Jason Tobin

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Jason Tobin
Born
Hong Kong
Other namesTo Jun Wai (杜俊緯)
OccupationActor
Known forBetter Luck Tomorrow, Warrior
TelevisionWarrior
MovementAsian American Film
Spouse(s)Michelle Tobin
Children3

Jason Tobin, credited in Chinese as To Jun Wai (杜俊緯), is a British Chinese film and television actor[1] best known for his work in the lead role of Young Jun in the Cinemax series Warrior.

Early life and education[]

He was born in Hong Kong where he attended the King George V School in Kowloon, Hong Kong; he is of mixed parentage, being of half British and half Chinese descent. Shyness kept him out of school drama productions and it wasn't until the age of 18 while living in Asia and ready to return to the UK to study law at university, that he realized his dream to become an actor.[2]

Career[]

Tobin has appeared in over twenty films and television productions. His breakout film was Better Luck Tomorrow by Justin Lin, starring alongside Parry Shen, Sung Kang, Roger Fan and John Cho, which debuted at Sundance Festival. In New York Magazine, critic Bilge Ebiri described enjoying "...one crackerjack performance, in Jason Tobin’s unbridled portrayal of a hyper, horny, and confused brat." Featuring the adventures of four overachievers, the film is widely praised for breaking the model minority stereotype of Asian Americans on screen.[3][4][5][6] 17 years later, LA Times named it the best Asian American film of all time, as judged by 20 Asian American critics and curators.[7]

He stars as the main character Eddy Tsai in the Asian American "serial killer" film, Chink directed by Stanley Yung, written by Koji Steven Sakai and produced by Quentin Lee. The film also stars Eugenia Yuan and Tzi Ma. For his performance in Chink (re-titled as #1 Serial Killer), Tobin won a "Best Actor" or "Breakout Performance for an Actor" award at the 2013 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.[8][9] Tobin also received a "Best Actor - Dramatic" award at the 2015 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival for his performance in the film Jasmine (2015).

In 2018, he reunited with Better Luck Tomorrow director Justin Lin to star in the Cinemax series Warrior, a martial arts drama based on an original idea by the late Bruce Lee and produced by his daughter Shannon Lee.[10] Dan Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter wrote “Tobin, whose Young Jun grew on me with each episode as a source of both unpredictable line-readings and humor”.[11] Mike Hale from The New York Times noted “...one thing “Warrior” has no lack of is charismatic Asian actors: Jason Tobin of Lin's “Better Luck Tomorrow” as a tong heir...”[12] The series' critical success has ensured a continuation into its second season.[13]

In February 2021, Tobin was cast as William Pan in the upcoming Netflix film Wu Assassins: Fistful of Vengeance.[14]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Yellow Yo-Yo Directed by Chris Chan Lee
2002 Better Luck Tomorrow Virgil Hu Directed by Justin Lin.[15]
2005 House of Fury Rocco's fighter Directed by Stephen Fung.
2006 Rob-B-Hood Debt Collector Directed by Benny Chan.
The Heavenly Kings Sandy Directed by Daniel Wu.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Earl Directed by Justin Lin.
2012 Chink Eddy Tsai Directed by Stanley Yung, written by Koji Steven Sakai, produced by Quentin Lee (Winner of Best Actor Award at the 2013 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival).
2015 Jasmine Leonard To Directed and written by Dax Phelan (Winner of Best Actor - Dramatic Award at the 2015 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival)
2019 Sonora: The Devil's Highway Lee Wong Directed by Alejandro Springall, written by Guillermo Munro Palacio and John Sayles
2021 F9 Earl Directed by Justin Lin, written by Lin and Daniel Casey
Wu Assassins: Fistful of Vengeance William Pan Directed by Roel Reiné, written by Cameron Litvack, Jessica Chou and Yalun Tu

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2019–present Warrior Young Jun[10]

Awards[]

Personal life[]

Tobin lives in Hong Kong and in London. He has a wife and three children. Tobin says he is a big fan of Bruce Lee "because he's the ultimate badass and he inspired me as a kid."[16] He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA and Equity.[17]

After filming season one of Warrior, Tobin was diagnosed with prediabetes and was close to having Type 2 diabetes. In order to improve his health, he changed his diet and training by working with ATP Fitness, which helped him become physically fit and mobile for his role as Young Jun. Tobin has successfully reversed his prediabetes and managed his blood sugar level before filming Warrior season two.[18][19][20]

References[]

  1. ^ "Award Winning Hollywood Actor & Director Jason Tobin takes the CMHK Stage". Savvy Creative. 2016.
  2. ^ "Interview - Jason Tobin". jasontobin.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Death of the 'model minority'". Los Angeles Times. 2003-04-11. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (2003-04-11). "FILM REVIEW; Teenagers Determined to Damage Their Résumés". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  5. ^ Kim, Jane Yong (2018-08-21). "The Film to Watch Alongside 'Crazy Rich Asians'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  6. ^ "How Dare You Represent Your People That Way: The Oral History of 'Better Luck Tomorrow'". GQ. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  7. ^ "The 20 best Asian American films of the last 20 years". Los Angeles Times. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  8. ^ Visual Communications, FESTIVAL AWARDEES RECOGNIZED
  9. ^ Gregg Kilday, Lee Isaac Chung Takes Two Top Prizes at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Andreeva, Nellie (2017-10-11). "'Warrior': Cinemax Sets Cast & Director For Bruce Lee-Inspired Martial Arts Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  11. ^ "'Warrior': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  12. ^ Hale, Mike (2019-04-03). "Review: 'Warrior,' Pitched by Bruce Lee and Made by Cinemax". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2019-04-24). "'Warrior' Renewed For Season 2 By Cinemax". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (February 26, 2021). "'Wu Assassins' Standalone Movie Set At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Oliver Wang and Hua Hsu (Apr 11, 2003). "Taking on Tomorrow". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  16. ^ GIANT ROBOT - Transmissions Interview”.
  17. ^ Representation - Jason Tobin”.
  18. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8eI8z6B0yS/
  19. ^ https://atp.fitness/jason-tobin-featured-client/
  20. ^ https://atp.fitness/jason-tobin-star-hbo-warrior/

External links[]

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