Ken Jeong Drama ‘Great Divide’ Tackles Anti-Asian Racism Of Covid Era

‘Chicago Med’ Star Brian Tee To Exit After 8 Seasons; Will Return To Direct

“Almost half of all Asian roles serve as a punchline, study finds.”

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So welcome to Entertainment Exclusive, Crushing the Myth’s weekly newsletter that breaks down the latest Asian Entertainment news & newsmakers.

Explore new shows to binge, videos to keep you on the edge of your seat, and Asian celebs to stan. If that’s not enough, there are also job listings for the entertainment industry & open casting calls just a scroll down.

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🏆 The Headlines

Ken Jeong Drama ‘Great Divide’ Tackles Anti-Asian Racism Of Covid Era — Great Divide, which explores the wave of anti-Asian racism that sprang up in the wake of Covid, has wrapped principal photography on location in Jackson, WY.

• Great Divide, which explores the wave of anti-Asian racism that sprang up in the wake of Covid, has wrapped principal photography on location in Jackson, WY.

• The film, about a Korean American family that leaves the Bay Area for the rural expanses of Wyoming in the early days of lockdown, features Emerson Min as Benjamin Lee, a young boy struggling with the trauma of loss during the pandemic. 

• Ken Jeong and Jae Suh Park play Isaac and Jenna Lee, Benjamin’s parents, each of whom has a different agendas for their move to Wyoming — Isaac has a new job, Jenna wants to ensure that Benjamin gets into the college of her choice. MeeWha Alana Lee plays Grandma Shim, Jenna’s mother, who has an important lesson to impart to her beloved grandson and a lifetime of memories to share with him before it’s too late. Miya Cech is Ellie Licht, Benjamin’s best friend and maybe more, a Chinese adoptee whose protective parents have shielded her from the darker sides of the world.

• Meanwhile, the less-than-welcoming residents of small-town Wyoming include West Mulholland as Hunter Drake, a young potential classmate of Benjamin’s who begins as a bully but ends up warming to Benjamin and Ellie. Seamus Dever plays Ranger Tom Drake, Hunter’s brutal father, who plots with Wyatt (Marshall Allman) to drive the Lees out of town. And Jamie McShane is George McNather, the last surviving descendant of the town’s founding family, a generous benefactor to “his” people and a deeply suspicious and hostile nemesis to those from the “outside.” 

• Great Divide is the feature directorial debut of Emmy-winning commercial and short-film director Jean Shim. The screenplay was written by Jeff Yang, Shim and Martina Nagel; and Shim, Yang, and Brian Yang (Snakehead, Linsanity) are producers, while Sung Kang (Fast 10), former Alibaba Pictures president Wei Zhang, Takashi Cheng (Dealing with Dad), Julia Gouw, Toni Wang and Jeong are executive producers. 

‘Chicago Med’ Star Brian Tee To Exit After 8 Seasons; Will Return To Direct — Chicago Med star Brian Tee will exit the series following 8 seasons on the medical drama with episode 9 titled “Could Be The Start Of Something New” airing December 7 serving as his final appearance. He will however return for episode 16 offscreen to make his directorial debut.

• Chicago Med star Brian Tee will exit the series following 8 seasons on the medical drama with episode 9 titled “Could Be The Start Of Something New” airing December 7 serving as his final appearance. He will however return for episode 16 offscreen to make his directorial debut.

• It was Tee’s decision to depart from the series following the end of his 6-year contract to spend more time with his family—his daughter with his wife Mirelly Taylor, Madelyn was 5 weeks old when he started on Chicago Med—and to pursue other opportunities expanding on his experience as an actor, a budding director, and producer.

• “Playing Dr. Ethan Choi on Chicago Med has been such a gift and a blessing. I am forever grateful to our fans and my colleagues both in front of and behind the camera as I embark on a new journey. I am forever indebted to Dick Wolf, NBC, and Universal Television for choosing me,” Tee told Deadline in an exclusive interview.

• “What we’ve been planning for Dr. Choi’s sendoff is fitting, and it’s beautiful,” he added. “I think the fans are going to absolutely love it. It’s going to bring a little bit of the new Ethan and a little bit of the old. Know that episode 9 is going to be an amazing one.”

• When Tee began his career in Hollywood, he mostly booked roles playing Asian bad guys. In fact, before he joined the cast of Med, he appeared in a one-off episode on Chicago P.D. titled “The Three Gs” which aired in 2015 as part of the cop drama’s second season playing such a role.

• Tee is proud of every character he’s brought to life throughout his career because they all led him to Dr. Choi, a military veteran and successful Asian doctor who would go on to become the ED’s chief resident and later, chief of Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. The role that would take his career and Asian representation to another next level.

Lee Jung-jae to earn $700,000 per episode of ‘Squid Game 2,’ local reports say — Insiders have reportedly shared that “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, 49, will receive 1 billion won (approximately $700,000) for each episode of the show’s second season.

• On Tuesday, insiders reportedly said that “Squid Game” Season 2 will begin filming next year, with Lee signing a deal for 1 billion Korean won (approximately $700,000) per episode, local outlets reported.

• If the hit Netflix show’s second season gets a nine-episode run like its first season did, Lee could potentially make 9 billion Korean won (approximately $6.3 million). “Squid Game” director Hwang Dong-hyuk is also expected to earn big, but insiders did not disclose the exact amount the Emmy Award-winning director may potentially receive. It was reported, however, that the upcoming season’s budget is estimated to be around 100 billion Korean won (approximately $70 million).

• Following the news, both Netflix and “Squid Game” producer Cyron Pictures stated that the companies behind the series have not yet decided on Lee’s appearance fee per episode since “the script for ‘Squid Game 2’ is still in the process of being written.”

• In addition to salary rumors, many fans have been wondering if veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung will join the “Squid Game” Season 2 cast after Leung’s wife, Carina Lau, shared photos of Leung and Hwang meeting in person on Sunday.

🎬 Industry Insider

• Hulu Orders ‘Interior Chinatown’ to Series With Jimmy O. Yang to Star, Taika Waititi to Direct (Variety)

• Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson Join ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ (The Hollywood Reporter)

• ‘Quantum Leap’: NBC Adds Six More Episodes to Season One (Collider)

🗄 Industry Job Board

• Senior Social Media Manager | Big Fish Games

• Senior Content Strategist, YouTube | Complex Networks

• Associate Manager, Global Digital Commerce | Activision Blizzard

🍿 Watch List

👋, Lea @ Crushing the Myth