Minari’s Alan Kim on the joys of Captain Underpants, a celebratory Mountain Dew
Every few awards seasons, we are blessed with one of Hollywood’s greatest gifts: The adorable young star of a contender makes the red carpet rounds in some snazzy outfits and simultaneously charms the entire entertainment industry. This year, that star is Minari’s Alan Kim, the 8-year old actor whose big sense of humor and little cowboy boots have stolen the hearts of audiences since the movie’s Sundance debut back in early 2020. And while COVID has robbed us of the opportunity to see Kim bump shoulders with fellow luminaries at FYC events, he’s made a habit of showing up to virtual interviews dressed to impress.
The A.V. Club logged on for a chat with Alan Kim to find him rocking a striped bowtie and sensible cardigan, ready to discuss Minari and perennial superhero favorite, Captain Underpants. Kim was joined by Minari writer/director Lee Isaac Chung and his co-star Steven Yeun, and the trio shared how cast bonding time between takes helped bring the film’s Yi family to life, and revealed just how much Mountain Dew was on set. You can read the interview below, or watch the conversation in the video above, but be warned: You will be charmed by Alan Kim.
AVC: Time on the Minari set seems like it was pretty intimate, and everyone spent a lot of time together, almost like a family. Alan, how was that for you? What did you do to pass time on set when you weren’t filming?
Alan Kim: I guess me and Noel [Kate Cho] would watch, like, Captain Underpants, or we would play a game on my iPad called Talking Tom Hero Dash. And we also went swimming in the hotel!
AVC: That sounds fun—I love Captain Underpants.
Lee Isaac Chung: That’s the secret to Minari: Captain Underpants. [Laughs.]
AVC: Yes, lots of similarities!
AK: Yeah, I need to borrow underpants from Captain Underpants. [Laughs.] So I replace the underwear I peed in—so no suspicions!
AVC: Extra underpants aside, Isaac, how was this “family time” together valuable to you as director?