Nearly three decades after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in English, actor John Cho reflected on how his time at the university shaped his identity and career. Cho, known for roles in films such as “Better Luck Tomorrow” and “American Pie,” spoke about the influence of UC Berkeley on his personal growth and approach to storytelling.
Cho recalled his decision to transfer to UC Berkeley as a pivotal moment. “Getting into Berkeley was the first independent, proactive thing that I did for myself. It was the first thing I really wanted as a young person,” he said.
Describing the campus environment, Cho noted its diversity and openness: “Berkeley was the perfect place for me to figure out who I was and what I liked. It’s a big university, which was great for me in that there’s just so many different kinds of people and ideas floating around.”
His entry into acting began unexpectedly when he joined a student production after seeing a flyer brought home by his roommate. This led him to participate in Maxine Hong Kingston’s stage adaptation of “The Woman Warrior,” produced in collaboration with East West Players, a regional theater company focused on Asian American stories.
“In any other situation, I would not have met these Asian American actors, without whom I would never have considered the possibility of doing it for a living,” Cho explained. He credited figures like Emily Kuroda for their guidance early in his career.
Cho also highlighted the impact of learning from prominent professors such as Maxine Hong Kingston, Elaine Kim, Celeste Langan, and Ron Takaki. “Ron Takaki gave a lot of people a set of vocabulary that was really useful moving forward. And I mean that in terms of ideas and actual words,” he said.
He discussed discovering an “Asian American” identity during his years at Berkeley: “It was at Berkeley that I started to think of this third identity, which was being Asian American. It seemed to describe better what I was living.”
Reflecting on representation in media today, Cho said: “Identity is a very complicated Rubik’s cube. It is still important to me, and it is how the world sees you, unfortunately…I want to be on the lookout to do things that seem human, that seem authentic.”
Cho also addressed current trends in education: “We need more critical thinking. I’m very disheartened when I see a lot of people thinking about education as a trade school. We are not algorithms. We are people.”
When asked about advice for new graduates worldwide, he offered practical guidance: “The one bit of practical advice I would give any college graduate entering the real world is the following: Don’t hesitate. Just jump in and help. Give somebody a hand without waiting for anyone to ask.”
Cho occasionally considers returning to study at UC Berkeley again—notably in theater or humanities—emphasizing lifelong learning as part of personal development.
