Jean Yoon reflects on her career and the success of Kim's Convenience
Originally published on Sept. 3, 2019
Jean Yoon plays one of the most beloved characters on Canadian television: Umma on Kim's Convenience. Now, she's being honoured by the Birks Diamond Tribute to the Year's Women in Film.
The tribute honours Yoon for devoting much of her career to advocating for diversity of roles for women and people of colour on stage, on screen and behind the scenes.
Yoon has been with Kim's Convenience since it started out as a play at the Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto. She explained that she found her love for acting by getting her start on stage. In theatre, she found a community space where she could become an advocate for cultural equity through her art.
The actor, playwright, and behind the scenes advocate joined Tom Power live in the q studio to reflect on the ongoing success of Kim's Convenience, the state of the film and TV industry for women, and why she has been championing diversity on stage and on screen since the 1980s.
— Produced by Cora Nijhawan