For Justin H. Min, Real Representation Means Showing Every Side of Everyone

This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA strike activity.

In the grand scheme of comic book movies, Shortcomings doesn't have the trappings of its broad-shouldered brothers. There aren't any special effects, there are no Hollywood Chrises, and instead of superpowers and galaxy-threatening big baddies, there are diners, art house theaters (not drive-ins, unfortunately), and a deep dive into what representation means for Asian Americans now, post-Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Justin H. Min (that H is short for Hong-Kee), who came out of the Umbrella Academy and into the streets of Berkeley and New York City for Shortcomings alongside co-stars Sherry Cola (who stole every scene in Joy Ride) and Ally Maki (whose credits include AppleTV+'s The Big Door Prize and a superhero pedigree of her own with Marvel's Cloak & Dagger), isn't a stranger to comic adaptations, but he knew that this one was different from the very start.

Shortcomings, in theaters on Aug. 4, is based on a graphic novel (what people generally call comic books when they don't involve mutants, heroes, and killer robots) by Adrian Tomine, who cut his teeth on cartoons for The New Yorker. Randall Park (yes, the Randall Park from Fresh Off the Boat and Always Be My Maybe) signed on to direct and produce the film, making it the first time he's stepped behind the camera for a full-length feature. Unlike Min's role in Netflix's Beef, where he played a seemingly picture-perfect churchgoer alongside Steven Yeun and Ali Wong; and 2021’s After Yang, where he played a robot opposite Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith, Shortcomings offers a different look at representation — namely, that people of all ethnicities fuck up.

"We need shitty Asian representation, and I'm so glad that our movie is a step in that direction," Min tells InStyle. Shortcomings takes a brief opportunity to skewer a very popular rom-com that's come to be a touchstone for Asian visibility, but like Min himself, it's in on the joke. "There are so many shitty versions of us out there, and we are not this model minority that a lot of people think that we are. We're just as broken, we're just as flawed, we're just as contradictory, we're not put together, we're all unraveling."

He takes a moment between snacking on Flamin' Hot Cheetos to consider the pantheon of this current wave of Asians in Hollywood and how viewers are getting more comfortable with seeing characters that aren't just 99th-percentile SAT scores, quirky sidekicks, and martial arts masters.

"We have this pressure of upholding the model minority myth," Min continues. "In many ways, we're unraveling more than those people around us that are not Asian. I'm glad we get to show a bit of that in this movie because it's authentic to myself and it's authentic to the people I know in my community. So many of my Asian friends failed their SATs.”

That authenticity manifests in his character Ben's relationships with his girlfriend, Miko, played by Maki, and friend Alice, with Cola stealing the show again as the two sit down at various diners ("I love a pastrami when I go to a diner," Min shares of his own experiences at greasy spoons). He accuses Miko of jumping to support a saccharine-sweet rom-com only because it has Asian stars and Cola is quick to point out that he may or may not be saying that only to be contradictory. Another thing the film addresses? Ben gets entangled with Tavi Gevinson and Debby Ryan's characters, and let's just say his friend doesn't let that slide.

"I thought he was really funny and witty and he reminded me so much of people I knew. He reminded me a lot of myself," Min says of embodying Ben's signature combo of sarcasm and (some might say) delusion. "I remember reading the script and I remember I was going to put it on tape the following day. I had already memorized most of it because the words felt so in tune with things I would've said or said before or things I've heard."

And he's quick to point out that Ben's dour demeanor also isn't so far from himself, though anyone with a chance to chat with Min would probably brush it off as humility and charm.

"I'm a bummer to everyone around me," Min jokes. "That was very relatable. Very, very relatable."

Another layer of relatability came with having Asian co-stars and crew members, Min says. He notes that with that sense of community built into the production, he and his co-stars could be themselves, flaws and all, just like the characters they're portraying.

"There's just so many things you don't have to explain. There's a level of comfort and safety and just the freedom to be you," he says of working with other Asians and Park specifically. "No feeling like you have to be anything other than yourself when you're surrounded by your community. The rumors are true. You hear things about people in the industry, and the rumor was that Randall's this really nice guy, but I'm like, 'How nice can he really be?' And then, you meet him and you're like, 'OK, yeah, he's the real deal.' He's genuinely one of the nicest people you could meet."

Min understands that while he may be in a unique space to speak about representation, the world at large may not be in the same spot. After the undeniable success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, it may feel like the Asian community has finally made it. Min insists that there's still progress to be made.

"We are still in a bit of a scarcity mindset when it comes to representation. I think things have changed drastically in the past couple of years, but pre the past couple of years, there were so few things that represented our Asian American community that anytime something Asian American came out, it had to be immediate fanfare. It had to be immediate support," he says before pointing out that for him and others, it felt artificial. "That was always a struggle for me, because I feel like we should always judge things based on the merit of whatever it is and everyone should be allowed to have their own opinions about things. Certain pieces of artwork, film, and TV resonate with certain people and don't resonate with others. I felt like when it came to Asian American representation, we all had to unilaterally say, 'This is incredible.' And I understand why, because it was all we had."

Min's career is ensuring that there's more on offer, especially as he wraps up his run on Netflix's Umbrella Academy (the upcoming season 4 will be the show's swan song) and has a sci-fi rom-com called Turn Me On coming up along with The Greatest Hits, a dramedy with Lucy Boynton.

"We just wrapped our final season a couple of weeks ago and having the chance to reflect on my five-and-a-half years on that show, I mean, what a rollercoaster ride it's been," Min says of his time alongside the other members of the Academy. "That show has completely changed my life, changed the trajectory of my career, and I'll forever be grateful for that role and for that experience."

Like his cousin, Ashley Park, Min finds himself in a place professionally where he's graduated from being part of an ensemble cast to leading projects — and while he's grateful for the opportunities that are coming in the wake of Umbrella Academy, he knows that not everyone in the industry, whatever their ethnicity is, can count on following the same trajectory.

"This was me stepping, for the first time, into a lead role where I'm in every frame of this movie and there's a lot of pressure and fear associated with that," he says of the stark difference between Shortcomings and the series that launched him into stardom. "And yet it was an exciting challenge that I felt like I was ready for after working and being a part of this other show for that period of time."

While the jump from being in a movie to leading a movie may seem like something only a few select individuals get to think about, Min says that he was well aware of the challenges that came with being an actor, so every step along the way felt like success on a grand scale.

"It's not that I never thought I would get here, it just never was in my consciousness. I had no frame of reference, really, so I was going in blind," he says. "I was never burdened by the fact that I was like, 'Oh, I'll never be a lead,' because that was never even in my realm of possibility. It was just an impossible thing that came true. I never thought it was possible."

Another possibility? Thanks to movies like Shortcomings and Joy Ride being made, Min says that the Asian community can — and should — be able to say they don't like something (that's signature Ben energy coming out).

"People are finally having those conversations. People are finally able to say, 'Oh, I didn't really like Everything Everywhere All At Once' — to be clear, I'm not saying me, I love that movie — but people feel like they have permission to say that," Min says. "Because there's much more out there and people can pick and choose what resonates with them and what doesn't. Do I still feel like we have a long way to go? Of course, always."

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