The Rafu Shimpo - L.A. Japanese Daily News

Secret to His Success
By CATHY LIM
Rafu Contributor
Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006

In a predominantly Caucasian industry, Korean American comedian Bobby Lee strives to succeed in Hollywood.

MARIO G. REYES/ Rafu Shimpo
“You have to go up on stage to the point where you fail so many times … you slowly become immune to it,” says comedian Bobby Lee, who described himself as shy and insecure when he made his stage debut at 24.

It was at the age of 24 when Korean American Bobby Lee went up on stage for the first time during Amateur Night at The Comedy Store in San Diego. Working as a dish-washer with no real future prospects, the shy and admittedly insecure Lee had nothing to lose. With only three people in the audience, Lee was petrified as he became aware of the microphone. With his knees starting to buckle and the rest of his body visibly shaking, he barely managed to utter “hi.”

They say that some people learn from their mistakes and evolve, while preventing others from realizing their full potential. Lee soon noticed that his nervousness made the audience uncomfortable as he struggled to redeem himself. After this debacle, Lee continued to take the stage performing anywhere he could to hone his craft.

“You have to go up on stage to the point where you fail so many times and you’ve gone through so many of the most embarrassing situations that you slowly become immune to it,” said the comedian.

“And through time, after years of failure, you just get immune to it and what’s ironic is that that’s when you start getting good, because you become yourself.”

For Lee, that meant wholly embracing himself, including his flaws, making the best of what he has. Growing up, Lee said that he never fit the college-educated, obedient Asian stereotype. He was different from other Asians.

“ I think someone like James Iha, the guitaritst from Smashing Pumpkins is the reason why I bought the very first album, because there was an Asian guy in the band and they were really good. So you’re like ‘Oh I can do that too because he did it,’” he said of one of his far-from-typical Asian American muses.

“I just think that it really helps because when you’re a young kid growing up in the 70’s there’s Bruce Lee, so you’re thinking ‘Oh I have to take karate class to get any kind of respect.’ Now there are other options; I could be a 5’3” midget, fat drug addict and still make money,” he laughed.

After only six months, Lee landed a regular spot at The Comedy Store joining the best comedians of San Diego. At this higher level, more opportunities came as he signed on to tour with established comedian Carlos Mencia and then with Pauley Shore.

Lee eventually moved to Los Angeles with high hopes to further advance his career. Life did not go as planned, however. With no connections, agents turning him away and no one to help him, Lee had to start all over.

“Agents would say the craziest things to me like, ‘You’re never going to make it,’ ‘You’re too ethnic,’ ‘You don’t have it,’” he said.

After being on tour for years, Lee found himself struggling to survive. Instead of throwing in the towel, he continued auditioning for various shows as well as performing during open-mic nights at the Los Angeles Comedy Store.

“I’m not going to let LA or Hollywood or somebody dictate how far I can go...because that’s ridiculous, there’s nothing true about that,” he said.

Life took a positive twist with a spot on a game show called “Make Me Laugh” that aired on Comedy Central. According to Lee, he got the gig because they were desperate for comics. His current manager signed him and Lee went on to do 40 commercials within two years, earning himself a six-figure salary.

“It’s all or nothing,” he said about his career, “If you talk to anybody that’s successful, that’s the mentality really, a determination to make it happen.”

According to Lee, his big break came when the Steven Spielberg of commercials, Joe Pitka, offered him an IBM commercial where he wore a space suit and traveled around the world. After the commercial, more opportunities rolled in including “The Tonight Show” and then “Mad TV.”

Competition was tough on the set of “Mad TV” with weekly auditions to get on the air. Lee dabbled in drugs to relieve stress and by the second season, Lee said that he became a full-blown addict. Although the entertainer found himself struggling to succeed again, he charged on.

“The whole point about life for me is taking risks and walking through fear. If you don’t take risks and walk through fear, then you become like everyone else who live in this grey-like zombie routine,” he said. “It’s modern day slavery.”

The following summer, Lee was offered a cameo in the movie “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” After this project, “Mad TV” called him to come back to the show. With more credibility and clout, Lee wrote his own sketches and created his own characters including the likeness of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

“I hear Asian actors and actresses say all the time, ‘There’s not enough parts for us, they don’t write parts for us.’ Yeah that is absolutely true, there is not enough parts for us,” said the Korean American. “But then you figure it out and you work harder.”

Lee, who has been completely drug-free for the past few years, continues to march to the beat of his own drum.

Through a series of ups and downs, life is on the rise again for the entertainer who at the time of this interview was concurrently working on a TV pilot and one his biggest movie projects to date.
Of his journey toward a successful career, Lee said, “I’ve always been myself, and that seems to work for me.”

Bobby Lee joins Kevin Shea, Steve Byrne and Dr. Ken in a charity performance on Saturday, Sept. 9 during the 13th Annual Asian American Drug Abuse Program Benefit Show at the Aratani/Japan America Theater in Little Tokyo. For more information, call (323) 293-6284.

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