“Half Korean, half Italian,” says Alex Landi of his ethnic origin.
If you’ve ever watched ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, you’re probably familiar with Alex Landi. Dr. Nico Kim, the series’ first gay male surgeon and the first male surgeon of Asian origin, was played by the outstanding actor.
The 29-year-old actor has a mixed ethnic heritage, describing himself as “half Korean, half Italian.” Nana Landi, his mother, is Korean. Landi’s father, Joseph P. Landi, is an Italian by birth and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was 15 years old.
Alex Landi’s Parents Supported His Acting Career
Landi grew raised in Demarest, New Jersey, where she attended Northern Valley Regional High School and aspired to be a professional tennis player.
His interest in performing began to grow when his parents took him to see Broadway productions a few times when he was very young. As a result, he considered a career in the entertainment industry. However, for a variety of reasons, that decision was novel and difficult to accept for the family. Landi’s parents did not have an acting history, and his father and mother had a cultural divide.
His parents, on the other hand, finally encouraged him to seek a career in acting. Meanwhile, at the University of Delaware, he double-majored in finance and economics. During an interview with Civilian magazine in January 2021, he remarked on his move from business and economics to the theatre, “I just made a complete [180-degree] turn and went to the Lee Strasberg [Theatre and Film Institute] – and here we are now.”
Alex Landi is willing to play any ethnicity in any role.
Landi said in the same interview with the Civilian that he got his major break in the entertainment industry quickly. He sent a self-tape audition for Grey’s Anatomy after deciding to pursue acting, and the producers were immediately impressed.
The actor was shortly summoned to the team’s headquarters in Los Angeles for more trials, which he aced. He was cast as the first gay male surgeon of Asian heritage in the series. Following that, he played Henry Lee in the second season of Netflix’s comedy-drama Insatiable.
When asked if he felt at ease playing Asian characters, he said that he values all cultures because he himself is of mixed ancestry. Later, he stated that he was open to both Asian and Caucasian parts.
“I’m available for the Asian part. I’m also available for the Caucasian role. It all works out fine “he stated
Alex Landi aspires to deconstruct stereotypes.
Landi also stated his thoughts on stereotypical Asian characters on TV and in movies during an interview with Attitude magazine in 2019, saying he wanted to challenge the stereotypes. He claimed that Asian males were not perceived as macho in the media, and that he was working to change that.
He then went on to wonder why an Asian James Bond or an Asian Marvel superhero couldn’t exist. He also aspired to become a Marvel superhero in the future.
We don’t know who he is, but Simu Liu played the Asian superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings this year, fulfilling his ambition to see an Asian actor play an Asian Marvel superhero.
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