On the commercial success of Midway, he said, “That was really exciting. Midway was incredible because we were working with Roland Emmerich. I knew it was going to be a great action film since he specializes in that. This film honored the veterans on both sides so that was a big surprise for me. I’ve always been such a big fan of studying history and World Warr II.”
For his fans, he said about Midway, “It is going to be so exciting to watch in theaters. You will be at the edge of your seats and you will learn something at the same time.”
Leu is known for his role as “Gohan” in the live-action version of Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope. “I had no idea that there were so many fans from all over the world. When I first booked that role, I just arrived in Los Angeles, and I was still struggling to get TV credits,” he admitted. “It’s a fan film. When I came out, it went viral, and we got invited to all of these Comic Cons. It was such a cool role, and when I was in Brazil recently, people started recognizing me as Gohan. It made the world a little bit smaller.”
On being an actor in the digital age, Leu said, “It feels very liberating. The traditional path that most actors took back in the day isn’t really the way to go anymore. A lot of people are making their own content now, and at the same time that gives you a sense of freedom. At the same time, you need to maintain a Twitter and an Instagram account now. It’s a very interesting time to be an artist.”
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “It takes a lot of persistence and hard work. Make sure this is what you want to do. Actors wake up every day and they work really hard and go to auditions. That’s what your focus is as an actor.”
Leu also played the male lead in the indie film A Shot Through the Wall opposite Tzi Ma (The Farewell), which is inspired by the story of Peter Liang (played by Kenny Leu) in another real-life role portrayal as an Asian-American cop, who’s bullet accidentally killed an African American young man in New York a few years ago.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Beginnings.”
Leu also opened up about the Lancer Legacy Ranch, where he serves as a spokesperson. “It’s a home for homeless veterans that was started by a friend of mine named Matt Fisk,” he said. “If you are a veteran and if you need help getting back on your feet after serving, you can go to Lancer Legacy Ranch and you can basically live there and even get counseling and support.”
For more information on Lancer Legacy Ranch, check out its Facebook page and its official homepage.
He defined the word success as being “able to take care of the people around you” and “how much they love you back.”
To learn more about actor Kenny Leu, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram and on Twitter.
