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Randall Park knows how to steal a scene.
From his memorable appearance as Jim and Pam’s actor friend Steve in a 2012 episode of The Office to his reemergence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the latest episode of WandaVision, the actor has always found a way to capture the viewer’s attention, whether through his every-man charm or well-honed comedic sensibilities.
For WandaVision, however, Park tried something fans had been waiting for since his appearance in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp—a magic trick.
how it started how it’s going pic.twitter.com/8Z0i3SzbOf
— WandaVision (@wandavision) January 29, 2021
In a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it gag, Park’s character Jimmy Woo introduces himself to fellow Sword agent Monica Rambeau by making his business card appear out of thin air, a call back to Paul Rudd’s sleight of hand in the last Ant-Man film.
“How did you do it?” Woo (Park) asked Scott Lang (Rudd) in one memorable scene. It seems Park eventually figured it out.
“That took years and years of preparation,” Park jokes to Esquire Middle East.
“I don’t remember how many takes it took, but I do remember that by the time we did that scene I was pretty confident in that one. That one trick? Yeah. Because I had been working on it so hard.”
Fans had hoped that Woo may reappear in the MCU after his debut as an FBI Agent in charge of Lang’s house arrest, not only for more Park but because of the character’s storied history.
Jimmy Woo actually predates Marvel Comics, debuting as a secret agent in issue one of Yellow Claw in 1956, published by Marvel’s predecessor company Atlas. While the comic only ran for one year, the character was incorporated into the Marvel Universe a decade later, debuting as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D in 1967 and appearing consistently ever since, fighting Godzilla in the 70s (yes, really) and even leading his own team in 2006’s comic series Agents of Atlas.
Woo was more than just a supporting player, however—he also marked a milestone for Asian representation in Western media. In a 2013 museum exhibit that explored depictions of Asian characters in American comics at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California, curator Jeff Yang noted that in an era marked by racist and xenophobic depictions, Woo was a positive exception.
It’s a history that Park has embraced.
While chatting on Zoom with Esquire Middle East from his home in the US, Park gets up at one point to pull an original copy of the comic in which Woo debuted off his wall, where it sits framed.
“I was just thinking, ‘I need to get this. It’s a piece of history that I’ve got to own. So yeah, I got it,” Park says proudly, having tracked it down online from a seller who had no idea he was selling the comic to Jimmy Woo himself.
“I didn’t know much about the character when I was first in talks about it. But I knew the character existed. Then I read up about it, and it’s amazing,” says Park.
“It’s amazing to play a character who’s actually been a part of Marvel history. Even before Marvel, as this was from Atlas I believe. But he continued on into Marvel and it’s just a real thrill.”
While Park is set to be a main player in the final stretch of WandaVision, the genre-bending superhero mystery also starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany exclusively streaming in the Middle East on OSN, it’s still unknown when he will reappear in the MCU.
The most likely place for Woo to pop up next seemed to be in the upcoming film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, centering around the kung fu superhero Shang-Chi who debuted in Marvel in 1973. The film set to be released in July 2021 as part of the MCU’s Phase Four, setting the stage for the next era of Marvel after the Infinity Saga came to a close with 2019’s record-breaking Avengers: Endgame.
The two characters have a history in the comics, forming a group called The Protectors at one point before reteaming as the New Agents of Atlas in a 2019 series.
Park reveals to Esquire Middle East, however, that he has not filmed scenes for the film, though there’s a chance he still might.
“No, I’m not,” Park says, when asked if he will appear in the film. “But who knows what can happen, you know? There are reshoots,” he teases.
Either way, Park can’t wait for the film, the first Marvel film to center a person of Asian descent.
“I’m very excited about Shang Chi, because Simu [Liu, who plays Shang-Chi] is a friend and that guy is incredible. And [so is] Destin [Daniel Cretton, the film’s director] and the whole the whole crew there. They’re just amazing. So that one I’m really excited for.” Says Park.
Park won’t be lobbying to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige however, either to appear in the film or for a stand-alone Agents of Atlas series on Disney+.
“That’s not my style, but, but I’m sure, from what I’m hearing, a lot of people are clamoring for it. Hopefully they’re listening. If that happens, then I’m all for it. I’m all for it.”
WandaVision is streaming now exclusively on OSN
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