Sung Kang, who most famously portrays Han Lue in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, recently revealed a memorable fan encounter in which he was mistaken for actor Jackie Chan.
On Thursday, a promotional event for the next installment in the franchise, “Fast X,” took place at the L.A. Live Event Deck in Los Angeles.
During the event, Kang told host Maria Menounos and the crowd about an incident that occurred during the film’s production.
Kang said he went to a nearby convenience store to buy milk when the employee at the counter expressed that he was a fan of his work in the film “Rush Hour,” mistaking Kang for Chan, who starred in the 1998 action-comedy film alongside Chris Tucker.
After recognizing his mistake, the employee proceeded to apologize and let Kang have the milk for free along with “a bag of snacks.”
In a tweet from 2012, Kang expressed frustration at being repeatedly mistaken for Chan, noting that he found what he initially took as a compliment to be upsetting.
Kang did not appear to be upset when recounting his recent experience, but misidentification is a common experience among Asians and Asian Americans and is considered a microaggression by cultural critics.
Kang’s character was revived in the popular franchise with the 2021 film “F9” after being killed off in the 2006 film “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” Han’s first appearance in the franchise.
Both films were directed by Justin Lin, who first featured the character in his 2002 film “Better Luck Tomorrow.” Lin was originally set to direct the latest entry in the franchise but stepped away from the project after a reported falling out with actor Vin Diesel.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, “Fast X” is the 10th main “Fast and Furious” film and is set to hit cinemas on May 19.
