Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Le.
Hi Kevin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Northern Virginia with a greater love for film and martial arts than most kids around me. As other kids played outside, I found myself immersed in front of the television as my favorite movies played over and over again. My mother would repeatedly come home to see her son imitating the moves of Bruce Lee and decided that enrolling in a martial arts academy was not only a necessary outlet for her son but also a way to save her house from his imagination. From there my dream of becoming an Asian-American actor and stuntman manifested and grew as the years continued. I formally trained in Karate, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Wushu, and Boxing. Hungry to broaden my skill set more, I additionally self-trained in parkour, breakdancing, and screen fighting. My passion seemed unshakable, but as time passed, I faced more doubts from my surrounding environment telling me that Asian-Americans struggle the most in the industry and that I should save myself by getting a “safe” job. With those doubts echoing in my head, I strayed away from my path by enrolling at a school in pursuit of a law degree. With each passing day in that classroom, I would catch myself daydreaming about filmmaking and acting, thinking that things would be fine once the fire simmers out. It wasn’t until after a year of studying law and giving up on my training that I entered a reflection period feeling more lost than I’ve ever been.
After realizing that this path is based on fear that is disguised as practicality, I rediscovered my path toward acting and filmmaking. Armed with a new mentality from Jim Carrey’s speech; “you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love”, I left my criminal justice class mid-lecture to transfer schools and majors. After graduating from the Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Business and excelling in public speaking, presentation, and theater, I was hyper-focused on my pursuit towards my dream career. I worked for Gold’s Gym to pay the bills during the start of my film career. I started in the film industry with my best skill set, working as a stuntman for Reelz’s television show; Copycat killers. Hoping to gain more experience in the film industry, I additionally started working as a stunt coordinator for an Amazon Prime film and independent films while attending acting school. With relentless ambition and after taking the first steps toward my dream, my path looked promising. Unfortunately, Covid-19 turned my world upside down, causing my job to fire me, pausing all film productions, and preventing all acting schools from continuing. Feeling trapped without a way to feed my ambition or pay bills, that promising path I was so excited about started to fade. With the depression from losing my job haunting me, I decided to make the life-changing decision to pack the essentials and leave my Virginia life behind in pursuit of finding a new light to shine on my path.
With nothing but three boxes in my car, I moved across the continent to the only place that could give me life again; Los Angeles, California. The first two months of my new life consisted of countless hours applying for jobs and a place to call home, followed by restless sleep on a friend’s floor. After applying to over 200 job listings and touring 25 living situations, I found a job and a place to call home. Now was the time to start rebuilding my life and the foundation necessary to walk my path. My growth that came with living in Los Angeles has been nothing short of what I expected it to be because not only was I working as a stuntman and stunt coordinator, but also finally as an actor and filmmaker. Working as an Asian-American actor, I ran into many expected difficulties. An example includes being denied a role because the director said that an Asian lead would not do well for viewers, despite mentioning that it was the best audition he’s seen for the project. Despite the odds, my passion still motivated me to take the lead in The Warp Zone’s “Nerf Star Wars 3” which obtained 2.5 million views, with viewers excited to an Asian Jedi. Maintaining momentum, I was cast as a lead in the Vietnamese-oriented film “MyVietnam” before having the honor of working as a stuntman with two highly respected martial art stunt teams; Team Red Productions and EMC Monkeys.
EMC Monkeys was a stunt team that I admired since I was nine years old that motivated my young heart to pursue martial arts. If you told the younger version of me that he would be working with that stunt team nearly two decades later, he probably would think you’re lying. It is still surreal for me to this day. Still hungry for more, I officially became a filmmaker after writing, producing, directing, stunt coordinating, and acting in my first action film “Kings of Triad”, which had the honor of being officially selected to premiere in the LA Action Film Festival. My film features Jonathan “Jae” Phan, a stuntman that I admired at a young age of 11. Sharing the screen with him is another milestone that feels surreal. Regardless of how the film industry sees Asian-American characters and actors, I made it my mission to be a part of the movement that empowers Asian Americans and propels them in a more sought-after spotlight. A mission that will be successfully carried out with my immense passion and the invaluable connections I have and will make along the way. Proof of that success is my promising achievements that I have obtained so far, and I say with confidence; “This is only the beginning.”
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road to get to where I am now has been hard and difficult but I am thankful for every step I’ve taken along the way. The most notable struggle that I am sure many actors start out feeling is the sense of purpose and practicality in their careers. Growing up in an Asian household, it’s no surprise that I’ve come across grandparents that expect nothing more than a high-paying job with security, in addition to the pressures of starting a family. It took an incredible amount of mental fortitude to go in the completely opposite direction than what was expected of me, with nothing to give them but a promise that my path will lead to success. Being the first person in the history of my family to pursue this type of career, it took some time but eventually their support became something that empowers me. As many actors and filmmakers know, location and network is a big factors when it comes to your career. Living in Northern Virginia the film industry and network is small if existent at all. It is difficult to stay motivated and passionate when you feel isolated because of your unique ambitions and plans. There have been many times where I was tempted to let the passion completely sizzle out and join the IT or government contracting industry. I still reflect back when I would stare at the enrollment button for IT and computer certifications, thinking to myself; “is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?” Facing many internal conflicts about practicality, pressure, and realistic expectations, I felt completely lost.
Additionally, regardless of the immense amount of self-motivation I provided for myself, the lack of a community that shared similar interests made it difficult for me to be a filmmaker. Constantly creating the projects where I have to wear nearly every hat possible to make my film a reality made the journey not only challenging but exhausting. Those hats include becoming the producer, writer, director, choreographer, stunt coordinator, actor, set designer, editor, sound designer, color grader, and everything else in between. With no guidance from anyone, I had to self-teach what felt like a foreign language to myself and to everyone around me. As for many, Covid-19 created another challenge that I was not prepared for. Just as I felt competent about my momentum within the film industry and in my craft, everything stopped as if I hit a brick wall running at full speed. Covid-19 also forced me to lose my job causing me to live with no income and no way to proudly build myself. I again felt myself lost. I didn’t find a sense of direction until I decided to move to Los Angeles, California, a move that I knew would have new obstacles and difficulties waiting for me. I was terrified about leaving the comfort zone and safety net that is my family, friends, and the only place I have ever called home. However, that terrified feeling also came with a sense of excitement that overshadowed my fear. After selling nearly everything that I owned, I used whatever I had left in my savings to pack my car with the essentials and traveled to California, hoping to rebuild my life from scratch.
Fortunately, I had a friend in California that believed in me and my journey and with his kindness allowed me to sleep on his floor in the corner of the room. That 6×6 ft space is what I would call home for the next 2 months. Grateful for what I had regardless of how little, I started spending every waking moment applying for jobs and apartments. I applied to 200 job listings and one by one, each job threw my degree back in my face. I applied to 25 apartments and each one rejected me with the notion that I would never be able to pay rent. It wasn’t until I joined a start-up fitness company that allowed me to make some income that an apartment gave me a chance. Though unconventional and demanding, I committed every waking moment to that start-up company and what little free time I had committed to filmmaking and my acting career. The term “days off” was not a part of my vocabulary as I worked in fitness, acting, filmmaking, and stunts every day for over a year, and still continues to this day. My struggles and hardships come with tears, sweat, and sleepless nights, but it also comes with a sense of purpose, direction, pride, and excitement. I am thankful for the man I have become through these hardships and obstacles and will continue to rise to these challenges until I bring home that success I promised my family.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work primarily as an actor and as a stuntman, wearing many hats and experiencing different roles to achieve my goals. I started out my work as a stuntman for TV shows and independent projects, having a background in several martial arts, screen fighting, and physical forms of expression. With that experience, I transitioned to a stunt coordinator for films. After gaining more experience in the film industry, I transitioned to acting and filmmaking, specializing in action. In addition to my primary career, I also work as a model, personal trainer, and physical therapist in an attempt to obtain multiple streams of income to finance my primary career. I am most known for playing the lead in The Warp Zone’s “Nerf Star Wars 3” which obtained 2.5 million views and growing. I am also known for my screen fighting in Team Red Production’s “Twisting Tiger” and as the lead for the Vietnamese-oriented film “My Vietnam” by Ringo Le. I have also created my first official short film “Kings of Triad” that was a part of the official selection for the LA Action Film Festival. A film that is the start of many that has set the stage for myself as a filmmaker. I am most proud of being a part of Nerf Star Wars 3 because of the impact it had with the audience to see an Asian Jedi.
Audience members mentioned that they were so proud to see an Asian American take the lead in a role that does not usually have an Asian actor. It is important for me to create that kind of impact because I believe it is my mission to be a part of the movement to push Asian Americans in a more sought-after spotlight. What sets me apart from others would be the action that I produce, straying away from the disappointing action that Hollywood films produce with extreme close-ups, shaking cameras, and fast cuts. I attempt to create action sequences that uphold the same principles as Jackie Chan’s fighting scenes. Those principles are wide-angle cameras so that the audience can be immersed in the action without feeling cheated, authentic martial arts and Kung Fu, genuine heart-stopping stunts, and intensity that makes you crave more.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Authenticity and life purpose matter to me above all else. I believe that authenticity will guide your soul onto the path that you rightfully belong. Once you embody that authenticity that you owe to yourself, then it will automatically attract other authentic people that you will find to be invaluable to your life. Once your authenticity provides you with those connections and that path, a sense of excitement and pride will follow naturally. Life purpose is also extremely important to me for an infinite amount of reasons. As humans, we are put on this earth not to find the purpose of life but to find the life that gives you purpose. Obtaining that purpose will help you leave your mark on this planet and the people around you with the little time we have. Both life on earth and time with the souls around you is shorter than anyone would ever expect. Finding that life purpose enables you to immortalize yourself in this world with your connections and your achievements, despite living only a fraction of the time this universe existed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.kevinle
- Facebook: Facebook.com/KevinLeFilms
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/kevinlefilms
Image Credits
WDA Entertainment’s Devon Wycoff
