13 Minutes
Grace Park: Out of This World
Mai Bui

2007

In life- as in Hollywood- grace under fire is the crucial element that leads to success. In the case of Grace Park, the exotic beauty and talented actress, this trait has taken her far.

"Out of this world," Park says, referring to the challenges she faces on Battlestar Galactica. "Playing different roles of the same character, each with opposite personalities, can be tricky sometimes."

For fans of the television miniseries, they've come to love and appreciate Park's stellar performance as Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, a sleeper agent who believes she is a human.

"Cylon were not supposed to fall in love with people," Park says. "But I did. Eventually I married fellow Galactica pilot Helo and gave birth to the first-ever human-Cylon hybrid child."

Park speaks with so much conviction that, for a moment, I'm on edge pondering whom I'm seeing. But sitting comfortably in her chair in her hotel suite, savoring her Chinese chicken salad, with brownie and chocolate ice cream for dessert, Park is neither the squadron's rookie nor the genocidal Cylon android.

She is the girl next-door, with beautiful brown eyes and inviting smile. Wearing a "great, cool top"- as she puts it- and jeans, Park discusses her latest project, her life-living philosophy, her reason for acting, her family, and her faith in God. Her voice is soft, amid the laughter and occasional pauses, offering contrast with her powerful screen presence.

"I'm thrilled that West 32nd will be premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York at the end of April," Park says. "Directed by Michael Kang, written by Michael Kang and Edmund Lee, this is a crime drama set in New York's Korean Underworld."

What Park is excited about, besides being a star in the feature, is that this is the first time the giant entertainment company in South Korea, CJ Entertainment, invested in an American production.

"The stake is high here," Park says. "This may very well be the beginning of countless future meaningful relationships between financial supporters and Asian American filmmakers."

This sense of caring for the industry and for future Asian stars goes beyond the flow of money. Park has given much thought into the ongoing debates about Asians in the media field.

"Rather than focus on the lack of predefined roles for Asians," Park says, "it's incumbent upon us to help Hollywood see the full deck of cards and to see what we can do."

Perhaps Park's inspiration for fostering community and promoting mutual understanding stems from the depths of her commitment to her profession, her colleagues, fans, and God.

To see her work ethic is easy. One just has to look at the road she travels. Park builds her impressive resume through the philosophy that a job worth doing is a job worth doing well. Park appears in numerous films and television shows, but it was her regular role on the hit Canadian series Edgemont that finally provided Park with a forum to showcase her versatility and star quality.

"You may say that I'm a late-bloomer [in acting]," Park says. "My dream of becoming a research scientist ended when we ere discussing invertebrates and different muscles that move flies' wings."

Park earned her degree in psychology at the University of British Columbia. Yet, something was still missing. She went to modeling school and worked as a model for a short time, but she found her true calling in her first acting class.

"I remember how happy I was," Park says, "But not for the reason everyone had though. I didn't like what I learned to do- acting. What I liked was being surrounded with creative minds. Somehow, I related to them well."

A phenomenal actress who does not like acting?

Perhaps we can best explain Park's view on this topic by separating who one is from what one does.

"Acting is an art and I know I have the training and ability to perform well," Park says. "But I often find inner peace and energy when I'm on the set. This is when and where I find my personal meaning, my identity and my sense of relatedness to my loved ones and to others. This is why when filming crew is around and the camera begins to roll, I'm at my best. Acting becomes natural."

In 2004, Park married Phil Kim who she met at his restaurant in Vancouver four years ago.

"I must have been very lonely then," Park says with a huge grin. "I never though I'd one day date a Korean man, let alone marry one. I love the people, the culture and ever thing else… except for the chauvinism that I can't stand. Fortunately, Phil has been a gentleman, a great friend and a lovely husband. I can be horrible and he's still there. He's a keeper because we both share this part of the wedding vow "… to have and to hold". I hold what he has."

And with that, Park bursts into laughter, revealing a touch of mischievousness, and then immediately turns back to the conversation. "I'm at a point where I need to add another important dimension to my life. I still have dreams to accomplish, to-do lists to fulfill. But my plan now includes motherhood. I hope I will be the kind of mother every child wishes for."

One of the most poignant moments of Battlestar Galactica is when Park's character, Sharon, reaches into the incubator and touches her dead baby. It was not scripted but her action brought tears to her producer and others. Perhaps this is indicative of the kind of mother Park will be. Sooner or later, Park will find out if she is a good parent. "And then," she says, "there just might be more to come."

"Hey, I've a dining set for six," Park says.

But for now, the children Park is looking out for are the orphans who live in North Korea. She plans to establish a foundation that builds orphanages in this part of the world. Her faith in God and her determination to bring smiles to these children's faces are the main reasons.

"We're truly blessed," Park says. "We live in a country where we are free to pursue our dreams, our family, our faith and our honor. I hope that history will remember me for everything I am- a wife, a mother and an actress who worked tirelessly to make a difference in someone's life."

Now that is "out of this world".