"Not the right thing to do": When Sung Kang revealed why Han snacks in Fast & Furious

Fast & Furious star Sung Kang once revealed why his character compulsively snacks in the movies. If you remember Tokyo Drift, Han is seen eating something in almost every scene he's in. There is even a Reddit thread devoted to this topic. You can also find a compilation of Han eating chips for over a minute. However, it is not just a silly trait that people behind the scenes thought of for this character. There is a deeper reason behind this decision.

Sung Kang mentioned it when he appeared on interviewer Nicki Sun's show. Kang shared the history of his character and how his snacking habit came about.

"The reason Han [Lue] snacks in the Fast & Furious movies is [this]. The origin of Han actually came from Better Luck Tomorrow. [It's] a small independent film I did with the director of Tokyo Drift, [the] Fast & Furious [film] - Justin Lin. Han in Better Luck Tomorrow was a chain smoker."

He further added,

"When I got the script for Tokyo Drift, Han did smoke, and knowing that, a lot of young folks watch the Fast & Furious franchise. I just felt that it was not the right thing to do a character that could possibly influence what is cool is smoking."

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Smoking on Screen: Decoding the Fast & Furious star's comments

It's not news that Fast & Furious is a massively successful film franchise. The adrenaline junkies can't get enough of these movies and remain faithful to them no matter what direction they take. It has reached a wide range of audiences irrespective of their age or nationality. Over the years, it has also been loved by a lot of young viewers.

For the same reason, Tokyo Drift star Sung Kang decided to change one of his character's defining traits. He did not want Han to be a chain smoker. His decision reflects his consciousness about the effect of media consumption. While adults can be mature enough for critical thinking, young viewers may not be. Kang worried that they would adopt this behavior and consider it "cool."

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Has the media glamorized smoking?

The idea of smoking being considered cool has existed for ages. It has often been used to show a character's confidence, power, or charm. Just think of a room full of ad executives from Mad Men. You will remember a lot of smoke paired with a lot of confidence. Fight Club's Marla Singer smokes it, and so does Pulp Fiction's Mia Wallace. At times, smoking also offers a sense of liberation to the characters.

Even James Bond, the epitome of suave charm, smoked in novels. However, after a few movies, the 007 agent stopped smoking on screen, reportedly because people became aware of its adverse health effects. So, the Fast & Furious star's comments ring true. However, there is another factor to it.

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On-screen smoking: Why Sung Kang did not want his franchise character to smoke?

Franchise movies usually reach a wider audience for a number of reasons. So, the Fast & Furious star opted out of his character's smoking habit after playing it in an independent film. While his prior decision might not be related to an indie film's reach, it begs the question. Do projects with a bigger reach refuse to let their characters smoke? That seems to be the case.

A Variety feature piece from 2022 reveals that actors like Jacob Elordi, Colin Farrell, and Emma Stone were denied smoking as their characters by their respective studios. At times, actors want their characters to smoke to stay faithful to the source material. However, studios reportedly do not want to take the risk in this direction.