Daniel Dae Kim launches fundraising campaign to get James Hong a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Look: We’re not saying that Big Trouble In Little China and Kung Fu Panda (and Blader Runner. And Wayne’s World 2. And Tango & Cash. And…) star James Hong works a lot, but the last time we tried to check his IMDB page (439 credits, and no sign of slowing down), our Chrome tab exploded. Hong is one of the most prolific actors in the world, period, with a resume that encompasses massive chunks of film, TV, video games, voice acting, and more.
All of which contributed, presumably, to a call by actor Daniel Dae Kim on social media this week, pointing out to the planet as a whole that it’s kind of bullshit that James Hong doesn’t have a star on Hollywood’s tourist-luring Walk Of Fame. (And yes, we know, the Walk Of Fame is kind of bullshit anyway. But it could at least be bullshit that acknowledges the hard-working coolness of James Hong.) Writing that “This man epitomizes the term ‘working actor,’ and that’s not even taking into account all he’s done to help further representation for actors of color,” Kim praised Hong both for his work ethic and his contributions to the arts, and invited fans to help raise the $50,000 necessary to get him a star on the Walk.
Per NBC News, Ana Martinez, a producer for the Walk, has responded to Kim’s campaign, saying that the organization would be happy to consider Hong if he “agrees on the nomination in writing” when applications for new stars open up next March. She also said that the group discourages GoFundMe campaigns to raise money for stars in general, though, because what’s to be done with the money if the actor in question doesn’t get selected? To which we can only respond a), he’s James Hong, and b), if by some baffling turn of fate James Hong is deemed not as influential on the history of Hollywood as multiple dogs and Alvin And The Chipmunks, then the funds could always be put toward multiple statues of James Hong, to populate all the national plinths that have had racist assholes yanked off of them in recent months. (And while that idea is obviously very good, Kim does state in the GoFundMe post that, in the event that Hong isn’t accepted for the Walk in either 2020 or 2021, the funds will be donated to charity in his name.)