Randall Park Can’t Believe He Went From ‘Octopus Man’ to ‘Ant-Man’ and ‘Aquaman’ (Exclusive)

This year, Randall Park makes his directorial debut with a passion project, Shortcomings (in theaters today), while also appearing in three superhero blockbusters. After already briefly reprising his fan-favorite role of Jimmy Woo in Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, he'll reportedly play Woo again in The Marvels (out Nov. 10) and will then wrap his heroic 2023 with a return engagement as Dr. Stephen Shin in DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (out Dec. 20). And this all comes exactly 20 years after his first official acting credit as "Octopus Man."

"Oh gosh, I don't know if 'Octopus Man' would've even been able to conceive of this," Park told The Messenger (before the SAG-AFTRA strike) of his ever-busy career. That's especially true considering 'Octopus Man' was just a brief, three-word role as a waiter on Fox's one season and done cop drama Fastlane. And the name 'Octopus Man' was written into the script, despite Park's singular line — which he can still recite by memory — technically being, "Fresh calamari, gentleman?"

"I just needed a job to pay rent," Park recalls of landing the gig opposite Peter Facinelli and Bill Bellamy, the latter of whom he was particularly starstruck by. "That was a huge career moment for me, to get that one line on Fastlane. I remember stepping onto that set and being in awe of all the extras and money they put into the props. I was holding this platter of octopus, like, 'How much did this octopus cost?' And then going to lunch, and being like, 'We can really take as much food as we want?!' Just being so in awe of the Hollywood machine. At that time, just that job alone was it. So, to be able to be here now, I mean, it's just very surreal."

Park didn't immediately go from glorified Fastlane extra to an MCU and DCEU regular. He first became a TV MVP, appearing in hit series like House, ER, CSI, Community, Curb Your Enthusiasm, New Girl, Veep, The Office, and Fresh Off the Boat, the latter of which was his star-making turn. During his six-season run as lovable sitcom dad Louis Huang, Park jumped to the big screen with roles in two huge 2018 superhero titles: Ant-Man and the Wasp, starring as Woo, a professional FBI agent and amateur magician, and Aquaman, playing Shin, a marine biologist obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis.

Woo became a bigger presence in the 2021 limited series WandaVision and later checked in on his former parolee, Scott (Paul Rudd), in Quantumania. While his place in The Marvels is unclear, Park has waited five years to pick back up where the Aquaman mid-credits left him: Rescuing Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who agrees to take the scientist to Atlantis in exchange for help killing Aquaman (Jason Momoa).

Park is a great secret keeper, admitting he'll just lie if pressured. It's a skill that comes in handy when juggling top-secret plot details about multiple superhero franchises, though Park notes, "It's not like I'm playing a different superhero in each one. I'm a civilian, so it's manageable." But he's very honest when it comes to reflecting on what a super last two decades it's been. "I'm just so blown away by how things have unfolded," Park admits, "and really just trying to have fun throughout it all and to stay thankful."

Just call him "Thankful Man."