A bit about me
Early Life
Devin was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. The son of Korean and Italian parents, he was exposed to a wide range of cultures from an early age. This caused him to notice both the similarities and differences between his parental backgrounds. The most exciting difference to him was the cuisine. From his Italian grandmother’s cooking to Korean family dinners, Devin always loved good food. But it was about more than just pleasing his palate; it was a manner of self-expression. It was a way to tell people who you are, where you came from and where you’re going. Cooking became a passion for Devin, and it sparked a running theme in his life: finding art in the everyday.
At three years old, Devin played the Turkey in a school production of Chicken Little. On the night of the performance, he got up on stage in his costume, a plastic wing held together with scotch tape. He stood on his mark, ready to deliver his one line with complete conviction, when he heard a faint tear. The tape on his costume had ripped, and the wing was falling off his shoulder. He looked up at the audience, a sea of teachers and parents watching intently as he clutched the wing with his armpit to keep it up. There was a short pause, which to a three year old under a spotlight felt like an eternity. And then, for one moment, he forgot about the parents, the teachers, the deteriorating costume, and said his line. From that point on, he was hooked.
Wanna hear more, eh?
Training
In high school, Devin balanced theater with another intense commitment, rowing. On a typical day, he would wake up at 5:00 in the morning for practice, have school all day, and then rehearsals until 8:00 at night. Sleep was a luxury not often had. Through it all, however, he learned discipline and resilience, traits he has continued to develop. To cap off his senior year, Devin wrote and directed When We’re Alone, a play to raise money and awareness for youth mental health. His next adventure was waiting for him in America, where he would study drama at NYU Tisch.
Devin’s background showed him the importance of diversity in both life and work. As a result, he did not want to be restricted to one style of acting. Over the course of his undergraduate program, he trained at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute and the Atlantic Acting School. These conservatories taught him vastly different styles, Strasberg more geared towards developing a strong internal life while Atlantic focussed on authentically communicating a story. Drawing from both deepened his craft and gave him more tools as an actor.
Career
Like many others, Devin’s artistic development was challenged by the pandemic. Undaunted, however, he immediately looked for ways to overcome that obstacle. During quarantine, he lived with 16 other drama and film majors in a bubble, shooting more than 20 short films. It was there that he also began developing his film Two-Story House, which he wrote, directed and acted in. The film was shot in January 2022 in collaboration with Panavision. Recently, Devin was a voice actor on the Apple TV+ show Hollywood Con Queen, directed by Chris Smith.
Some artists are focussed on developing the future of their medium, others want to revisit the past. To Devin, the only way to tell a truly unique story is to do both. Instead of looking at what has been done before as a restriction or rule book, he treats it as an inspiration to push further. His favorite artists – from François Truffaut to Kim Jee-woon – all pushed the boundaries of what could be done. It is through being a student of their work that he becomes a creator of his own. In the end, he aims to leave his own personal stamp on the artform.
