Daniel Dae Kim is doing his part to make sure one of the most prolific working actors in the business gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Actor James Hong has over 600 film and television credits to his name with some of his high-profile projects including CHINATOWN, BLADE RUNNER, MULAN, KUNG FU PANDA and, of course, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA where he played the villain, Lo Pan. CNN published an article on August 3, 2020, about Hong's stellar career and Lost and The Good Doctor star Daniel Dae Kim took notice and began to question why Hong, who is an American-born actor of Chinese descent, hasn't gotten his spot on Hollywood's most famed street:
"James Hong just might be the most prolific actor in Hollywood history. As of July 2020, he has a total of 672 credits, which include 469 TV shows, 149 feature films, 32 short films, and 22 video games… This man epitomizes the term ‘working actor,’ and that’s not even taking into account all he’s done to help further representation for actors of color."
Kim did more than just make a bold public statement about the matter. The actor created a GoFundMe page and has raised $55,000 to help get Hong his place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Kim set the crowdfunding goal at $55,000 because “one of the most crucial steps is to raise $50,000 to pay for the creation and installation of the star, as well as general maintenance of the Walk of Fame.” An additional $5,000 was needed “to cover estimated GoFundMe service charges.” Kim’s campaign was live for only four days when it shut down after hitting a grand total of $55,307. Special donation perks included a zoom call with Kim, Ken Jeong, Ming Na Wen, and Randall Park for contributors who put forward $5,000 or more.
Now that the money has been raised, Kim's next objective will be to submit a nomination application for Hong in April 2021. The actor is asking donors to let him hold onto the funds for two years in case the 2021 bid for Hong does not go through. Kim said that “if for some unimaginable reason his nomination is not accepted in either year, we will donate all proceeds to a charity in James’ honor.”
It's great to see another actor trying to help a legend he's been most likely inspired by. I can't see Hong not getting the nomination next year considering all the coverage this story has gotten but Kim's back-up plan of donating the funds raised to a charity in Hong's honor is a solid plan B in case things don't work out as planned.
Do YOU think Hong deserves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Head to Daniel Dae Kim's GoFundMe page to learn more about his efforts to help Hong get the recognition he deserves.