“Fast and Furious” Star Sung Kang Takes Us On His Personal Road to New Film “Drifter”

It’s not every day you get to sit down with someone you’ve grown up watching on the big screen, nor with someone who single-handedly shaped your love and passion for Japanese cars and motorsport, like drifting and touge. While many view Sung Kang as an actor, car enthusiast, and driver, his newest film, Drifter, sees him adding to that ever-expanding list, taking on both the director and producer roles while also starring in the film. 

As Sung describes, Drifter is a movie created with the car community in mind — a love letter to those who are passionate and share the same deep love for cars, racing, and anything to do with a beautiful mechanical object, while layering in more emotional topics around invisibility and vulnerability. During his visit to Toronto for the Canadian International AutoShow, we sat down with Sung to talk about passion, cars, and the beauty of the car community. 

“This movie was based on honesty — from the stunts to human emotions — everything needs to be honest and a love letter to the car community.”Sung Kang

You’ve built a career that balances cult favourite roles with deeply personal passion projects. What excites you creatively at this stage in your life? 

First of all, positive energy brings out the best in people. That, or being surrounded by good people who are super passionate about what they do. The idea of creating an environment like a movie set, I call it an adult playground; now we just have bigger toys. 

Before, as an actor, it was really just about me. It was about my needs, my selfishness — it was about me, my lines, my role, and then you bounce. As a director, producer, and writer, I get to create the environment; I get to create the birthday party and celebration, and when I see what it means to people, that they get to live their ‘Hollywood dreamland’ — a set that I was a part of creating — it’s a different reason that I wake up in the morning. That’s what excites me today. 

Is your role as a producer and director is a reflection of how you’ve grown personally? 

Absolutely. I never thought I would find purpose in serving others. As a young person it was always about me, and now how I see in the world is much different. Waking up in the morning, [I think]: “Oh, I’ve got all this stuff to do,” and [I’m] like, “Well, it’s not about you. What’s your contribution? What’s your leave behind? What’s your energy?” If you show up, like, tired, upset, it’s gonna affect everybody. 

Now that young folks like you have grown up watching me, it’s easy to influence people, and it’s my responsibility. So, yeah, I think time has given me a different playbook, and I feel more comfortable in my skin for sure because of it. 

“In my industry, I am at the back of the house. I’m not invited to the main table. I’m in the kitchen or the kids table. When I was younger, that would bother me. But there’s something beautiful about being in the kitchen with all those sincere folks, right?”Sung Kang

At what point did the story feel personal enough where you felt it was ready for production? 

That’s a great question. I knew that every time I would share the script with the key heads of the departments — from cinematographer to the production designer — the story evolved from a pitch to a personal statement. [That] is when I knew.

You could see it; a pitch is when people start thinking about other stuff; when it’s so personal and comes from passion, they’re connected. That’s what a passion project means, right? 

The AE86 is almost mythic at this point — such an icon throughout JDM and Motorsport period. What made Lola the choice for this? 

Well, the AE86, the 1986 Toyota Corolla… if you’re gonna make a movie about drifting, the spokesperson — the ambassador, grandfather, in this case the grandmother — of all drift cars is the AE86. When you start investigating why that is, it’s because it has an evergreen style. It just gets prettier and prettier every year, right? It was a disposable economy car, but it was manual, and had LSD (Limited Slip Differential) from the factory, rear wheel drive. Back then, most people were drifting the touges and going downhill; it is connected to drifting. The approach of this movie was based on honesty — from the stunts to human emotions — everything needs to be honest and a love letter to the car community. 

You can’t actually put another car in there. There can be other cars that are competing and in the story, but I always joke and say Lola is number one on the call sheet. She is the star. They can make a poster and just put Lola and people are happy. 

The film seems to examine invisibility: working class labour, emotional suppression, etc. Is that something that you’ve observed in your life or your industry? 

Well, that’s what I am in my industry. I am at the back of the house. I’m not invited to the main table. I’m in the kitchen or the kids table. When I was younger, that would bother me. But there’s something beautiful about being in the kitchen with all those sincere folks, right? So I’ve embraced it, I understand it, and instead of having to act, I can just be and tap into what is real. 

I used to look at my face or my ethnic background as a handicap. Now, it is actually a blessing because it’s given me perspective; perhaps, if you were the status quo, you wouldn’t be able to tap into this universal emotion of feeling like you’re nobody. It’s how I feel today in Hollywood. Then, you come to an event like this, and you’re with your community, and you think, “It’s not so bad!” 

It gave me the tools to be able to connect with everybody and also, always, make me aware that I’m nothing special. I’m no better than anybody else, and the ability to connect with everyone — especially the outliers and the people that are in the shadows. That’s a strength. I can speak their language, and I can make movies for them into other stories. 

In the film, Tree feels invisible in daily life. With Project Underdog, you’re mentoring young people overlooked by the system and helping them embrace a beautiful industry in automotives. Is the theme of being unseen something you want to help others express? 

Well, Project Underdog came from complete guilt and imposter syndrome. I did a build the year before, the 240Z, and won awards, got covers and magazines, and I’m like, “I don’t deserve that.” People working their whole life that are masters of this craft, and some actor that shows up and has a car built for him. And then, all of a sudden, I’m the ambassador for JDM culture, and I’m like, “This is wrong.” So, it’s always embarrassing, really, and I’m like: “How do I fix this internally, at least just for me so I can look at myself in the mirror?”

I try to pay it forward. It’s like, if I can find folks and create an environment where people don’t understand what the SEMA thing is, what it’s like to build an awesome car like this, being able to come to all these awesome events, meeting all these mentors and cool people — maybe that’s what I’m here for. 

It’s clear that drifting is a safe space and an escape for Tree. What do you experience behind the wheel? 

Oh, that’s a great question. Freedom. Escape. Solace. Safety. I have one car that took about eight years, where every nut and screw — every piece of plastic — was built for me for the purpose of driving through the mountains where I live. Then, in my darkest times, when I’m at my lowest of low, I get in the car, and I do a three hour drive into the mountains and come back. There are moments where I’m like, “I hope I don’t come back from this drive,” [so] I go up to the mountain, I pray, pick up some garbage, and I drive down. I play this one song, and then usually record my trip down. 

Maybe it’s just the way I was brought up, but the idea of going to therapy and talking things out to a total stranger, those ‘demons ‘ if you will, is very hard for me. I have so many friends for whom therapy has changed their life. For me, I’ve always resisted, always resisted. This is the one thing that I can go do that I have control over — but I don’t have control, which is amazing. I think I have control, but I realize I actually don’t, because anything could happen. Sometimes a rock comes or another car comes, someone’s trying to, like, race me.

At the end of the day, I come back down and I’m just full of gratitude that nothing happened in this 53-year-old car and I made it up and down. There’s no reception up there, so, you’re trusting, like, the car gods to get you there and back. 

There’s something beautiful about drifting; completely in control while walking a fine line of what the car can handle. Does that mirror how you see life? 

Yes. Every time. Do you ever wake up in the morning, and you go, “I got this all figured out” and nothing goes right? You walk into something you’re like, “Oh, I don’t like him. I don’t like this. This is not gonna work out. I feel insecure.” You come out of it and you’re like, “Wow, this was beautiful!” All of a sudden, it just works out right, and it’s very similar to movie making. 

You prepare, you prepare, and you prepare so you can be ready for whatever’s gonna happen because you don’t know what’s gonna happen — with the weather or, working with cars, what’s gonna break — so you prepare so you have an option. 

It goes back to what we were talking about earlier, about trusting others; I think filmmaking mirrors that. 

When someone watches Drifter, what do you want them to take away from the movie? 

I want them to take away that.. it’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s been a struggle for me.. As a man, I always thought it was a weakness. I’ve been taught that it was a weakness. You read self-help books, and they’re like: “Don’t ever tell people about your insecurities. It’s a weakness. Don’t show your cards.” I realized that through vulnerability, I found community. Through community, these dreams happened. I think it’s a quicker path to being able to connect with another human being. 

FEATURE PHOTO BY ADAM HENDERSHOTT / CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL AUTOSHOW.

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