Dustin Nguyen

Dustin Nguyen in 2007

Dustin Nguyen (born Nguyễn Xuân Trí, September 17, 1962) is a Vietnamese-American actor, director, writer, and martial artist, who is well known for his roles as Harry Truman Ioki on 21 Jump Street and Johnny Loh on VIP.

Quotes

• One thing that I was aware of was that, whatever I do as an Asian American actor, I should try my best to bring something positive to the image of an Asian American.
  • As quoted in Dustin Nguyen on 'Warrior' Season 2 and the Legacy of '21 Jump Street' (8 January 2021)

• Of course, it’s very nice. Because I’ve done this for a long time and just in life, I’ve learned to live with very little expectation. Then, you’re not let down. The more you expect, the more you’re going to be let down and disappointed. When everything comes together, it’s just a nice bonus. A lot of it has to do with trust because of who these people are. There’s an integrity behind it that I feel is genuine. I trust my own instincts. I saw the passion and the commitment they put into making sure that show is as good as it could be, in a respectful way, to Bruce Lee and the legacy that he left behind.
  • On character expansion in a TV show in Dustin Nguyen on 'Warrior' Season 2 and the Legacy of '21 Jump Street' (8 January 2021)

• I never set out to be an actor. I always knew that I wanted to direct and produce movies. I’m well aware that I was very lucky. My career started out with a bang and I’ve had incredible opportunities to do very good projects and work with wonderful people. I would be lying to say that I wasn’t aware of the success and the fame that it brought me and the cast members of 21 Jump Street. At the height of the show, we literally couldn’t go anywhere. We all enjoyed that, but I had enough sense to know that all of that would be gone, at some point. Nothing lasts forever. So, I continued to keep working in any way that I could, but I never really thought of the trajectory of what kind of career I was going to have, and certainly not where I ended up today.
  • As quoted in Dustin Nguyen on 'Warrior' Season 2 and the Legacy of '21 Jump Street' (8 January 2021)