Filipino-American Actor Reggie Lee Opens up on Starring in “Grimm” and Representing Asia in Hollywood

Outfit by Reiss, belt by American Apparel, shoes by Mezlan

 

DA MAN: Grimm’s creator Jim Kouf has been spilling various tidbits on what to expect in the 100^th episode, but we haven’t heard any from you.
Reggie Lee: Well, some past story lines will definitely get some definitive answers, specifically with regard to the mythology. I think Jim and David [Greenwalt, the show’s co-creator] have done such a great job with the payback on this one that I’m glad I was brought into the fold before the 100^th episode. I actually get to be a part of the discovery, and I am actually finally starting to feel like an integral part of the “Scooby Gang.” Especially with the official police info and statistical data I can provide. Mythology will definitely take front and center in the 100^th episode and a lot of questions will be answered!

DA MAN: In a show like this, the characters are always in danger. Have you ever been afraid that your character will be killed off? If Sergeant Wu had to die—knock on wood—how would you like him to go?
Reggie Lee: Oh, hell yeah—all the time. Who wouldn’t in this day and age think of major characters dying all the time? It’s quite prevalent in television. I actually read an article once that asked if it was happening so much that it was beginning to become commonplace, the norm. I think audiences, instead of becoming more tuned in to see what happens due to the shock, are starting to tune out because characters that they’ve formed a relationship with are being treated as disposable. But, if I were to go, I’d really like to go in a way that I can come back. Naturally.

 

 

“We [The ‘Grimm’ cast] can now go the rest of our lives calling each other ‘family’”

 

 

DA MAN: Speaking of which, what is your greatest fear?
Reggie Lee: And speaking of, it used to be: death. But as I’ve grown older, I find that my greatest fear is not living life to the fullest; experiencing, doing things that make me happy, that fulfill me on a day-to-day basis. And whatever that is may change on a day-to-day basis. But what has not changed is my love for storytelling, playing pretend. And along with that: friends, family, traveling, experiencing the world.

DA MAN: You speak several languages; English, Tagalog and, if we’re not mistaken, Chinese too. What other languages would you like to master?
Reggie Lee: Well, I studied four years of Spanish in high school, so you’d think I would have some of that still, but I’d love to have more. One language that I’ve spoken in films is Mandarin, but I only know it on a very cursory level. I find it to be such a beautiful language that I’d actually like to know it on a level where I can speak it pretty fluently. It’s definitely a goal.