After CBS canceled 2 Broke Girls, what the heck happened to the guy who played Han?
Let's see … mid-flight exorcisms, a talking dog, a little Shakespeare ... The actor formerly
known as Han has been a busy man.
Matthew Moy is a fourth-generation Chinese American.
Yet, early in his career, he refused to be locked into stereotypical Asian roles.
Indeed, he used to turn down offers for voice-over roles where Asian accents were needed.
During an interview with the New York Daily News, Moy explained that at the beginning
of his career, he wanted to do his own thing:
"But then I thought, if someone else is going to do them wrong, why shouldn't I do them
right?
And I'd make money."
His perception changed once he met the team behind 2 Broke Girls and learned the way they
wanted to do comedy.
"Talk to the Han.
Get it?"
Moy confessed during the interview that the producers were not looking for something specific
for the role of the diner manager.
Moy had this to say about the casting process:
"It was down to two of us.
One was tall and skinny.
I'm short and round.
I don't think they had anyone in mind."
But once he was cast, the writers began writing short jokes and adapting the character with
Moy's features in mind.
"I'm a lot like Han.
I'm a lot more reserved but I'm a lot weirder in real life."
Although the show was widely criticized for its controversial jokes, it managed to air
for six seasons.
Unfortunately in 2017, the network announced its cancellation, surprising not only the
fans but the cast of the series as well.
In fact, the show did not get a proper ending, and the cast presumably never imagined that
the final episode of the sixth season would be the last they would film.
Kat Dennings, who played Max, tweeted,
"We are so proud of our time on '2 Broke Girls' and of all the things this experience has
given us, the most treasured is our lifelong friendship."
Jonathan Kite, who portrayed Oleg, also took Twitter to say goodbye, writing,
"Thank you for inviting us into your homes and allowing us to tell our story.
I'm forever grateful and have cherished every moment."
Beth Behrs, who played Caroline Channing on the show, tweeted a GIF of Max and Caroline
hugging each other, accompanied by the word "always."
Matthew Moy also decided to keep his goodbye simple, and he shared a photo of the show's
cast with six black hearts and the hashtags "#EndofAnEra" and "#MuchLove."
Matthew Moy discovered acting when he was a sophomore in high school, but after that,
he didn't get involved in acting for a long period of time.
However, during an interview with Trainwreck'd Society, he confessed that he felt somewhat
lost about what his next step in his career should be after obtaining his degree in Japanese.
It was at that moment his mother suggested that he should pursue voice acting as a serious
career.
Moy told the outlet:
"I moved to LA in 2008 with the intent of being just a voice actor."
But Matthew explained that he wasn't making enough money to sustain himself at the time,
so he decided to diversify his potential income streams and learn on-screen acting as well.
One of his first achievements as a voice-over artist was when he was hired to provide the
voice for Firefly, a character in the game G.I.
Joe: The Rise of Cobra in 2009.
From then on, Moy has been involved in different projects — not only for video games but
also for TV.
After getting his first gig as a voice actor in the video game industry, doors seemed to
open for Matthew Moy.
In 2013, he achieved his next big hit when he was cast to voice Master Yijiro in the
animated television series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.
Moy lent his voice in the sixth episode of the third season, "The Way of the Prawn."
Given his experience, it should come as no surprise that the man behind Han from 2 Broke
Girls was cast as one of the major characters in the animated series Steven Universe.
Moy gave life to Lars, a resident of Beach City.
The show ran for six seasons and led to the film Steven Universe: The Movie, which premiered
in September of 2019.
If Matthew Moy learned anything in his early years in Hollywood, it's that diversification
is important to make it in Los Angeles.
Thus, Moy has not only focused on his career as a voiceover artist and actor, he has also
participated in reality shows as a special guest or contestant.
His first experience on a reality show was in 2016, when the 2 Broke Girls actor was
invited on as a contestant for the popular Cupcake Wars show on Food Network.
So, when he was invited to be a dinner guest on Chef Gordon Ramsay's acclaimed cooking
reality show Hell's Kitchen, Moy was already a little familiar with the dynamics of reality
TV.
Moy appeared in the episode "Stars Heating Up Hell" from Season 17.
During the episode, the contestants needed to prepare signature dishes while they got
only verbal instructions.
Matthew Moy has been doing comedy since the beginning of his career.
"Why is she smiling?
Are my pants on fire again?"
However, in recent years, he has decided to step out of his comfort zone and try out new
film genres.
But as you may have noticed, Moy is the type of actor who avoids being pigeonholed and
is always seeking to push himself to keep exploring.
Still, fans likely weren't expecting to see Moy explore his acting skills in a horror
movie.
Exorcism at 60,000 Feet was Moy's first experience in the horror genre.
The film follows a group of people on the last flight of a transatlantic airliner.
In the middle of the flight, a priest, a rabbi, and part of the airline crew need to perform
an exorcism to save the airplane's passengers.
The movie was released in 2019.
And here's a fun fact: During an interview with HorrorNews.net, Moy stated that the main
reason he decided to do the movie was to get puked on.
The actor told the outlet:
"That's one comedy gag I've never done, and I've had a lot of fluids dumped on me before
(comedically)!"
Moy added that he had always wanted to do a horror movie, as well.
Although Matthew Moy has been involved in different projects over the last decade, his
biggest on-screen success has been his work on 2 Broke Girls.
So, it is not surprising that he continues to refer to that stage of his life.
And even though Moy is not quite active on social media, every so often he likes to share
throwbacks about his time on the sitcom and mention any of his new projects.
In 2020, he announced a contest on Instagram to help small businesses amid the pandemic,
sponsored by the 2 Broke Girls show and The James Beard Foundation.
Apparently, Moy always seeks to get involved with non-profit organizations and try to contribute
to his community.
In the since deleted Instagram video, Moy wrote in the caption:
"Here's a special treat!
Enter our @2brokegirlscbs #OpenForGood sweepstakes."
He then went on to explain to his followers that the winner could earn a few bucks, while
helping the Open For Good campaign that assists the struggling restaurant industry.
Matthew Moy is very proud of his Chinese roots.
So, when the possibility of being part of the animated fantasy film The White Snake:
The Origin arose, he presumably did not hesitate to audition.
Luckily, he was selected to voice the character of Dudou in the English language version of
the film.
As noted by The New York Times, the story centers on Blanca, a white snake-demon, who
loses her memory.
Blanca is able to appear as a human woman, and she finds help from a snake hunter.
But, at some point, she falls in love with him.
The animated movie debuted in 2019.
Moy was so happy to be a part of the film that the 2 Broke Girls actor posted a photo
with the entire cast of the movie on Instagram, writing in the caption:
"Very honored to get to work with these talented voice actors!
The movie is beautiful.
And all our English dub actors are Chinese, for a Chinese film!"
Participating as a producer, actor Matthew Moy worked on the short film Love's Labour's
Lost.
This project from The Shakespeare Workshop focused on the idea of finding yourself in
Shakespeare and making Shakespeare's works accessible and inclusive for everyone, something
that presumably resonates with Moy's values.
What makes it a refreshing film is the subtle way it dealt with current conflicts, such
as the oppression of immigrants and women.
According to its website, the film seeks to show women as:
"[S]trong and capable leaders oppressed by an ingrained ideology."
Moy has promoted the film on Instagram.
In a post, the former 2 Broke Girls star wrote,
"Colleges have used this film now, and we are working to get it into high schools.
Please support this new and inclusive Shakespearean film company as we try to hold the mirror
up to nature!"
Matthew Moy is the type of person who needs to occupy his time with productive things.
For this reason, in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, he decided to start making face
masks and donating them.
This was a way to stay busy and to not lose his mind while he was helping his city during
these uncertain times.
In an Instagram post, Moy explained that he delivered 2,500 face masks with the help of
his friend in Los Angeles, writing,
"I honestly was not sure if the hospitals would accept my mish mash of supplies ... but
the sad honest truth is every single hospital from big to small needed them and well ... they
cried.
[...] A little kindness today goes a long way tomorrow."
The actor, though known for his professional achievements, is a down-to-earth person who
enjoys helping others and having a low-key life away from the typical Hollywood scandals.
Without a doubt, 2020 was a difficult year for many people around the world.
In fact, due to the coronavirus, many people have decided to reconsider their life goals.
But when it came to Matthew Moy, he's been 100% sure about his career decisions.
In June 2020, Moy was interviewed by Emily Tangerine, a popular Chinese content creator.
In the interview, Moy had the opportunity to express his opinion on what the entertainment
industry will be like after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The actor emphasized that he does not know exactly what the future of Hollywood holds,
as many things still seemed uncertain at the time.
But Matthew was sure that he would continue to focus on his career as a voice actor.
Luckily, Moy clarified that voice-over auditions had still been, quote, "going strong."
He shared that he had attended several casting calls for voice-over projects, and he was
focused on making over his own home studio in order to make it, quote, "more professional"
and to achieve better quality in his own projects.
When Matthew Moy was interviewed for Trainwreck'd Society, he was asked what a guy like him
does for fun in his spare time.
After all, the former 2 Broke Girls star seems to never stop moving and is always occupied
with a project.
The actor explained that most of the time you can find him at home — although he also
highlighted that his other passion is painting.
Moy said in the interview:
"Most of the time I am fixing stuff around my house, but I like to draw, go to painting
class, cook, work out, go to spin class, hang out with friends and eat sushi [...] occasionally
I'll travel, but most of the time I like to be at home!
Me time is the best!"
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