Randall Park is not only one of the better comedic actors working today, he's among the more prolific of the last two decades. Since his early days playing background characters on Reno 911! and Alias, Park has gone on to land recurring roles on multiple hit comedy series, in addition to starring in critically-acclaimed films and even showing up in big-budget blockbusters. Now, thanks to his fan-favorite role as FBI agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and WandaVision, Park is finally getting some well-deserved time in the spotlight.
Park first played Jimmy Woo in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, but it wasn't until WandaVision that many people started to realize just how many of their favorite movies and TV shows he's appeared in. TikTok has even started a trend where users watch one of the many projects he's been in, then post their reaction to the platform. Examples so far include Park's role as the teacher Mr. Palladino in the 2008 iCarly episode "iGot Detention," his turn as the store employee Will in the 2012 New Girl episode "Fancyman Part 1" and his small role as the paranoid Dr. Stephen Shin in 2018's DC Extended Universe movie Aquaman.
This barely scratches the surface of Park's supporting roles over the years, many of which have been scene-stealing in their own right. A lot of people are no doubt familiar with his well-known turn as "Asian Jim Halpert" in the cold opening for The Office's 2012 episode "Andy's Ancestry," but he also played funny secondary characters in films like The Five-Year Engagement and memorably brought North Korea leader Kim Jong-un to life in the infamous 2014 comedy The Interview. Park is even one of The Interview star/director Seth Rogen's frequent collaborators, having shown up alongside Rogen in The Night Before, The Disaster Artist and Long Shot.
His work isn't limited to being a second-tier player either. Park spent six seasons portraying the Huang family's mild-mannered patriarch Louis on the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat, earning praise for his acting in the rare long-running sitcom to focus exclusively on the lives of an Asian-American family. In the years leading up to that, Park played the charismatic politician Danny Chung on multiple seasons of HBO's hit political satire Veep, tackled recurring roles on The Mindy Project and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and even played himself in the 2015 Community episode "Intro to Recycled Cinema."
Recently, Park has begun to demonstrate his skill behind the camera, directing himself in the Fresh Off the Boat Season 6 episode "Commencement." He also co-wrote and starred in Netflix's well-received 2019 rom-com Always Be My Maybe, in which he and his co-writer on the film, Ali Wong, played childhood friends-turned lovers who reunite after parting ways 15 years earlier and discover there are still romantic sparks between them. His accomplishments extend well beyond the impressive list of projects listed here, which is a testament to just how hard-working and talented Park truly is.
This is part of the reason why viewers are campaigning for a spinoff series featuring Jimmy Woo, along with Park's WandaVision costars Kat Dennings and Teyonah Parris. Park has already proven he's leading man material in film and television and a show following the actor's charmingly competent, everyman FBI agent as he investigates strange events in the MCU could nicely compliment Marvel Studios' upcoming slate of superhero movies and Disney+ series. Failing that, it's good to see Park is gaining some overdue recognition for stuff beyond his best-known roles.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.