In the second season of Sylvester Stallone’s hit drama “Tulsa King” on Paramount+, audiences are introduced to Rich Ting and his portrayal of Jackie Ming, a powerful drug warlord who poses a serious threat to Stallone’s character.
The Northwest Asian Weekly had the exclusive opportunity to delve into Ting’s experiences and insights, exploring how his diverse background has shaped his approach to acting.
Ting earned his bachelor’s degree at Yale, playing football all four years. At the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, he earned a law degree and an MBA simultaneously.
Asked if he got any sleep during his college years, actor Ting said, “I had to master my time management.”
Oddly enough, the actor got into his craft at the University of Hawai’i, looking for something to do between morning and afternoon classes.
“Ever since I was a kid, I always participated in our school plays, our talent shows. I always felt comfortable in front of a live audience, whether that stems from being on the field, the court, the baseball diamond, in front of parents and students. I never had any stage fright.
“So that’s how the initial [acting] started. Things kept lining up.”
A View of the Art article described the actor as someone who is “changing the face of Hollywood.”
Ting said it’s “really heavy.
“I remember growing up and not seeing anyone I could identify with, on the TV or the big screen. To know I am now on the forefront of representing Asian American males on camera, is really heavy to me. To the point where I don’t like to think about it, to be honest.
“I pursue the craft, I chose this career, because of my love and passion for the arts. I do it for me, to represent my family name. Fortunately because of who I am, and what I look like, I’ve done enough work where the AAPI community has accepted me and allowed me to represent the community. That is something I never really sought out. I never said to myself, ’I want to pursue acting so I can change the game for AAPI males.’ If it has positive residual effects that help uplift my community, I am 100% for that.”
Ting was not seen in the first season of the popular “Tulsa King” show, but the character of Jackie Ming was inspired by some actual Triad gang activity in and around Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Asked if he was afraid about negative stereotypes surrounding his character, Ting answered, “No, that’s the great thing about this character, it’s based on truth. How can something be a stereotype if it’s true? What I take away from Jackie Ming is that he’s a boss, he’s intimidating, he’s powerful, he’s strong. He’s a king in his world. And he’s invading another territory to conquer and take over.
“Usually, we’re the opposite. We’re the guys getting conquered, getting destroyed. What I try to do is find the silver lining, which is not very difficult in this situation.”
As for working with the show’s star, Sylvester Stallone, Ting told an illustrative story about the 78-year-old action legend.
“We are in over 100-degree heat, over 90-percent humidity. One day in the greenhouse where my marijuana farm is, it was 133 degrees. And [Stallone’s] in a full three-piece suit, and my whole thing was, if he’s not complaining about the heat, nobody has any excuse to complain.”
Asked about advice to young Asian Americans looking to get into acting for the screen, Ting grew quite passionate and positive.
“One thing from my career,” he stressed, “the majority of roles I get cast for, aren’t necessarily written for an Asian American male. Showing [studios are] open, they’re willing to go that direction. So to anyone that’s wanting to enter [acting] now, I say it’s a fantastic time to enter.
“It’s been my hope that the younger generation, they almost don’t understand why it was weird for an Asian to be cast as a police officer, or a firefighter, or a lawyer, or a husband. The goal is to get to a point where they don’t understand, why is that weird. Why not?”
Season two of “Tulsa King” premieres on Sept. 15, streaming on Paramount+ .