Special thanks to Chris Lyon! : instagram.com/chrislyonsf/?hl=en If you enjoyed this video check out our Itaewon Class Deep Dive video where I talk in depth about many aspects in the drama : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OutGsIwEg5o.html Also for more content like [Tea Time with David] please support us at : www.patreon.com/dkdktv
Hi David (dkdktv ?). I want to thank you for always giving us good content and content that we didn’t even know we needed! I know you guys are already working your butt off with the editing and stuff. But, if you have time, at some point it would be nice if that video had korean subs. I think people in Korea genuinely loved that drama and the characters so they would be interested in your video. Moreover, I find that interviews in Korea with black people always seem to shape (?) them in a certain way and make them have to say some stereotypical stuff. Your interview is great and it actually shows Chris’ individuality. It would be so great if korean people could fully understand this video. All love from Canada
my sister and i watched Itaewon class because of V song and also for me because of Park seo jun but for my sis because of Kim Toni character. I like how he described himself. thank you for this interview.
I mostly watched Itaewon Class bc I was surprised to see a black character in a main kdrama role! I was so happy. Not only was he not in a stereotypical role, but they addressed the social struggles black people face, he had supportive friends and he was so adorable. He seems super nice too! Props to him for making Toni such an enjoyable character
that scene when everyone had a pikachu face when there were english customers🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. Everyone was like do your thing Toni. But nope he is french😊😂😂💀💀
He just gives out positive vibe thats it.Like the way he talks and smiles all the time is just so healing to watch. Loved him as much as I loved him in the drama!!!
I felt the same way. His smile is infectious. I'm looking forward to seeing more work from him. I hope DKDKTV keeps us informed on whatever project he gets into next.
As a blasian , I can identify myself in Kim Tony . Like not being black enough , not Asian enough , I'm half Korean and half French (martiniquese) and it is hard to be accepted by both communities. But I was proud to see how Chris handled the role . Thank you a lot for your work ❤
@@rajvipatel3411 I hope people are more like you. At the end of the day, there are still many people who doesn't care about our looks and are really nice. Thanks to you all.
He is the reason I wanted to watch Itaewon Class in the first place. I already have so many shows in my queue, so I was just gonna ignore it or set it aside for a later date, but I was like “ Oh, is that a black guy? Lemme go watch this right now.”
Ambi Dextrose For Korea, that is intense progress. I saw my grandmother for the first time in thirteen years, and the first thing she said to my mom was, “why do your kids look black,” in Korean. I’m just a slightly tan Korean.
I've been watching Korean dramas for many years, believe me when I say, this is the most developed foreign character I've ever seen. I think it's progress in the right direction. I'd like to say kudos to JTBC for this one.
I felt Toni's role got held back a lil, like sometimes he was 'forgotten' and I realised this while watching but especially now that I've heard Chris Lyon talking and being the bubbly person he is, it somehow felt like I 'missed' him. Like I missed seeing him on screen. But still we can't forget about the progress SKorea is making and good job, Chris!
True he started somewhat important but then got turned into a true side story character, but we also have to remember that Itaewon Class is based on a webtoon (comic). Toni was NOT a character in the webtoon, so he was added for the show. With only 16 episodes, it's really hard to fit in a character and a whole backstory, but I'm glad that they gave us Toni and actually know his story. They probably had to cram the webtoon story for the last few episodes so they couldn't continue adding to Toni, which makes sense.
kruton93 yeah! that’s probably a reason why. Im still happy we get to see South Korea jump on the bandwagon to more diversity and openness. Even if it means starting again with minorities having tiny (but not unimportant) roles. :)
I think so. Especially in the last 3 episodes, after 4 years, they rarely show toni's character in the drama. Only show him in the last episode, when it's around the ending.
@@manarmrabet771 but I wonder if there are even many non Koreans who are fluent enough in Korean to have more significant roles and working as an actor in Korea In the first place to see many more roles such as these. It was in 2005 when I came to America from Korea, but before then when I was living in Korea, and when I went back to visit in 2015, I never saw foreigners in Korea . In 2015, there were few that I saw in more touristy places like amusement parks. It seems so amazing to see an African American guy speaking Korean well enough to have a significant role in a drama. I’ve heard itaewon is now crowded with foreigners now as well. Korea has certainly changed a lot
I really loved him in the drama. Most Korean dramas cast blacks in a styreotyped way that always make me angry to continue watching the drama but this time, it was different. His role added to the fact that I really liked the drama. I hope Koreans continue this open minded attitudes.
I loved him too. He was very touching. Not the stereotypical "tough" black guy, but a sensitive candid one who cries when people mistreat him, who is hardworking and diligent, and loyal to his friends. Great character.
Recently I have seen a bunch of new dramas hinting gay stuff more and more, so I am hoping that we will also get a drama with gay main characters eventually.
So fuck the fact that someone died, two people got kidnapped, someone also died and a socially inept girl actually felt emotion for almost every main character??? 🥲
@@anushajha07 never said that. 1., I was pointing out that there were lots of sad scenes. 2., I never said all at the same time. I said different scenes. He said that it was the only thing that made him cry. I never said it was a bad thing either.
Wow thats dope that you guys got an interview with the Man himself!! His singing voice in the last episode was amazing PS: THANKS for so many likes. Wowowow this is my first time getting so many likes!!
@@tegardpp hey i searched it online and cudnt find anything so maybe its a self composed unreleased song. Since Chris is a music PD also. But it Kinda sounds like a remix of I Decide by Heritage.
Loona Velvet on IC tony can’t speak English at all because is French/Korean, so in order to stay in DanBam (단밤) he has to learn english. BUUUUT the truth is the actor who is playing Tony is American vos he CAN speak English, hope you understood 🙏🏻
Honestly “Itaewon class” was one of the best KDRAMAS out there. it has everything political views , corruption, sexism, racism, LGTBQ , age gap, betrayal, dirty money, selflessness and selfishness. I stopped watching kdramas after “scarlet heart Ryeo”, because i was just so attached to the series and actors, and i had a major drawback. So i literally couldn’t get into staying committed to one drama and watching the whole series. I always left half way of the series. When i saw Itaewon class I honestly felt that this was the drama for me to get into kdramas again. Every episode was action packed and breath taking. I legit binged watched the whole series in 2 days. I would love to see another Korean drama. Talk about actual social issues and real life problems. I commend the production team, and the actors and actresses, honestly i was blown away. The lovable characters were loved so much. And the hateful characters were so hated. And that is one of the main points that made me watch this drama. It has a character that represent everyone in real life. You could relate to them and think what you would’ve done in their situations. I think deciding to watch this drama was the best thing. Now i am watching another drama, hopefully i can really get back into the kdramas scene and actually do get through my drama list.
comigo aconteceu a mesma coisa, depois de scarlet heart Ryeo eu nunca mais encontrei nada que me deixasse satisfeita, mas com IC eu consegui voltar a assistir kdramas inteiro. Tenho varios dramas que parei na metade pois perdi o interesse.
You would definitely love another korean drama called “Sky Castle”, it became one of the highest rated korean dramas ever and it was praised for addressing the social issues of Korean youth.
As much as I love Park Seo Jun, I was way more excited to see Chris Lyon as a main actor in Itaewon Class. Being black, and loving Asian dramas because of the amazing plots and cinematography, I was ecstatic!! I started watching for him and to support his character but the show ended up being so good!! It's definitely one of my favorite dramas now. Great job Chris Lyon, and to the rest of the cast and crew.
david is right he's one of the reasons i decided to give itaewon class a watch because seeing a foreigner and a african American male in a significant role for a k drama was shocking for me so i just had to watch and support as a fellow African American
I wish Toni and Hyeon-Yi had more screen time. Their arch’s eventually ended well but they just felt under-utilised compared to the other characters - and it felt like they were only used to talk about racism and trans issues. 🤷🏾♀️ these two were the biggest reasons why I even watched the show in the first place.
I feel the same way, it's as if they're only 'used' for the others' character development. They don't have much of a personality as well. It's too bad 😕
Chris: *describes himself with the word quiet* Also Chris: *Talks about peeling apples for ten minutes straight* hahah I love him! He is so cool and comfortable to talk to. I can't wait for his next projects
Seeing Chris’s character in a Korean show was actually the initial reason i decided to watch it. i’m really grateful that a good person like him is able to represent not just foreigners in Korea but also black folks. happy for him and all the success from the drama :) !
It was my reason for watching too!! But his character goes even deeper than that. He is actually not representing black foreigners in korean. He is representing mixed ethnicity Koreans who happen to be discriminated as they were foreigners, especially is they are or darker skin tones.
I decided to watch it because someone said there was a trans character in the main cast. What made me watch it sooner was the mention of Toni, a gay side character, and most importantly A GOOD STORY.
S C youre completely right about his character, but i was actually referring to just chris ! since we don’t see hardly any foreigners let alone black foreigners in Korean media, it was quite refreshing to see someone that looks like me in a show like that :)
@@jabamiyumeko3320 you do know that he's just quoting Chris's line from the drama right? And how is putting eu at the end of a sentence is racist and yellow face? Just asking
@@jabamiyumeko3320 I'm pretty sure it isn't yellow face or racist. Not saying that people should do it, but most people usually like the accent and do that to show their love.
I litterally saw the character Kim Toni in the previews of the show and started watching it just cuz there was a character that looked like me in the show. Someone who story and experience is similar to mines. I stayed for the plot of the entire series, but representation really does matter and attracts.
Seeing Chris portrayed on the trailer, alluding to how he had a significant role was the main reason I decided to give Itaewon Class a try. After Hyunmin (Korean-African model), I wondered to what extent South Korea was willing to go with portraying people of color on screen. Imagine my surprise when the show actually raised the issue identity and racism in SK. Living in Japan, I hear a lot from my half friends or Japanese-American friends who are always frustrated when their nationality/identity is questioned. I hope this show can be an eye-opener not only in SK but East Asia as whole. Thank you, Chris!
Zhafira Aqyla np! Thank you for not getting offended, which wasn’t my intention. Saying colored people is regarded as a highly offensive racial slur. I know you didn’t mean it that way (I hope) which is why I corrected you so you knew and no one else would be offended I’m any way❤️
Just hearing him talking like this is making me wish we were friends 😭 He’s too adorableee and has so much energy 😭 I can’t stop smiling Please invite him back one day 😭
The reasons why i decided to watch this drama are (in order): 1: black main character 2: Park Seo Jun 3: netflix produced And I was definitely not disappointed! Thank you Chris you are amazing xx
As a black guy who lived in Japan for 13 years, and visited Seoul about 4 times a year for the last 8, seeing him on the ads for Itaewon Class made me watch the show. That, and Itaewon is usually stop #1 for my night's out in Seoul. I definitely experienced what he did as far as being straight up told I couldn't go to a club because I was black. I had it again at a club in Gangnam as well. For what it is worth, 100% of my Korean friends, whether they were there or not, were disgusted by this, and were ready to go to war for me because of it. I love them for that! I only ever saw this in Korea, and I am quite well traveled, but I didn't let it even tarnish my view of Seoul, which is one of my places in the world, where I was looking for work before all of this started happening in the world. Great interview, and very insightful! Good to see the boys were out drinking until the AM! I know that feeling all too well!
If you want to experience discrimination at night clubs, come to Germany! If you are not looking "German" you will have a hard time getting in most clubs (not all of course)
@David Kim I understand what you're trying to say, but I don't think that's the same thing. Kicking people out because they are acting a certain way is completely different than not being able to enter at all because of your race. If a person is labeled as black before they even get the chance to make an impression, then they are not even taking how that person would act into consideration, which in essence is racism.
I watched Itaewon Class because of Chris, it was so cool seeing a black actor in a main role in a korean drama! Like when does that ever happen? Never! I hope we can start to see many more foreign actors in korean dramas soon, by Chris being in Itaewon Class it’s a really big step! I’m all for foreign actors and idols in korean entertainment industry, I don’t get why some people aren’t? I think it’s great to see diversity on the TV screen, representation is important anywhere and everywhere! Like Chris said it helps the way young kids of any ethnicity are shaped when they see someone that looks like them up on the screen. It helps them know that their dreams are possible! People wanna argue about how kpop and korean should only be for Asians but when they say that they don’t have in mind the actual people who aren’t asian growing up in a country like Korea. That’s why I’m all for anyone going to pursue such a career like kpop idol or korean acting. It helps diversify the media over there and helps break stereotypes that some people may have there about certain ethnicity or culture. Korea and Asia doesn’t have diversity like western countries which is why some peoples favorite idols are so ignorant to racial and cultural issues outside of Korea and Asia and then fans wonder why they’re favs are constantly making the same mistakes regarding such issues...”oh oppa didn’t know so it’s not his fault!”....” they have the world’s fastest internet, there’s no excuse!” If there was more diversity and foreign idols these mistakes would happen less often. 🤓
It's funny that Westerners argue Asian countries lack diversity and that's why they are racist, as if that was the confirmed theory (multiethnic society aka Europe, America = openness, advancement / homogeneous society = racism, bias ) But look at yourself, honey. How many Korean actors or singers are active in your fucking superior multicultural country? Why do Korean tourists always experience racism in your country? In which country's media represent Koreans enough? Would you Name it please? Your amazing, superior multicultural society do not represent Koreans. Why do you always spread this "homogeneous = racism" frame as if that was valid?
@@yeonliim751 yeah your right, we need to fix our problems in our own country first before we move on to the rest of the world. But its always nice too people like Chris Lyon or any other person from another culture bring us hope for all of us to get along and represent us. Hopefully one day the word racism will be banished from this world forever
I started watching Itaewon Class because of Park Seo Joon (loved him since I first watched Hwarang,) but seeing the Toni character and having a representation for not just foreign persons as well as transgender people in Korea, it was what really drew me closer to it. Side Note: There is a large Korean-american community in my state of North Carolina! Knowing Chris is from Tennessee is kind of a score for me personally lol!
@@jemabarrios4633 You meant the Community I'm sorry. That's near Greensboro I think. There is or was a Korean market south of the Raleigh/Durham area but I don't remember exactly where.
From a screenwriter's point of view, A black man in a Korean show it's a good strategy -- it's different from all other kdramas and it represents its title name, Itaewon. His character, though, is a little downplayed when he could have added a little bit more color/depth but I dunno, maybe it's 1. Korea's culture (correct me if I'm wrong) 2. The writer was pressed for time.
Oh I felt the same .too..after all it's about itaewon from the title ..I think the writer was trying to keep on with the story and then touching all the major issues about the society ...I want to see little bit more of him..still it's a good drama
honestly i literally decided to watch this drama bc of chris. as a colored person i felt really represented by him. i'm very grateful for everyone involved.
Literally, the only reason why I started it was because I wanted to see how a black guy fit into the world of this show set in Korea. This is a solid video!
tkscenery I think it was to show that he doesn’t change his life style through out the story line. Like he already had his whole life plan kinda planned out while he was in prison.
To be honest, I felt it as if, they had different haircuts as they all changed throughout the drama. but Saeroyi stayed the same throughout the years, his personality, his beliefs, etc.
The part where Saeroyi hands over the paperwork of Toni's visa extension is really touching. And how others acknowledge that it is hard for foreigners to be able to live in Korea. Thanks to IC to portray that.
As I’m watching this it just dawned on me why Am liking David interviews ,he’s not out to humiliate ,he’s not there to make fun of his guess and he has very good questions, I don’t like to watch Korean interviews, I realize they have a different culture, I just don’t like to see interviewers overstepping their boundaries towards the person they are interviewing , they are hard to watch & it’s not funny says the foreigner from another country😁👍
I think Chris Lyon was so apt in playing kim Toni. Like we basically got a brief outlook of the racism that exists in Korea through his performance and I'm sure that it must have been an eye opener for a few Koreans as well. Hats off to the the ic team for coming up with such a character.
as someone who's just starting to learn about Korean culture and language, it's very important to me to see a character such as Toni in a k-drama. Itaewon class approached gender and race in a very delicated and poetic way. I loved the construction of the narrative.
I cried so much when he realised the old lady was his grandma and his dad had died. So much to unpack in that scene about lost opportunities, and how prejudice destroy families. Also I cried when Hyun Yi said "I'm a diamond!". I was like, YES GIRL!!
This is better than most of BTS interviews wth!!! The questions are good, worth it and some of them are real fans questions!! also Chris himself seems like feeling comfortable enough to talk about apples for 10min straight lol
I really loved this interview. Chris seems so humble & the conversation didn’t shy away from the controversy that can surround typically ‘different’ characters. I think Toni’s storyline was fantastic and the way Royi stood up for him was iconic for Korea. Also love the addition of a trans character who actually had depth and wasn’t just included to tick a box. Fantastic show all in all. I loved it, inspiring.
David: So what do you- Chris: SLEEP lol No, but seriously... this was such a nice interview. Chris is such a nice guy that deserves all the recognition he's receiving for this amazing roll. Thank you so much for sharing!
My inner blackness is freaking out 😆😆😆. It so amazing seeing a black person speak Korean well and also act in Korean. We have truly come a long way✊🏾✊🏿
As a black person i am so proud to see you playing in Itaewon class, im so happy for you Bro, congratulations to speaking korean like a korean themselves
It was also risky to cast him in the show because of what he looks like. Let’s be honest. Discrimination on this basis, doesn’t just lie in the U.S.. 🤷🏾♀️
Discrimination in Asian countries is different and pretty complicated. They don’t just discriminate those with a different skin colour but also other Asians who are not from the same Asian country as them. Being different on any level is seen as a reason to be discriminated.
I had the same reaction when he spoke korean.. first i was like “Oh, A black guy” then he spoke and i was like “AND HE SPEAKS KOREAN!”.. he made it more interesting to actually see some like me (african american) be on the front line. Now i see i have a chance and a chance of being accepted in going the entertainment route once my brain accepts that im learning korean whether it likes it or not lol
"A lot of people are annoyed at her...until the end." Really? I think it's the opposite. 😅 I watched Itaewon Class exactly because of her character. It's not the usual woman lead role you watch on KDrama.
True normally i would watch a kdrama mainly because of the actors and I'm a fan of Park Seo Joon.. But it was actually the female lead who got me interested in watching the kdrama. She is such a badass and only a sweetheart to her lover
@@venillapalaniandy2712 she is such a badass in The Witch. I was watching her in Itaewon Class and got so magnetized by her nonchalant look. I really don't know how to explain it well so when I watched her film, I knew that Dami is a beast when it comes to acting.
I really enjoyed watching her. If I met someone like Yi Seo irl I'd probably love hate them. Like who you are bold and I love that but you could also try being a nicer person. She was very unique.
in real life, whether a sociopath or not, it's so easy to dismiss people like Yiseo. you just ignore them and go on with your life. she could "try" to be nice but that is exactly the reason why i like her character, she does NOT try to be nice so people can like her. it's like saying "this is who i am, accept me or not but i will try to live my life!"
I was so surprised to see a black guy in a kdrama, i'm a black girl and i was watching itaewon with my mom and we were both so shoked that there was actually a black character in a kdrama (my mom and i always watch kdramas). We really enjoyed watching the series, we're still crying how good the series was and decided that iteawon class is our favorite kdrama. 🙌🏾🏆
I love Chris's character on the show and now after watching this and seeing his personality, I love him even more. It's nice to see an American celebrity who us as humble as he is. It's like he really fits into the Korean Culture.
Chris seems such a chill person and definitely a person I'd love to befriend and have stupid conversations with hahaha but I'm thoroughly amazed by his character in Itaewon Class. I got so hyped when he finally came in that one episode and that we would soon get to know his background :) As a person who's been learning Korean for 4 years, he definitely makes me want to work twice as hard. Thanks for this video David and thank you for having the opportunity to get him in this
DKDKTV Omg my bad man 😂😭 While I was commenting midway through, I got a message from my friend Daniel and accidentally typed it in instead lmao I have this weird habit of doing things like this so I’m sorry 😅😭
I considered myself a very picky kind of person when it comes to watching a drama or a movie. I cannot stick to even one episode for long before I would just check out something else. But the first episode really caught my attention so much that I cannot stop watching. Something about the way the dialogues went, the story of Park Saeroyi and how his dad got killed. The story line was so captivating. The lines were very poetic. There was almost never a dull or repeatative moment. Everything was so fresh and so unpreditable. I kept wondering what’s going to happen next. If I can predict something, I will switch off immediately. But not with this one. Although I know for sure that the hero is going to get his revenge, but how he is going to get there was so mysterious. With Toni in the story was definitely another mystery as well. I was like asking, what’s he doing there. Wat’s his role. so that was nice. I think what made this story stood out was the storyline, the amazing acting skills of everyone, the scenes editing, etc, everything was just perfect. I actually enjoyed watching the bad guys actings. They were so convincing. Their facial expressions, tone of voice, execution of lines. Very good. I like the flow of this interview. Well done, guys.
I love how he looks like an average black guy. It makes him seem more relatable to the viewers. I really wonder how black people living in Korea feel about this drama.
I love his vibe. He's just so chilled and friendly and warm. I wanna be friends with him. Loved his performance in Itaewon class. ❤️ Expecting more representation in kdramas
I have seen people talk about this drama so much, but I haven't had any interest in it until now. I really like his personality, I get happy just by looking at him. 😅 the transgender role in a korean series sounded really intresting as well... will DEFINITELY watch this now!
@@mikeyjaynes92 This is debatable. IMO, it made sense to me that the role of a transgender woman was played by a woman. Ideally, the role should be played by a transgender woman but I think it's hard to find one who happens to be an actress, and a good one at that. But if you're suggesting it should be played by a man acting as a woman, I'd rather the role be played by an actual woman in order to respect that transgender women should be considered as women.
when the protagonist just keeps saying he loves the girl who is working on the company that killed his father. she keeps telling she cant choose the side. i was very turned off by that. i would have loved the show more if there was no romance whatsoever and simply focused on revenge and their journey to become number 1 brand . strictly my opinion.
I agree, I didn’t like the “romance” between saeroyi and soo ah, but I really enjoyed saeroyi and yiseo. I don’t think the show would have worked if there wasn’t romance. One of the main reason danbam grew popularity was because of yiseo management and she only worked there because she loved saeroyi.
Me tooo. I hated the girl 😂😂😂 it made me want to stop watching but I am glad I didnt some scenes made me laugh very loud like some of the bromance scene in Goblin. Like how everyone was shocked that there were english customers but Toni didnt speak it. Even I was like Toni do your thing 😂😂😂🤣 but he was french😂😂🤣😋
It’d be so boring without romance tbh. especially since Soo-ah’s arch is about betraying a friend she loved whose own father was like a father to herself.
I don't think the show was about revenge or romance actually. It was about finding your people, the ones who'll accept you for who you are no matter what and will help you grow into your own person. Even if they don't love you back romantically, even if they're different, even if they've hurt you sometimes, even if they don't really get you, or can get on your nerves sometimes. Both the revenge and romance plots (and most plots actually like Toni forgiving his grandma or Yiseo learning to have empathy for others) were in the end about showing that you can change and choose the life you want to live with the people you love and who love you.
@@lizbeth51100 Yi seo saved that entire show.Soo ah just doesn't make sense like she refuses to like him for 10 plus years and works for a guy who is trying to destroy Saeroyis life hated her
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