 1972, in Seoul, South Korea, to Christian parents who had emigrated to the United States before his birth. Raised in Los Angeles, California, Cho's passion for acting was ignited during high school, where he participated in numerous theater productions. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Asian American Studies, Cho pursued an acting career. He started with small roles on television shows like 'ER' before landing his breakout role as Harold Lee in the hit film 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' (2004). This role catapulted Cho into mainstream fame and solidified him as a cultural icon for Asian-American audiences. In 2009, Cho made history by becoming the first Asian American to lead a romantic comedy in 'Stick It.' His other notable works include roles in 'Star Trek' (2009), 'Sleepwalking' (2008), and 'Columbus' (2017). Cho has also ventured into voice acting, lending his voice to characters in various animated series such as 'Voltron: Legendary Defender.' In addition to his successful acting career, Cho is an advocate for Asian-American representation in media. He co-founded the Asian American Film Lab, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering and showcasing Asian American talent. Cho's unique ability to bring depth and nuance to each character he portrays, combined with his advocacy efforts, makes him an influential figure in both the entertainment industry and the Asian American community.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The beauty of acting is that you get to be someone else for a while and you get to have experiences you wouldn't otherwise."

This quote by John Cho suggests that acting provides an opportunity for individuals to momentarily escape their own reality, adopting the identity of another character, and living vicariously through their experiences. This ability to immerse oneself in a different life allows actors not only to explore various aspects of humanity but also to gain insights and perspectives they might not encounter in their everyday lives. Essentially, acting serves as a means of experiencing the world from diverse vantage points.


"I've learned that it's important to take risks and do things that scare me."

This quote by John Cho emphasizes the value in stepping out of one's comfort zone and facing fears through taking calculated risks. It suggests that growth, personal development, and new experiences can be found in these moments of apprehension, encouraging individuals to embrace challenges, break free from their limitations, and seize opportunities for self-discovery.


"I think everyone has the capacity to surprise themselves, and I think that's what makes us human."

This quote emphasizes the inherent potential for growth and transformation within all individuals, highlighting the capacity for self-discovery and personal development. It suggests that despite our preconceived notions or beliefs about ourselves, there remains an untapped reservoir of abilities, qualities, and possibilities waiting to be explored and realized. Essentially, it reinforces the idea that we are complex beings capable of more than we might initially imagine, making us uniquely human.


"I think it's really important to remember that we are all more than just one aspect of our identity."

John Cho's quote underscores the multidimensional nature of human identity, emphasizing that every individual is a complex interplay of various characteristics, experiences, and traits. This perspective encourages empathy, understanding, and respect for others, as it challenges the simplistic labels or stereotypes often assigned to people based on their race, gender, profession, or other defining factors. Recognizing the richness and complexity of each person's identity fosters a more inclusive, accepting, and compassionate society.


"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities."

This quote emphasizes the importance of focusing on what matters most, rather than being guided solely by one's schedule or to-do list. It suggests that instead of fitting important tasks into available time, we should make time for our top priorities. In other words, it encourages us to actively manage our time based on our values and goals, ensuring we devote adequate attention to what truly matters in life.


I personally would love to see Harold and Kumar with children. I think that would be hilarious.

- John Cho

Love, Think, See, Hilarious

I have this nightmare that one day I will have to look at every picture I've ever taken with people in an airport or in bars or restaurants, and it will make me very sad.

- John Cho

Will, One Day, Very, Bars

The worst thing for a kid is to move around and switch schools, but as an actor, you go from job to job, meeting strangers and becoming very close right away. I've become adept at that.

- John Cho

Worst Thing, Move, Very, Adept

For a while, I was feeling like I was always playing characters that weren't specifically Korean or specifically Asian, even - that they were characters who were originally written white, and then they would cast me. And I used to consider that a badge of honor because that meant I had avoided stereotypes.

- John Cho

Honor, Used, Had, Asian

One of the things I like about comedy in general is that it affords Asian Americans the opportunity to not be noble.

- John Cho

Like, One Of The Things, Asian

I wanted to do 'Manzanar' because I'd never done anything like it before. The spoken word there is between a drama and an essay, and I'd never worked in concert with an orchestra.

- John Cho

Concert, Like, Before, Spoken Word

Culture is this thing that exists apart from our real life but is something we all have tacitly agreed to in America. And what film and television do, particularly in this country, is lay out the characters involved in this invisible agreement and dictate who and what can participate.

- John Cho

Invisible, Country, Our, Dictate

When I first started acting in college, at Cal, the thing that I loved about acting was not being onstage but going into rehearsals. The thing, as I look back on it now, that I was most attracted to, was that I felt like I'd found my family. It was just a bunch of loonies.

- John Cho

College, Back, About, Rehearsals

The thing about kissing men - how do people stand it? The stubble is maddening.

- John Cho

Men, How, Kissing, Maddening

That's a huge part of being a human being: looking for love and finding a partner in this world. When you constantly play characters who don't have that life, it feels incomplete and not totally human.

- John Cho

Love, Play, Feels, Incomplete

I don't know what the next frontier is, but good comedy should put its toe into taboo waters. You have to transgress a little bit, and that area shifts with culture and with the year.

- John Cho

Next, Frontier, Area, Shifts

I think my parents were surprisingly cool with me entering the arts. Although, I think they thought it was going to be a phase, and they didn't expect me to actually stick with it, and rightfully so. They were concerned whether I could afford groceries, being an actor.

- John Cho

Thought, I Think, Rightfully, Surprisingly

Typically, actors overplay jargon or toss it away in an extravagant display of casualness. Real people hit the important parts hard.

- John Cho

Away, Real People, Display, Jargon

The key to doing 'Harold and Kumar' movies is you make it earnest. Primarily what we do is make Harold and Kumar's relationship and friendship believable, and we don't actually work on being that funny.

- John Cho

Work, Friendship, Doing, Harold

There is a real Harold Lee.

- John Cho

Real, Lee, Harold

I get called Harold the most. I think maybe 'Harold & Kumar' fans don't know my name, and 'Star Trek' fans do know my name... Harold fans are vocal!

- John Cho

Think, Star, I Think, Harold

That's what it is: a 'Harold & Kumar' movie is a romance between two best friends.

- John Cho

Best, Movie, Romance, Harold

I think obviously the 'Harold and Kumar' stuff is trying to lean head first into the raunch.

- John Cho

Think, I Think, Obviously, Harold

'Sesame Street' early on and then 'Little House on the Prairie' was a big deal in our house. I always identified with 'Little House' because they were wanderers, and there was something about being an immigrant.

- John Cho

Big, Deal, Always, Identified

I like to flip flop, but making your days work to find a laugh is a really good way to spend a day. I appreciate it more going away and then coming back to it.

- John Cho

Making, Away, Like, Flop

The scariest thing is to go into a new situation for myself, and yet I have a job where I do that every few months, meet a hundred new people, and then have to perform in a very highly pressurized environment.

- John Cho

New, Very, Hundred, Scariest

I think about John Lennon all the time. What would John Lennon do? What would John Lennon say if he got this part? How would he act? I don't know, but he's my moral barometer.

- John Cho

Think, I Think, Part, Lennon

I've found it to be true that sometimes a stranger can give you advice that stays with you, utter truths the closest people in your life have trouble saying.

- John Cho

Advice, Give, Utter, Closest

Because I sidestepped all the stereotypical roles, in a way I've made a career out of not being Asian - a lot of my roles weren't written as Asian - so there's an impulse in me that wants to take a U-turn and play a very grounded, real Asian character, maybe an immigrant.

- John Cho

Play, Career, Very, Impulse

What's impressed me about 'Star Trek' fans is how many generations they span and how many nations they represent. They are all over the place.

- John Cho

Star, Over, Impressed, Span

With acting, you are a small part of the creative process, and sometimes it is hard to feel like you are making an impact.

- John Cho

Small, Process, Making, Creative Process

I've been called a funny person for a long time. I don't know that I know anything about comedic acting.

- John Cho

Long, Been, About, Comedic

I'm not a good improv-er, which is what a lot of comedic actors are really good at. I have failed miserably when I've been asked to improvise.

- John Cho

Been, Improvise, Which, Comedic

My wife and I were worried, when we had our firstborn, about how he was going to think of himself in a mostly white neighborhood. Particularly Asian men, I feel, we suffer more than Asian women, because we're told we're not worth anything in general.

- John Cho

Feel, About, Mostly, Neighborhood

I like that guy Matthew Perry a lot.

- John Cho

Like, Matthew, Lot, Perry

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