April 2010

For many years, a fairly large portion of the primetime television lineup has been compromised of crime dramas. From Law & Order to CSI, viewers can't seem to get enough of these engaging series. When The Mentalist came along, viewers were ready to experience a different take on the typical crime drama and CBS delivered with this captivating, character-driven show.

Patrick Jane is the quintessential quirky, free-spirited rule-breaker, but there must always be a character who provides that perfect balance and when it comes to police work -- it's more essential than ever to make sure someone is around to make sure nobody crosses that line.

Tim Kang plays Kimball Cho, Jane's perfectly balanced partner on the hit series. Cho may not have much of a sense of humor, but I can tell you from personal experience that his alter ego is quite the opposite! I had the pleasure of speaking with this charming and highly intelligent actor about how he got involved in acting, the worst job he ever had and his role on The Mentalist....

Q: When did the acting bug strike?

Tim: "For me, the acting bug didn't strike until later in life. I was about 26 or 27 and up to that point, I hadn't done a single thing that had anything to do with acting -- no summer stock, no high school plays or anything like that. I was living in San Francisco and on a whim, I took a beginner's acting class and I loved it. I took the intermediate class, then the advanced and voice and speech classes and I started really getting into it. That's when I fell in love with it."

Q: You received your MFA from Harvard, what were your plans if acting had not worked out?

Tim: "Because it was the first thing I had come across in my life vocation-wise that I really loved doing, I didn't think that far ahead -- it was this or bust!

I gave myself no other choice but to move forward."

Q: What was the worst job you ever had?

Tim: "I briefly worked at a high-tech public relations firm as an account executive and I think that was the worst because I had absolutely no passion for what I was talking about. It's hard to sell to your client when you don't really care about the product. I had to wear a suit and tie into work every day and I really don't like that. Funny enough, since I became an actor, I thought great I never have to wear a suit and tie to work again -- and now I have to wear a suit and tie at work every day."

Q: Tell us about your character on The Mentalist...

Tim: "I play Kimball Cho, he is a member of a unit in the California Bureau of Investigation and is an interrogator in that unit. I think the best way to describe him is that he cares about the bottom line to get the job done so we can close another case. He wants to always be moving forward and that attitude also lends itself to his personality. There is no room for dillydallying with this guy. Hopefully, that makes him an affective investigator for the team."

Q: Did you do anything special to prepare for the role?

Tim: "As soon as I got the pilot script, I started looking up stuff about the CBI. They were a real law enforcement entity that is now defunct (they got pulled into the DOJ in California). I read the "Bible" of interrogators. Once or twice a week, we would go to the lot to work out police tactics and work with the tech advisers on the techniques you need to do as a police officer like handcuffing people, interrogating people, and the attitude and demeanor you walk into a room with."

Q: The main character on the show was a fake psychic, but do you believe in psychics?

Tim: "I'll take the fifth on that one. I know enough to say I don't know. I don't discount anything that's out there. We had a chance to interact with a mentalist and he came in and did a few tricks. In the beginning, he impressed me, however during one of the demonstrations -- just as I got finished saying he was amazing, he was moving on to the next demonstration, he moved his head and I swear I could hear a voice coming out of his ear. He had an earpiece and someone was off-site with a view of the room I was in and was feeding this guy the stuff that I was doing. I didn't have the heart to call him out on it."

Q: If you could play any role in TV or movie history, who would it be?

Tim: "It's so hard to say because those roles are so defined by the actors who play them. I'd love to play Michael Corleone from The Godfather, but you really can't do that justice because Al Pacino already defined that role."

Q: Do you watch any TV shows on a regular basis?

Tim: "No. I don't have a lot of time and I hate missing a show. I listen for the buzz and my brother is really good at keeping me in tune with the shows, so what I like to do is wait for the season DVD to come out and watch it all at once. I'm a big sci-fi guy, so I loved Battlestar Galactica."

Q: Anything to say to the fans?

Tim: "Thank you for watching and please keep watching. It's been a blast and we, as a cast, have enjoyed every minute of it."