NETFLIX'S LONG-AWAITED live-action adaptation of the beloved fantasy cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender is finally here, delivering a new take on the tale of Aang, Katara and Sokka's quest to defeat the evil Fire Nation and restore balance to the world.
Fans seem divided on the show so far, and have plenty of thoughts on how this interpretation of the story handles various aspects of world-building and character, with special attention being paid to the dynamics of the Fire Nation royal family, an element of the story which has been brought forward from much later in the original animation's run.
But one thing seems settled, at least: Fire Lord Ozai, as played by Daniel Dae Kim, is just as despicable a villain in live-action as he was in animation, pitting his two children Zuko and Azula against each other and ruthlessly pursuing power and domination over the Earth and Water nations.
And if he looks familiar, that's because the actor playing him, Daniel Dae Kim, has more than likely popped up in at least one of your favorite TV shows.
Daniel Dae Kim has been on TV for 30 years.
Kim began working as a jobbing actor in TV in the '90s, with walk-on appearances in popular shows like Law & Order, All My Children, Beverly Hills 90210, Seinfeld, and Ally McBeal. He went on to secure recurring roles on several early 2000s TV shows, including ER, Angel, 24, Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as guest spots on Charmed, CSI, Without a Trace, and The Shield.
His career then leveled up in 2004 when he took the part of Jin-Soo Kwon in Lost. The puzzle-box drama series about a group of plane crash survivors on a mysterious island became an instant pop culture phenomenon, and the character of Jin, who evolved from a jealous husband to more of a heroic character, proved to be Kim's breakout role.
In fact, it was Kim's performance as Jin that first prompted the writers to delve deeper into what made the reclusive criminal tick.
"From what I understand, it was planned for me to be killed off in season one," Kim told Vulture in 2021."I was not a very sympathetic character, so it would have been easy for me to get killed off without the show missing a beat... I also like to think they didn't think I was so terrible that I didn't deserve to be on the show."
When Lost ended in 2010, Kim took a lead role in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0, playing Chin Ho Kelly for seven seasons (plus crossover appearances in NCIS: Los Angeles and MacGyver) before joining the cast of The Good Doctor as Dr. Jackson Han.
He's been a mainstay on our screens ever since, and in the last five years has appeared in films like Always Be My Maybe, Hellboy, Stowaway and Joy Ride.
He's also a veteran voice actor.
Kim's links to the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender extend way back before the Netflix live-action adaptation. He voiced General Fong in one episode of the original cartoon, and reprised the character in spinoff video game The Burning Earth, then went on to play Asami's father, Hiroshi Sato, in sequel series The Legend of Korra.
His other voice work includes Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and anthology series Star Wars: Visions.
