---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Early on, I played a Chinese delivery…"
description: "\"Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even that, which was very innocuous, felt like I was somehow betraying myself. I felt very self-consc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg"
---

#  Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even…

![“Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even that, which was very innocuous, felt like I was somehow betraying myself. I felt very self-conscious on set doing that role, with a crew that was almost entirely white.” quote by John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg)

> “Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even that, which was very innocuous, felt like I was somehow betraying myself. I felt very self-conscious on set doing that role, with a crew that was almost entirely white.”

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Playing a stereotypical role made the actor feel conflicted about identity and representation.

**In simple terms:** Stereotypes cause personal conflict.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic representation in media.

Themes

identity representation media criticism

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

cultural personal

When to use this quote

- casting decisions
- diversity training
- creative storytelling

Key Concepts

racial stereotypes self‑perception industry dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can actors influence casting diversity?
- What steps can productions take to avoid tokenism?

A Different Perspective

Industry pressures may limit role choices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Self conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-conscious/)

## Related quotes

> [I felt self-conscious going out in the street prior to ever even being in a movie. That's just me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-felt-self-conscious-going-out-in-the-street-prior-to-ever-even/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [Before M2, I really felt self-conscious about some of my choices, and I was slotted into a category. At Rolling Stone, I was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/before-m2-i-really-felt-self-conscious-about-some-of-my-choices-and-i/)

[Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/)

> [Fame is not all it's cracked up to be, and I felt self-conscious in the public eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fletcher/fame-is-not-all-it-s-cracked-up-to-be-and-i-felt-self-conscious-in/)

[Tom Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fletcher/)

> [Bones leaned back, studying me. I felt so self-conscious. If only I had a shield of makeup, some perfectly arranged hair... and oh yeah.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/bones-leaned-back-studying-me-i-felt-so-self-conscious-if-only-i-had/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [My act is strongly centred around Hull and being working class, so I felt guilty living in London - like I was betraying my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-beaumont/my-act-is-strongly-centred-around-hull-and-being-working-class-so-i/)

[Lucy Beaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-beaumont/)

> [I felt like I was betraying my family. But I knew that trying to explain my emotions in a movie like this was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-robinson/i-felt-like-i-was-betraying-my-family-but-i-knew-that-trying-to/)

[John Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-robinson/)

> [“The lie is suffocating. Every time I have to play along, I feel like I'm betraying myself. Sometimes when I see myself in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-daniels/the-lie-is-suffocating-every-time-i-have-to-play-along-i-feel-like-i/)

[April Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-daniels/)

> [A big shop in Manhattan would feel like we were betraying our roots. And we're not just going to open a bunch of stores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jebbia/a-big-shop-in-manhattan-would-feel-like-we-were-betraying-our-roots/)

[James Jebbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jebbia/)

> [“To make plans and not make good use of them is like “betraying your success helpmate” after getting to know him. Make plans, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/to-make-plans-and-not-make-good-use-of-them-is-like-betraying-your/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“I realized that the whole time I was holding this beautiful stranger in my arms, feeding on her, it felt like I was betraying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/i-realized-that-the-whole-time-i-was-holding-this-beautiful-stranger/)

[Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/)

> [You know what the really scary thing about bad dreams? It's that something's going on in your head, and you can't control it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-know-what-the-really-scary-thing-about-bad-dreams-it-s-that/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [He had never before felt so self-consciously young, nor experienced such appetite, such impatience for the story to begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/he-had-never-before-felt-so-self-consciously-young-nor-experienced/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [But was it love? The feeling of wanting to die beside her was clearly exaggerated: he had seen her only once before in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/but-was-it-love-the-feeling-of-wanting-to-die-beside-her-was-clearly/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“For now she need not think about anybody. She could be herself, by herself. And that was what now she often felt the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-now-she-need-not-think-about-anybody-she-could-be-herself-by/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“I felt my own self-sufficiency, my own Walden Pond, seeping out of me as if I'd sprung a leak. Self soaked into everything around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-sudjic/i-felt-my-own-self-sufficiency-my-own-walden-pond-seeping-out-of-me/)

[Olivia Sudjic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-sudjic/)

## More by John Cho

> [What was exciting to me in talking to Kogonada was I was just very convinced that he was a very real and pure artist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/what-was-exciting-to-me-in-talking-to-kogonada-was-i-was-just-very/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [I didn't think it was possible for Asians to be actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-didn-t-think-it-was-possible-for-asians-to-be-actors/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [There was a while where every role I was getting offered was extremely noble - like the judge or the kindly nurse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/there-was-a-while-where-every-role-i-was-getting-offered-was/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [I don't know if I trust entertainment to teach anyone anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-don-t-know-if-i-trust-entertainment-to-teach-anyone-anything/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [With music I get to feel real ownership with what I do. I write it, I perform it and even if it is crap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/with-music-i-get-to-feel-real-ownership-with-what-i-do-i-write-it-i/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [I've found that one's language abilities, especially for Korean kids like me, get frozen at the age you immigrated. So I've always associated Korea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-ve-found-that-one-s-language-abilities-especially-for-korean-kids/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [It's really weird to be in more than one franchise because an actor's life is so nomadic, and so it's a real privilege to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/it-s-really-weird-to-be-in-more-than-one-franchise-because-an-actor-s/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [I feel like there's this need that the Asian-American community has to feel like people. It's something that Asians in Asia do not understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-feel-like-there-s-this-need-that-the-asian-american-community-has/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [Not sleeping, listening to Paul Auster on Fresh Air. His function, tonight and ever, has been to remind me that I will die. Thanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/not-sleeping-listening-to-paul-auster-on-fresh-air-his-function/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [Conversely, the most powerful thing an actor can say is "no." If something is presented and it's a stereotypical role or something, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/conversely-the-most-powerful-thing-an-actor-can-say-is-no-if/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [For a while, I was feeling like I was always playing characters that weren't specifically Korean or specifically Asian, even - that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/for-a-while-i-was-feeling-like-i-was-always-playing-characters-that/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [I hereby call for the execution of the person who designed the layout of rite aid stores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-hereby-call-for-the-execution-of-the-person-who-designed-the-layout/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [Typically, actors overplay jargon or toss it away in an extravagant display of casualness. Real people hit the important parts hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/typically-actors-overplay-jargon-or-toss-it-away-in-an-extravagant/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [I grew up speaking Korean, but my dad spoke English very well. I learned a lot of how to speak English by watching television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-grew-up-speaking-korean-but-my-dad-spoke-english-very-well-i/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

> [Sometimes I feel indie directors are in the game so they can make a film to get hired to do a big film -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/sometimes-i-feel-indie-directors-are-in-the-game-so-they-can-make-a/)

[John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

[Explore all 140 John Cho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/)

## More Early quotes

> [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [I knew music was for me from an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/i-knew-music-was-for-me-from-an-early-age/)

[Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/)

> [I definitely count my blessings. I feel like I've had such a great ride. Early on, to be able to work with some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-definitely-count-my-blessings-i-feel-like-i-ve-had-such-a-great/)

[Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/)

> [I had been exposed to bitcoin early. I thought the consumer application of it felt, to me, further away. I thought there would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garlinghouse/i-had-been-exposed-to-bitcoin-early-i-thought-the-consumer/)

[Brad Garlinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garlinghouse/)

> [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/)

[Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/)

> [With 'Aurangzeb,' I just knew that the film wasn't going to work, though I think it was one of my most underrated performances. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-kapoor/with-aurangzeb-i-just-knew-that-the-film-wasn-t-going-to-work-though/)

[Arjun Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-kapoor/)

> [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/)

[Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/)

> [The early days were really difficult because it was constant no's, I didn't have an agent. I always knew that I had something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madelyn-cline/the-early-days-were-really-difficult-because-it-was-constant-no-s-i/)

[Madelyn Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madelyn-cline/)

> [The latest I like to be to meeting is 15 minutes early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-latest-i-like-to-be-to-meeting-is-15-minutes-early/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [“Why'd she leave so early? It's practically yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/why-d-she-leave-so-early-it-s-practically-yesterday/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/)

[Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/)

> [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/)

[Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/)

> [I suppose I'm led to do so by the fact of what happened to my contemporaries - people whom I've admired, people who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-woodcock/i-suppose-i-m-led-to-do-so-by-the-fact-of-what-happened-to-my/)

[George Woodcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-woodcock/)

> [Kids in the entertainment industry are at a risk of developing depression, as they see glamour at an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divyanka-tripathi/kids-in-the-entertainment-industry-are-at-a-risk-of-developing/)

[Divyanka Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divyanka-tripathi/)

Browse all 3,940 Early quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even that, which was very innocuous, felt like I was somehow betraying myself. I felt very self-conscious on set doing that role, with a crew that was almost entirely white.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Cho"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-person-and-even-that-which-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Early"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-person-and-even-that-which-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/john-cho-3086_early_early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-per_590777.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even that, which was very innocuous, felt like I was…” — John Cho",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Cho",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Early on, I played a Chinese...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-person-and-even-that-which-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/early-on-i-played-a-chinese-delivery-person-and-even-that-which-was/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```