Exclusive Interview: Ethan Rich Talks American Born Chinese, Bringing Truth to His Work, and More

Ethan Rich is a fresh face in the industry who’s delivering a knockout performance in Disney+’s American Born Chinese.

Based on Gene Luen Yang’s groundbreaking graphic novel that chronicles the trials and tribulations of a regular American teenager whose life is forever changed when he befriends the son of a mythological god. This is the story of a young man’s battle for his own identity, told through family, comedy, and action-packed Kung-Fu. The coming-of-age adventure features an all-star international cast, including Academy® Award winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, Ben Wang, International Emmy® Award Nominee Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, former Taekwondo champion Jimmy Liu, and Sydney Taylor. Ethan shines as Greg who plays a pivotal role in pushing the hero’s journey forward.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Ethan about American Born Chinese, bringing truth to his work, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Ethan: For as long as I can remember, I always did theater as a kid. My first production was as a tree in The Wizard of Oz. I was six years old. It’s always been what I’ve done and what I’ve felt was my strong suit. I loved being a part of the rehearsal process and all of that, so I’ve known for quite a while. Then when it got to senior year of high school and everyone was deciding what they were going to do, I was like, “I can’t live with myself if I don’t give this a shot.” So I did.

My dad always tells the story of when I was a little kid and he was tucking me into bed. We had just watched a movie and I said, “I want to do that.” I think it was a superhero movie. He was like, “You want to have superpowers?” Even as a kid, I understood: “No, I want to play pretend and do that.”

PC: As you’ve made the transition from the stage to screen, what has that process been like? How have those experiences lent themselves to one another?
Ethan: That’s a good question. You go and see a stage performance and everything seems so big and so chaotic. There are a lot of lessons about making it smaller for the camera and not being as dramatic and outside of yourself as you may be on the stage, but it all boils down to telling the truth. That’s what I’ve always said. My acting and approach to a character don’t change for the stage or screen. It’s just how the actor dives into it, but the performance is the same. If you’re telling the truth, you’re telling the truth. That’s what I always say.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Ethan: My education has been the biggest part of my growth—and continued growth. In school, I had really great teachers. Mark Brotherton, who passed away, was a great teacher of mine. I would sit in his office and listen to him recite Shakespeare for hours.

Outside of school, I’ve gotten together with an acting coach who has taught me how to hold reverence for this thing that we do. Every story that comes from anyone is their own unique experience. Our job as actors is to hold that with the weight that it deserves. His name is Rus Blackwell. Listening to and learning from him has been amazing.

Last year, I got to work with John Wells as a lead in his pilot: Ke Nui Road. That man has a wealth of knowledge about the industry, acting in general, and our approach to characters. So I learned a lot from him through that experience. I’m always looking for nuggets of wisdom from people who have been doing it longer than I have.

PC: You’ve got a recurring role on American Born Chinese. How did this project initially come across your desk? What was it about this script that resonated with you?
Ethan: American Born Chinese was brought to me by Leslie Woo, who was the casting director that I worked with on Ke Nui Road. Shortly after that had wrapped, she brought this to the table. At first, I saw the director attached to it, which was Destin Daniel Cretton. His film Short Term 12 has always been one of my favorites to pull from as far as the human experience and acting. So I was super stoked with the people involved. Then I read the book and saw Greg. It’s every actor’s dream to bring a comic book character to life. As I dove into it, the message of giving kids who feel isolated a voice really resonated with me. It’s giving them a voice to empower themselves and to be who they are and different. It was a combination of all those amazing things. I couldn’t be happier with it.

PC: In addition to acting, you’re also a musician. Music is such a huge component of your DNA. As a storyteller, how much do you leverage that when you’re preparing for a role or scene?
Ethan: I’m a guitarist and singer first. That was always what I loved to do. I love music. I love the mood that it can put you in for different types of projects. Spotify playlists are huge as I’m preparing for a character. I have a unique one for each character and it’s fun. It’s fun as I’m delving into my character work to be like, “What does this character listen to?” That’s all up to me as an actor. You have your own little input artistically. I recognize the weight that music can bring to anything.

PC: Greg’s purpose in this narrative is to drive home Jin’s hero’s journey. But as the actor who’s playing this character who lives in this morally gray area, you have to approach him with no judgment. How did you create the space and freedom for yourself to dive into Greg’s arc? What backstory did you create for him?
Ethan: Approaching any character with no judgment is huge. I love playing characters that have different levels to them. Playing a character like Greg, who is part of the problem, was difficult to approach. But I had to approach it from ignorance and the idea that he doesn’t know any better. For me as a person, I can pass judgment on that. But approaching the character, as you said, you can’t. I always try to find those different layers because I feel like any character that you play always has to have a heart somewhere. No matter how lost that person is or how ignorant that person is, there’s always some heart in them. That’s how you find the humanity. It was a cool role to dive into.

PC: The series is out now on Disney+ and it’s been incredibly well received. You were at the New York premiere and got to see firsthand the impact that this story has had. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What do you hope they take away?
Ethan: What resonated the most with me was the family dynamic and seeing Jin being in his room and hearing his parents fight and not being able to understand what they’re saying. I didn’t grow up in a bilingual household like that, but they told it in such a way that I felt for him so sincerely. I think that will resonate with anybody who grows up in that kind of household. I didn’t come from that experience, but it’s the education and awareness of what it would be like to do that. Also, the magic and the fighting are pretty freaking cool. All of those layers made it a really awesome project. But that’s what resonated with me.

PC: If we’re lucky enough to get a second season, where would you like to see Greg’s storyline head?
Ethan: It’s interesting, in the graphic novel Greg’s younger version of himself starts out with a little more care for Jin and you see as they get older Greg begins to assimilate into the crowd and be the cool jock that he is. It’s the same in the series, especially when Greg says that he only did it to make all the other varsity guys laugh. I’d like to see Greg come around and really start to pay attention to his actions and how they affect other people. At the end of the second episode, I’m not sure if it came across on the camera, but I was really trying to make it known that the wheels are turning for Greg. He knows he’s messed up, and not only because he’s unable to play a few games, but he also has to educate himself on his own ignorance. I’d like to see Greg come around. That would be cool.

PC: This is one of your biggest projects to date. Did anything surprise you about this experience? What was the biggest takeaway thus far?
Ethan: I’m very new to this. I graduated from college in 2020 with my degree in theater, right in the middle of COVID when there was no theater happening at all. It was a quick turnaround for me to find where I wanted to be. I got really great opportunities straight out of the gate with on-screen work. Every new experience that I’ve had has been with a different team. I’m enjoying the process and learning. There have definitely been moments when I’m like, “Do I know what I’m doing at all?” Then I rely on my training. Everything’s a surprise. I love learning from it.

PC: Outside of this project, what’s next for you? As you look ahead, is there a dream role that you’d love to bring to life on the screen or stage?
Ethan: I don’t even know if it’s written yet, but I love being surprised. I’m really drawn to independent films and exploring humanity and exploring how we relate to each other as humans. For me, I just want to tell stories that teach and inspire people and offer some sort of healing. If there’s a role that does all three of those things, I’m on board.

I’ve spent a lot of the past two years in Hawaii surfing. That’s very important to me. It’s like an addiction. I’d love to be able to share a story about surfing and what it means to me and a lot of other people. Hollywood hasn’t been able to get surfing right yet. I don’t know if I can bring that, but I’d love to be a part of it.

To keep up with Ethan, follow him on Instagram. Watch American Born Chinese on Disney+ today.

Photo Credit: Collin Stark