My martial arts came a lot from my uncle, who actually taught martial arts through the military. He was a black belt in tae kwon do, but also, he used a lot of military-style fighting where it's not the high kicks or anything like that. It's basically defeat your opponent as fast as possible.
It's the transformation that drives me. I want to do it all and never want to be boxed into something as a particular type or style. I never want people to think they know me. I hope to build a repertoire that one can look at and say, from to role to role, 'Was that Brian Tee?'
I come from a huge theater background. The whole action and stunt world just came as the roles were available.
I grew up playing 'Mortal Kombat' as a kid. I was always a fan of the video game. Saw the movies as a kid as well.
'Fast and Furious' continues to be alive, which means 'Tokyo Drift' is still alive, which means DK is very much alive.
I've always been a fan of Korean cinema but never really pursued it, as I wanted to pave my way here in the States. I figured, once I established myself here, Korea might take notice. And it did.
When you're Shredder for Halloween as a kid, and now you get to play him, it's like a childhood dream come to life.
I think, as kids, everyone is fascinated with dinosaurs. I definitely was. It is the ultimate big, huge, monster.
Parts for Asians are hard enough to get, and if Tee, which sounds kind of generically Asian, helps me get roles, so be it.
I grew up on comic books. 'X-Men' was my favorite team; Wolverine was my guy. At 8 years old, I dressed up as Wolverine with Adamantium claws that I made out of aluminum!
Working in Korea with the talent and staff there was very eye-opening. I was in awe of everyone's talent, passion, and love for the process.
For the most part, the roles Asians can get aren't necessarily well-rounded, and more often than not, they're stereotypes. But that's all we have. And then we see each other all the time at auditions, because we're all going for the same role. I've made a lot of friends that way.
I loved these turtles that were somehow mutants and teenagers, and they were ninjas. How cool is that?
The ability to stretch my range into all genres and characters is something I take great pleasure in doing. I thoroughly enjoy it. I consider myself a character actor, though some think of me as a leading man. As an actor, I love shifting gears from character to character, and the more range I can expand, the better.
I was a big reader.
I had a lot of funky things as a kid. I had dinosaurs and comic book stuff. I was eccentric; imagination drove my decor. Dinosaurs, for sure, were in there!
I watched all these movies like 'King Kong' and 'Godzilla' when I was growing up, and the fact that dinosaurs actually lived on this earth, the fact that they are not fake, made them very fascinating.
I love being part of these giant, epic movies. I take great pride in being part of them.
I've been a huge fan of the 'Jurassic Park' movies. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to be an actor.
When Marvel got the rights to Namor, I thought I'd be the perfect fit.
