‘Chicago Med’ star Brian Tee to leave show after 7 years to ‘embark on new journey’

October 13, 2022

Brian Tee recently revealed that he is set to leave NBC’s “Chicago Med” to pursue other opportunities and spend more time with his family.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Tee, whose birth name is Jae-Beom Takata, confirmed that the ninth episode of Season 8, titled “Could Be The Start Of Something New,” will be his last episode. He has been part of the show’s main cast since it first aired in November 2015.

“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,” the 45-year-old actor told Deadline. “I am forever indebted to Dick Wolf, NBC, and Universal Television for choosing me.”

The episode will serve as a send-off for his character, Ethan Choi. In the show, Choi is a military veteran who becomes a doctor and the Emergency Department’s chief resident before eventually becoming the chief of Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

The actor teased that the send-off for Choi is “fitting and beautiful,” adding, “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.”

Tee’s daughter with actor Mirelly Taylor, Madelyn, was only five weeks old when he joined the cast of “Chicago Med,” Deadline noted in its report.

Before the cast confirmation for “Chicago Med” was released in 2015, Tee appeared in an episode of “Chicago P.D.,” another show in the “One Chicago” franchise.

Although Tee played the bad guy in some of the movies and series he has starred in – such as “Chicago P.D.,” “Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “The Wolverine” – he is still proud of every role and how he brought each one to life.

“I took what the industry granted me as far as opportunities were concerned,” he said. “At that time, the box I was allowed to play in around 20-plus years ago, was very limited; it was very stereotypical, and cliche like playing the Asian bad guy archetype.”

His various roles, however, purportedly helped him land a role in the “Chicago” franchise. Tee revealed that while playing Shredder, whom he considers “the villain of all Asian villains” in the film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” his manager had asked him if he wanted to go to Chicago.

“Ethan Choi represents to me the first time I’ve actually played a protagonist in such a strong way and he catapulted me into a different arena, one where I feel the perception of not only myself but Asian Americans had been changed,” Tee shared. “Just having an Asian face as a leading man was a stepping stone if not the ladder.”

Born to a Japanese American father and a Korean mother in Okinawa, Japan, on March 15, 1977, Tee began his acting career as a “non-union, non-paid extra” in 1999, he told Half Korean in September 2009.

Although Tee will be making his final “Chicago Med” appearance on Dec. 7, he shared that he will return to the show offscreen to make his directorial debut with episode 16.

As for a potential return in the future, Tee said he is open to reprise his role as Choi.

“I would never say no. Yeah, if the opportunity arose, absolutely. I feel like I’ve been a part of this family and will remain a part of this family, whether it’s on-screen or off-screen,” he said. “So if there’s an opportunity to bring him back, I would absolutely jump right in. For now, it’s just, I’ll see you later. I’ll be back around. You can’t get rid of me.”

Featured Image via One Chicago

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