Introduction
Aaron Yoo (born May 12, 1979) is a Korean American actor. He is best known for appearing in the films Disturbia (2007), 21 (2008) and Friday the 13th (2009) as well as playing Russell Kwon in the sci-fi series The Tomorrow People (2013–14).
Career
He starred in the 2007 films Disturbia and American Pastime, the 2008 film 21, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Wackness, and Labor Pains, and had a role in the 2009 version of Friday the 13th.
Yoo had his appendix removed shortly before filming of Friday the 13 began, and could not film his scenes right away. As soon as he was ready for filming, the director Marcus Nispel immediately hung him upside down in some rafters, exposing the staples over his surgical wound, for the character's post-death shot.
He co-starred in HBO's Rocket Science, as the protagonist's best friend, Heston.Critic Rory Liston described Heston as "one of the best characters of the decade" and "an awe inspiring display of emotion that reflected the Asian community in America", in 2009, writer and director Jeffrey Blitz was quoted in saying that Heston was based on the critic Liston.
His stage credits include the premiere of Christopher Shinn's Where Do We Live, the anthology production Savage Acts (both 2004), Mac Wellman's Cellophane (2003) and a 2002 revival of Lope de Vega' Fuente Ovejuna.
Personal life
Aaron Yoo was born in Dallas, Texas to Korean parents. He moved from Edison to East Brunswick, New Jersey at the age of 8. He has an older sister. He attended East Brunswick High School where he played cello in the orchestra and ran track until he graduated in 1997. Afterwards, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated in 2001 with a degree in theatre, he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity there.
He is married to Fara Homidi, who works in the fashion industry as a make-up artist. In his spare time, he practices DJ-ing, pole-vaulting and playing the cello. He is fully bilingual in Korean and English.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Things That Go Bump in the Night | Brad | |
| 2006 | Dry Clean Only | Dry Cleaners Clerk | |
| 2007 | Rocket Science | Heston | |
| American Pastime | Lyle Nomura | ||
| Disturbia | Ronald "Ronnie" Chu | ||
| 2008 | The Wackness | Justin | |
| 21 | Choi | ||
| 364 Cranes | Tommy | ||
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist | Thom | ||
| 2009 | Friday the 13th | Chewie | |
| The Good Guy | Steve-O | ||
| Labor Pains | Miles | ||
| Gamer | Humanz Dude | ||
| 2010 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Marcus Yeon | Uncredited |
| 2011 | She Wants Me | Max | |
| 10 Years | Peter Jung | ||
| 2013 | McCanick | Carl | |
| 2014 | Kid Cannabis | Brendan Butler | |
| 2015 | Demonic | Donnie | |
| Someone Else | Jamie | ||
| Everything Before Us | Ben | ||
| 2016 | Money Monster | Won Joon | |
| 2017 | Killing Gunther | Yong |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Ed | Student Ethan | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Tommy | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Cinema AZN | DVD reviewer | Unknown episode(s) |
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Staffer #2 | 1 episode |
| The Bedford Diaries | James Fong | Recurring role | |
| 2008 | ER | Kwan Li | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Drop Dead Diva | Edward Kim | 1 episode |
| 2013–14 | The Tomorrow People | Russell Kwan | Main role |
| 2016-2017 | StartUp | Alex Bell | VC |
| 2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Hideki Tashiro | 2 episodes |