John Cho spent decades being the funny guy, the sidekick, the guy who chants one line in a teen comedy. Now, at 54, he is wearing a cowboy hat, a gold grill, and carrying a machine gun as a fanatical Christian pastor in “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.” The film hit theaters on September 25, 2026, and it gives Cho the kind of dark, complex role he has been chasing his entire career.
The movie stars two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as Latif, a Muslim hitman in Houston, Texas, who goes on the run with his three kids after his wife dies. His path collides with Pastor Hwan, played by Cho, who leads a heavily armed congregation that has declared war on adult content. Directed by Bassam Tariq, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2026, before landing in theaters across the United States.
A Pastor Who Believes Every Word He Says
Cho did not want to play Pastor Hwan as a joke. In a long interview with Variety, he explained that he needed to understand why this man does what he does.
“I wanted to play him like he really believes his own words and his followers believe what he’s saying,” Cho said. “Ardent faith can result in good things and bad outcomes as well, and that’s where I found commonality.”
That understanding came partly from Cho’s own childhood. His father was a minister in the Church of Christ, a strict denomination that performs music without instruments. Cho grew up going to church after his family immigrated from Korea to Houston when he was six years old. That background made it natural for him to sing a hymn a cappella in one of the film’s most striking scenes — while holding a machine gun.
“I think it was my upbringing where I could walk right into that and say, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ I got plopped right in!” Cho told Variety.
He also pushed back against the idea that the film is making fun of people of faith. “We’re not making fun of Pastor Hwan, correct?” Cho recalled asking Tariq early on. He wanted to make sure the character came from a place of genuine belief, not mockery.
From MILF Guy #2 to Leading Man
Cho’s career has been anything but a straight line. He first became recognizable as “MILF Guy #2” in American Pie, a role that led to strangers shouting at him on the street for years. He followed that with parts in Down to Earth, Better Luck Tomorrow, and the cult classic Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. He played Hikaru Sulu in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films and became the first Asian American actor to lead a Hollywood thriller with 2018’s Searching.
But getting there was not easy. Cho described a humiliating early role on The Jeff Foxworthy Show, where he played a Chinese delivery boy with a Southern accent. The audience laughed, and he felt something shift inside him.
“I remember standing there and seeing everyone laugh and thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this. This is not worth it, whatever I’m getting paid,’” Cho said. “I didn’t like that laugh.”
He started turning down auditions that felt like stereotypes. He also spoke about the lack of what he calls “cinematic vocabulary” for Asian American actors — a shortage of reference points that made it hard to imagine bigger roles.
“It felt very lonesome at times,” Cho said. “It doesn’t feel as lonesome anymore.”
Speaking Up About Representation
Cho has never been shy about calling out Hollywood’s habits. In 2015, he tweeted: “Stop turning Asian roles white. It’s bullshit and we all know it.” That was around the time Scarlett Johansson was cast in Ghost in the Shell, a decision that sparked widespread criticism.
When asked about that tweet, Cho explained his frustration simply: “I have three ribs on my plate, and now I have two ribs, and now I have one rib. It felt like that.”
The next year, the #StarringJohnCho campaign went viral, with fans photoshopping his face onto major movie posters to highlight the absence of Asian American leads. Cho had mixed feelings about it.
“I admired it, but I was also embarrassed about it to some degree,” he said. “It felt like I was taking an ad out in Variety!”
He did acknowledge one positive outcome. Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians, told Cho that the viral campaign inspired him to adapt the book into a film. “For that single reason it was worth it,” Cho said.
The Role He Never Got to Play
Before Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, Cho had never played a full villain. He came close once on The Exorcist TV series, where he played a possessed character, but that was different.
“This is not what people would expect from me, so it makes it all the more special,” Cho said. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to play anything, even in this neighborhood, really. So to get a chance like that, well into your career, I just can’t believe it.”
He prepared intensely. He and Ali rehearsed together with Tariq, talking through their characters’ motivations. Cho said he had to believe he was a soldier capable of killing before he could carry himself like one on screen.
“Sometimes it felt like [Ali] was using a sword with one arm, shooting a gun with the other, and kicking somebody in the face with his leg,” Cho said about the fight scenes. “It was just making sure we were in sync and not punching each other accidentally.”
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What He Says About Harold & Kumar 4
Fans of the stoner comedy franchise have been waiting years for another installment. Cho confirmed that “Harold & Kumar 4” is “allegedly gestating” with him and Kal Penn.
“We’re older and if we do this, I think it would be really interesting because I can’t believe how many fundamental things have changed in the time we’ve done these movies,” Cho said. “The headliner is that weed is legal.”
The Quentin Tarantino Star Trek That Never Happened
Cho also opened up about the Star Trek movie Quentin Tarantino once pitched. Based on the original series episode “A Piece of the Action,” which takes place on a 1920s gangster planet, Tarantino reportedly described it as “Pulp Fiction in space.”
“I’m actually entering a deep depression right now that it didn’t happen,” Cho said. “I just wanted to make a Quentin Tarantino movie. That would have been a dream.”
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Where to Watch Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” is now playing in select theaters in the United States, with a wider rollout in October 2026. The film opens in UK theaters on October 9, 2026, and will expand to more international markets throughout the month. Amazon MGM Studios is distributing the film. It runs 1 hour and 51 minutes and is rated R for strong violence and language.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on John Cho, Mahershala Ali, and the latest in Hollywood entertainment news.
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