All right, everybody. You know what time it is. Time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Christopher Larkin.
Who are you?
Christopher Larkin
What are you?
Korean-American, though my adoptive parents are Irish and French-Canadian. To make matters more confusing, I met my birthmother for the first time earlier this year. I find that my answer to this question is constantly being redefined. Constantly evolving. If you're a person of color in the states, this evolution is inescapable. The same probably goes for Caucasians as well, but I'm not exactly qualified to speak on that.
Where are you?
Los Angeles, California
Where are you from?
I was born in Daegu, South Korea. Raised in Hebron, Connecticut. I would never go so far as to call myself a New Yorker, but I spent seven years of my life there before switching coasts. The photo above was from my last day in Harlem. While I go through my occasional bouts of nostalgia, West Hollywood has been a welcome change.
What do you do?
On a good day, I'm an actor. On a bad day, I wait tables.
But coming from a former doorman in Times Square, the bad days never seem quite so bad.
Shameless plug: If you have eight minutes to spare, please check out a series that I'm proud to be a part of called Squad 85. Many people aren't aware of this but in 1985, the Los Angeles Police Department experimented with a secret time-travel division, catapulting four of LA's finest 25 years into the future. That future is now. The first three of six episodes are currently available at:
www.squad85.com
Facebook: Squad 85
Tweet it: @Squad_85
What are you all about?
Post-graduation, it has been my goal to catch up on all the novels that I skipped reading in school. This extends all the way back to when I was 15 or so. I was an avid reader up to about my sophomore year of high school, but quickly grew tired of people telling me what to read, when to read it by and how to correctly take it apart (the definition of correctly, more often than not, corresponded directly to my teachers' non-objective point of view). Working through a book lost all its former pleasures and I resigned myself to the bane of every English teacher's existence: SparkNotes. But now I'm back, making my way through the Western canon one classic at a time.
I also try to play my guitar every day. It's the only creative outlet that has consistently brought me comfort through the highs and the lows.
What makes you angry?
Micro: Not discovering angry asian man sooner. People with a false sense of entitlement. People who don't acknowledge your presence when you open the door for them, on the job or not. People who chew with their mouths open. Especially gum. It never ends.
Macro: Asian-American actors who agree to audition / sign on to roles that only work to perpetuate stereotypes. We all know which roles I am talking about. It amazes me how quickly some people are willing to throw their moral convictions and sense of social responsibility out the window in exchange for a paycheck, a credit and a bit of exposure. It amazes me how afraid people are of saying no. Even the mention of turning down auditions (which I will continue to do as necessary) shocks my friends in the business. For most of us, this filtration system is the only power we have. And it's a power that has been fought long and hard for by actors who will never see the opportunities presented to my generation. So in light of all that, I try to focus on looking ahead, not the other way around. There are many things to be angry about in this industry. If I think on them for too long, it only leaves me feeling bitter. Given the enormous task at hand, a permanent state of bitterness is not an option. I strive to complete the work that is left to be done.
