Rich Ting has the kind of story that appears to be composed of seemingly random threads, separate incidents ranging from his time as a collegiate football player at Yale to his time acting as the menacing, yet tragic character, Bolo on the Bruce Lee inspired Martial Arts epic WARRIOR. That is until you take a step back and witness how those interwoven threads form an amazing tapestry that is his life’s journey.

On a sunny Los Angeles morning, I fought traffic to the doorstep of a Starbucks on La Brea which seemed more like a Cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of caffeine than a pedestrian coffee shop for our interview. Arriving early, I was concerned that I would miss his entrance amongst the spectacle of vaulted ceilings, lavish oak decor laden with bronze accents, and countless patrons scurrying about to get their morning fix. However, Rich was instantly recognizable from his formidable presence and friendly demeanor once he strolled in and exchanged pleasantries with me.

 

Failure Is Not An Option

As Rich reflected on his formative years, he shared some insight into his unique experience. Being an American with both Chinese and Japanese ancestry, one might make assumptions as to what his upbringing was like. But he was quick to point out that as both sides of his family had already established their roots in the U.S. generations before him, so this was no tale of an immigrant’s son. Both of his parents had a strong background and appreciation for athletics which they instilled in their children whether it was Rich’s Martial Arts training or his first love: Football.

“Besides taking your shoes off in the house and having a rice cooker, there wasn’t a lot of Asian culture. I think a lot of families that have those Asian cultural roots in the house, there’s a huge stress towards academics and arts at an early age. With my brothers and I, it was the mentality of my parents saying ‘You’re going to excel in academics and we are not going to waste any extra time on that. You’re going to go to class, you’re going to get your A’s, and you’re going to come home having already done your homework at school so that you can focus on the extracurricular athletic activities.” he noted.

Bear in mind that Rich’s parents were the exact opposite of today’s “participation trophy parents”. Failure was not an option in the Ting household as Rich’s father held all his children to the highest of standards.

“My Dad would say ‘You have no excuse to fail ‘cause you’re the new generation.’ Because my dad was 2nd generation American, he was what you’d call the breakaway generation. He said ‘I’m the one that had to break away, I’m the one that had to establish a lifestyle for you guys to come up in. You have a house, you have clothes, you have food. You have no excuse.’ So if we had a bad game it was never like that’s okay. It was like you have no excuse to have a bad game because the amount of effort he put in to our prepping and training and coaching, there was no excuse.” Rich explained with intense conviction.

This work ethic and uncompromising upbringing would serve him well, leading him to play Collegiate football at the prestigious Yale University while earning his Bachelor’s degree and later, furthering his education by achieving a dual J.D./M.B.A Degree. However, it was the enigmatic presence of one of the most beloved personalities to ever grace the silver screen which would inspire him to pursue a career in acting.

As Rich explains “There was always a plan now that I look back. The dream was to play football, the fantasy was to go in to acting.”

 

The Dragon’s Gate

“At the age of 4, I discovered Bruce Lee. It was never, ‘I want to study Martial Arts’. It was I want to study Martial Arts because of Bruce and replicate what he does on television. I want to do that. I want to be him.” Rich reminisced.

It was with this inspiration that he would enter the world of Martial Arts via his introduction to the style of Tang Soo Do.

Recalling his childhood years training the “Way of the Tang Hand”, he fondly chuckled,

“I just knew I was in a gi. I was punching and kicking and stretching and I was Bruce Lee.”

From this foundation he continued his studies, learning Taekwondo. During his high school years in San Francisco, Rich later learned both Wing Chun (詠春拳) and the trademark system of his idol, Jeet Kune Do (截拳道).

“Having the foundation in Taekwondo which is so structural, mechanical, and technical, I think it was the best thing for me to have a foundation in, in order for me to kind of graduate in to an unorthodox style of street fighting and self-defense.” Rich reflected.

 

Becoming Bolo

Bruce Lee’s martial masterpiece ENTER THE DRAGON (1973) announced not only the arrival of the lead actor’s global stardom but also served as an introduction to arguably two of cinema’s most memorable villains: Mr. Han and Bolo, played by Shek Kin (石荣璋) and Yang Sze (杨斯) respectively. While Han was the devious and diabolical boss, Bolo was the menacing brute with all the brawn.

As a child, Rich was spellbound by the character of Bolo who dispatched his foes with an ease and brutality which was breathtaking in every sense of the word. It would be hard for this impressionable boy to imagine that years later, he would portray an updated version of this same iconic character while adding his own complex performance of humanity to the legend of Bolo. But, this is exactly what happened when Rich was cast on the Cinemax TV series based on the writings of Bruce Lee, WARRIOR.

“Having the opportunity to play Bolo, I don’t know if I’m ever going to have another opportunity that will be that personal to me as far as to what that meant to me and continues to mean to me. Ten years to twenty years from now if someone comes up to me and goes ‘Oh my God! You’re Bolo!’ I will be just as proud and as honored as I am right now. The real Bolo Yeung is someone I’ve looked up to along with Bruce Lee.” Rich expressed with heartfelt gratitude.

When asked about the creative process of his performance he said,

“You know the thing that was really cool with ‘Warrior’ is Shannon Lee, Jonathan Tropper, Justin Lin, Danielle Woodrow, the whole supporting group and staff, they really emphasized that they wanted me to be free with my interpretation of the role of Bolo. They stressed to never imitate or replicate him. They said ‘You be you.’ So I came to the conclusion that I will honor him by showing that he is a full human being. To me, that was a gift.”

WARRIOR is derived from a concept that Bruce Lee wrote for a television series. When I mentioned to Rich that in his own way, he is helping complete his hero’s legacy he responded,

“People have talked about that. But I don’t believe it. ‘Cause to be honest, I always say how it’s so rare for people to have an idol, have a role model who is no longer alive, grow up with his philosophy, his morals, and his aura, and then to be able to contribute and give back to his legacy, I don’t think a lot of people have that opportunity. I always say Bruce Lee is the gift that keeps on giving. He gave to me when I was a kid. He gave to me throughout my adulthood and then this happened.”

Rich Ting with cast members of the Hop Wei Tong on “Warrior” photo courtesy of HBO.

 

The Roles We Play

The entire time talking to Rich Ting was mainly about roles. The roles of ancestry, the roles of family, and the roles an actor depicts on the screen. However, he provided further insight into his view of himself as we finished our conversation regarding the long overdue inclusion of meaningful roles for Asian Americans in Hollywood. I mentioned to him that his work may indeed be a contribution to this cause to which he responded modestly,

“I’m in denial. ‘Cause you know to be honest, I don’t wake up every day and say I’m gonna help break down barriers and these stereotypes. That’s really not me. Why is it not me? It’s because I grew up so American that I don’t have that breakaway generation experience that my parents did for example. So to me, I wake up as Rich and I go about my business. And then it’s sometime during the day, maybe someone says “You’re Asian American.” and I go “Oh yeah, I am!” I’ve been raised color blind and I’m grateful for that. I like you because of you. Not because of anything else.”

 

Full Circle

Rich Ting touched upon his Chinese heritage with his work on WARRIOR and with a role in the upcoming final season of Amazon Prime Video’s THE MAN IN HIGH CASTLE as a Japanese Imperial Captain he is connecting with his Japanese roots. Both shows are set in the past with one taking place during the California Gold Rush and the other in an alternate post World War II America. With this trajectory, it seems that Rich’s roles are catching up from the times of his ancestors to the modern era in which he resides. What is his next chapter? It’s hard to say, but one thing is for certain. It will be another thread woven into the tapestry of his life with a fullness best described as Rich.