Joshua Hyunho Lee

For Joshua Hyunho Lee, unpredictability might just be his comfort zone.

He’s always had a knack for doing things in a creatively unconventional way. A graduate of Harvard University who once worked in finance, Lee found his way into acting through a series of unexpected experiences.

Before becoming an actor, Lee admits that there was always a creative instinct nudging him in that direction. “Throughout my time working professionally and in my corporate job, there was always a part of me that knew I wanted to go into the arts,” he tells me. With a background in dance, he initially considered pursuing it as a career. However, this path soon led him somewhere unanticipated: onto a Broadway stage.

“I auditioned for this open call for a Broadway show, and it just seemed perfect, because it was a dance-heavy role with a lot of singing and acting lines,” Lee says. “It wasn’t the dancing or the singing that surprised me. It was the acting. I was excited about every show, and it never felt old. That's when I realized I wanted to focus more on acting. And I'm so glad I did, because it's been the best time of my life.”

Today, Lee continues to embrace the unpredictable. In Netflix’s XO, Kitty, he plays Jintaek “Jin” Lee, a character who walks the tightrope between being an unforgiving rival and a devoted partner.

Sitting down with Timid, Lee reflects on the evolution of playing Jin, the experiences that have shaped his path, and what serves as his compass as he looks ahead.

Timid Magazine: Season 3 marks a major shift for Jin’s character development. What felt different for you stepping back into his shoes this time?

Joshua Lee: I think in Season 2, Jin was more of an introduction. You don’t really get to see much of his personality beyond his rivalry with Q. What I was really excited about this season was getting to explore him outside of that, particularly through his relationships with the other characters. You see his friendship with Kitty, and you see his relationship with Q outside of that rivalry dynamic. I think it’s nice to see a softer side of Jin. And it’s been really great to see the fan feedback to that as well.

TM: Jin is in a much more complicated place this season, whether it’s his relationship or friendships. What part of his emotional rollercoaster was the most fun for you to play?

JL: There are definitely moments that were fun for me to step into as an actor, like the scene where Jin finds out that Q sends a naughty picture to Marius. I remember leading up to that, we were trying to figure out how we should do the punch. It was fun being able to do the fight choreography.

And I just want to say Anthony Keyvan (Q Shabazian) fully committed to that scene where he fell. All he had was a thin blanket separating him from a table. He was really slamming his body every time we did that punch.

TM: On the topic of Jin and Q’s relationship: Jin has every reason to walk away after what happens with Q and Marius, but he still chooses to forgive. Why do you think he responds that way?

JL: I think it's important to remember that these are kids in the most hormonal years of their lives—they’re in high school. Jin sees that Q is really trying, and he appreciates that Q is earnestly asking for forgiveness.

In the end, it is kind of open-ended, but I think it allows for there to be growth. If there is a next season, we’ll be able to see how Q and Jin are able to move past that difference, and if Q really deserves a second chance.

TM: Besides heartbreaks, I want to talk a little bit about friendships. Some fans online see Jin and Kitty as having a blossoming friendship this season. I’m interested in hearing your opinion about this friendship, and what you think Kitty understands about Jin that other characters don’t?

JL: This is a good question. I think Kitty is kind of similar to Q in a different way—she really sees the best in people. At the same time, she's fully aware of her own faults, too, so she never judges. I think there's like a really cute moment where Jin and Kitty are both failing their Korean class, and there's no judgment from Kitty that Jin, who by all means is a Korean speaker and should be passing that class, is failing. Kitty's just great in that way. I'm excited to see where their friendship grows and continues.

TM: Were there any parts of Jin that felt unexpectedly familiar to you while you were playing him?

JL: I felt really connected to Season 2 Jin because he reminded me a lot of my own personal high school era, while Season 3 Jin felt more like who I was in college.

The reason I related to Season 2 Jin is that, like him, I was very competitive, whether it was through dancing or the sports I played. I don't know why I was competitive or felt competitive in those sports. Then, Season 3 felt like the more adult Joshua. I studied math in college and later moved to New York to work in venture capital, but I realized at a certain point that I should just do the things I enjoy with the people I enjoy being with. I think that arc in my own life really carries over to the character of Jin.

TM: You’ve talked about your non-traditional path into acting; how do you think that path has shaped the way you approach your work now?

JL: I've been thinking about this a lot. Interestingly, I’ve been doing jobs where I get to use a skill set that I have to learn on the fly. Right now, I'm working on a project where I have to speak Mandarin, and that's been super exciting. It also has a lot of fight scenes and choreography, which just seems so cool to me.

I think I’m really drawn to picking up new skill sets. That's kind of been the through line of my life right now, too. I spent the whole last year traveling solo and doing random things that excite me. It makes sense that [this theme] translates into the kind of work that I want to do right now as well.

I still feel very new, so I just want to do everything. Everything excites me right now, and I think that’s a really great place to be.

TM: What’s the most surprising part of your work so far?

JL:  Seeing how supportive my family has been. I think I was always kind of nervous that they would be disappointed or angry with me for deciding to leave a more traditional career path. But it's been super beautiful to see how much they root me on. Seeing my nieces and nephews watch XO, Kitty has been super cute, and that’s been really rewarding.

TM: Looking ahead, what types of stories are you hoping to tap into in the future?

JL: I don't really think too far into the future, if I'm being honest. I'm a visual person. I have to see things to be excited by them. That's why I also hop around with my hobbies so much, because I don't think I'm very future-obsessed. I'm more interested in the things that are happening now.

-

Disclaimer: The interview was edited for length and clarity.

Season 3 of XO, Kitty was released on Netflix on April 2, 2026.

TM: We see Isla’s family do a Scottish dance this season. What are some cultural or family traditions you partake in with your own family?

BS: My favorite thing is teaching my young kids to speak Hmong. I’m half Thai and half Hmong. Number one is teaching them the language, because the culture is so niche and we don’t really have a written history.

Food is a huge part of it. My grandma lives in Sacramento, and she sends us boxes of Hmong food and ingredients. When I was pregnant and after I gave birth, she would send things like the Hmong pregnancy soup with the black chicken and herbs. Mac was actually the one making it. He was like, “I’m making Hmong pregnancy soup”—and I would just sip the broth. It was so funny.

Now that they’re old enough, I want to take them to Hmong New Year. The closest one is in Fresno, so I’m really excited about that. My grandma even brought over traditional Hmong outfits for them.

We just want them to understand that this is part of who they are. I don't want them to lose that. It’s the same way that my parents did it. They never made it a big deal. It was just a part of our life. I want them to know that side of their family. My grandma comes and visits, and she doesn't speak a lot of English. It's really fun now that they understand certain things, and understand Hmong more so that they can actually talk. It's my favorite.

TM: That’s beautiful and I’m really happy to hear that. You actually helped me understand my own culture too. I’m a Chinese adoptee. Seeing you in Wendy Wu was the first time I saw mooncakes on screen. It created this yearning in me to learn about my culture because I didn’t know what that was and it made me sad. Now my career is focused on Asian entertainment and culture. So, thank you for that.

BS: That means so much. When I was younger, I didn’t fully grasp the impact of representation—I was just doing my dream job. But now, especially with kids, I understand how important it is to see yourself reflected on screen so you don’t feel alone.

Growing up, the only Asian people that I saw on TV were Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh. Thank God for Lucy Lu and Ming-Na Wen later on. My favorite part of my job is being able to take people out of their reality for 23 minutes or however long, and bringing them joy and commonality. Feeling seen is to understand that we are uniquely ourselves. We can't change that and we shouldn't. We should steer into who we are because there's no one else like you. Regardless of where you come from, what your background is, what your culture is, where you live, you are uniquely yourself. When media can help make you feel seen and make you feel more comfortable in your own skin, that's so powerful. When I hear something positive like that, it makes me really happy. I am so grateful. Thank you for watching and I'm so glad that you had such a positive experience.

-

The second season of Running Point premieres on Netflix on April 23, 2026.

Disclaimer: This interview was edited for length and clarity.