INDIANAPOLIS — Michelle Yeoh, Sandra Oh, Lucy Liu, Henry Golding, Bowen Yang, Greta Lee and Sherry Cola all lend their voices in supporting roles to the Paramount+ animated film "The Tiger's Apprentice" — but it's actor Brandon Soo Hoo who takes on the lead role.
In the 84-minute film, a Chinese American teenager (Soo Hoo) discovers he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians. He must reunite all 12 Zodiac animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers to take down an evil sorceress (Yeoh).
"It was such an honor to share a screen with all of these legendary performers. These are people I grew up watching," Soo Hoo said of the supporting cast. "Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, these are all heroes of mine growing up. It's a humbling experience, but it's also a reaffirming experience knowing that I'm able to share a screen with people that I really look up to."
And it's always refreshing having Asian actors voice characters in a film about Asian representation because that wasn't always the case, unfortunately.
"Seeing a project like this that shows the Asian American experience so authentically and so genuinely is really special for anyone watching this that can relate," Soo Hoo said. "This movie really is a celebration of your identity and a celebration of your heritage."
Although it's a voice-acting role, Soo Hoo channeled his background in taekwondo and mixed martial arts for "The Tiger's Apprentice."
"I could really relate to the character of Tom, figuring out how to use his full arsenal of weapons," Soo Hoo said. "As a martial artist, I know what it's like to not really be at the level that you should be, or to put in the work to try to get to the next level."
Acting isn't Soo Hoo's only passion — he has always loved cooking, so he opened his own restaurant, called Staxs Grill in Cambodia.
"Food is almost as big of a part of my life as the entertainment aspect," Soo Hoo said. "I would love to bring Staxs Grill to Los Angeles, or maybe even have my own restaurant concept outside of Staxs Grill, my own version of a Cantonese concept because that's what my family is."
"The Tiger's Apprentice" is now streaming on Paramount+.