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American Morning

Showbiz Today Reports: Rick Yune Discusses 'The Fast and the Furious' Role

Aired June 27, 2001 - 10:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JODI ROSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Imagine working as a trader on Wall Street and moonlighting as a model for designers like Ralph Lauren and Versace. Rick Yune began his career doing just that, and then he gave it all up to become an actor. The gamble paid off. Yune is currently co-staring in the number one film in America, "The Fast and the Furious."

CNN's Lori Blackman met up with this star of tomorrow, and he tells her why talking to his girlfriend about the film was even scarier than making it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LORI BLACKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "The Fast and the Furious" is a film about street racing, friendship, romance and conflict. At the center of this conflict is Johnny Tran. Sitting beside me is the actor who plays Johnny Tran, Rick Yune.

We are here, of course we have to mention, at a BMW showroom.

RICK YUNE, ACTOR: It's true.

BLACKMAN: So you are the bad guy.

YUNE: Well, I like to think that he's a little misunderstood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUNE: I thought we had an agreement: You stay away, I stay away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YUNE: This movie basically is about vice. It's about what we love to do but in the back of our minds we know we're not really supposed to be doing. It's one of these situations where this character, which I love, has embraced both sides of himself, because there is no such thing as an antagonist or a protagonist.

I mean, this is really the second film that I've ever done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUNE: Let's go!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKMAN: This young man here went to one of the top business schools in the country, studied at Wharton. You were a trader on Wall Street.

YUNE: Yes.

BLACKMAN: And then you kind of segued into modeling.

YUNE: Well, you know, see, modeling was kind of an accident. I had to take a year off from school to pay some bills, and when I was away, I kind of met an agent, and it was by circumstance. I mean, at that point, I was looking to do construction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUNE: You took of advantage of the fact that we were gone, Mrs. Heine. You sold the land right out from under us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKMAN: How did you segue into acting?

YUNE: After about 3.5 years on the street, it was a point where I wasn't really fulfilled by what I was doing. And during this whole time, again, you know, I still had an agent and a manager, and one day he called and said do you want to go on this audition? And I went in, and it was for a film called "Snow Falling on Cedars." And five callbacks later, I got the gig, and it was a very surprising situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUNE: This is harder than meeting the parents, to tell you the truth.

LISA LING, TALK SHOW HOST: Is it really? Come on!

YUNE: I have to gain the approval of a nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKMAN: Your girlfriend is, of course, Lisa Ling. So how was it being interviewed by her?

YUNE: My life flashed before my eyes, just like racing one of these cars. The women on the show -- I expected the worst. They were very generous, especially what they're capable of doing. But no, I feel like a lucky man.

Lori Blackman, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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