Ki Hong Lee Biography

Fast Facts

• Majored in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley
• After his family moved to Los Angeles, he helped them run a restaurant called Tofu Village while still in school
• First got into acting through his church, as he would go on retreats and be tasked with performing skits or making videos, which he loved, but didn't pursue until after college
• Quote: "[on "The Maze Runner"] "You know, it was only when we actually got together as a group and started to build one fire that we actually got to build a huge fire, and we succeeded․ So I think that kind of set the tone for the rest of the shoot․""
• Quote: "[on Asian-American roles in Hollywood] "I consider Minho a hero․ We're still making baby steps, and hopefully this is my contribution to progress․"
• Known for playing Minho, the leader of a pack of powerful runners trapped in a maze in "The Maze Runner․"
• Read "The Maze Runner" after his agent got him an audition for the film adaptation and fell in love with the character Minho
• The first time he met Wes Ball, the director told him that the character he was auditioning for in "The Maze Runner" was the fans' favorite character from the book
• When veterans taught the cast of "The Maze Runner" survival skills, none of the actors could build a fire until they worked together to build one large fire
• Though he was born in South Korea, he grew up in New Zealand and the United States