Interviews

Hoon Lee on Joining the "Fraternity of Asian Men" Who've Played the King of Siam

Lee is the latest King to Kelli O’Hara’s Tony-winning Anna in Lincoln Center Theater’s ”The King and I”.

It's been a decade since Hoon Lee last appeared on Broadway in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2004 revival of the musical Pacific Overtures. But that doesn't mean that Lee, who had also taken on a leading role in 2002's Flower Drum Song, disappeared in the intervening years. Rather, Lee was cutting his teeth in off-Broadway plays, winning a 2008 Theatre World Award for his work in David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face and appearing in several Shakespeare productions. Since 2013, he's starred as a transvestite computer hacker on the Cinemax series Banshee, which ends its four-season run in 2016.

With Banshee in the can, Lee has headed back to Broadway, in one of the most legendary roles of all: the King of Siam in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, opposite Tony winner Kelli O'Hara as Anna. It was an opportunity that Lee couldn't pass up.

Hoon Lee is the latest King of Siam in the new Broadway revival of The King and I.
Bartlett Sher: Director
Lincoln Center Theater Production
Credit Photo: Paul Kolnik
studio@paulkolnik.com
nyc 212-362-7778
Hoon Lee is the latest King of Siam in the new Broadway revival of The King and I.
(© Paul Kolnik)

What was your reaction when you first saw this production?
It's been a long time since I've seen a big, dazzling jewel of a musical. There was some element of that alone that was very energizing. I was really captivated by the modifications that had been made to the more traditional version of this story, all of which give it quite a bit more power. They heighten the stakes of what the King is wrestling with and create more of a tightrope for everybody to walk. In raising those stakes, characters like Lady Thiang really came into their own. It was an amazing thing to see these beautiful performances and these characters in a way you had never really seen them before. That was tremendously exciting.

Did you see yourself as the King?
I have to say, I'm a big fan of Ken Watanabe, so I was a little bit star-struck watching him. He and I are very different types of people, [so that] made it a little bit difficult to see [myself in the part]. But [it's] one of the few Asian male leads in the canon of musical theater — the opportunity to join that fraternity of Asian men who have done this role.

What's your take on the part?
I think the King is very specific to this production. They've really tried to bring forward the international tension. The story has always been about East meets West on one level, but they're really highlighting the idea that Siam is the last man standing in terms of Asian countries in this area that have been colonized. This is a King fighting for the independence of his nation. The urgency to understand the West is very high. I feel like I've been allowed to play a King that has the same sort of imperiousness and impetuousness that have existed in past incarnations, but with a backstory that forces a lot of urgency upon it. It forces a need to mature and understand his place in the world as quickly as possible.

Tony winner Kelli O'Hara dances with her new King, Hoon Lee, in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of The King and I at the  Vivian Beaumont Theatre.
Tony winner Kelli O'Hara dances with her new King, Hoon Lee, in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of The King and I at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.
(© Paul Kolnik)

How long did it take to learn the lyrics to the King's tongue-twisting signature song, "A Puzzlement"?
[laughs] Actually, not so long. I've always felt like if scripts are strong, if music and lyrics are strong, there's such an internal logic to it that makes it much easier to understand and memorize. It's when things feel like a series of non sequiturs that it gets tough. So it didn't take long at all.

There's a lot of simmering sexual tension in this production between the King and Anna [Kelli O'Hara] and the King and Lady Thiang [Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles]. Were you worried about creating that sort of chemistry within such a minimal rehearsal schedule?
I didn't really have a question about that. They're tremendous actors. Chemistry is something that happens when people are personally invested in trying to listen and play with one another. I don't think you can be that good of a performer if you aren't willing to do that. Having seen the quality of their performances, chemistry becomes a nonquestion, I think. I have a tremendous admiration for them both.

You're Kelli's third King. Has she provided you with any insights or secrets?
In some ways, it's been a vote of confidence that she hasn't. She's been patting me on the shoulder going, "You're doing great." We both understand that a lot of what we have to figure out is going to happen onstage. I think the biggest asset is that she's made herself available given the intensity of her schedule. She [just] sang for the Pope! Just knowing that she's so approachable and willing to discuss anything if I have a question is a huge comfort.

Hoon Lee as the transvestite computer hacker Job on the Cinemax series Banshee.
Hoon Lee as the transvestite computer hacker Job on the Cinemax series Banshee.
(© Cinemax)

Switching gears, have you finished shooting the last season of your TV series, Banshee?
We are done. We finished in August.

Are you going to miss your character, the flamboyant transvestite computer hacker named Job?
That role was just such a blast. It was just a joyride. There was a lot of wardrobe testing and wig testing and makeup testing. All of that preparation was a great pleasure. I got to have fun. I got to try things I don't do in real life. You try [these things] in the context of this heightened reality. I will certainly miss that and the people and design team. It's tough to leave those things behind.

Watch Hoon Lee get to know the cast of The King and I below:

Featured In This Story