Sung Kang has revealed that he wrecked a car while playing Han in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The film introduced Han to the franchise can quickly established him as a fan favorite, largely because of his effortlessly cool persona and skills behind the wheel. However, it sounds like the actor who brought Han to life isn’t quite as naturally gifted when it comes to racing cars.
The main characters of Fast and Furious pull off all manner of ridiculous vehicular feats, but those skills obviously don’t translate to the actors themselves. A combination of stunt drivers, fancy camera work, and special effects – both practical and CGI – is ultimately what brings the stunts of the franchise to life, but that doesn’t mean that the stars don’t ever have to get behind the wheel for real. In fact, the actors of Tokyo Drift were actually taught how to drift on the set of the film, though some of them had more success than others in that department.
In a special Tokyo Drift reunion featurette in the director’s cut of F9: The Fast Saga, Kang, Lucas Black, Bow Wow, and Jason Tobin discussed their time on the original film, including some details about learning to drift and race the cars. As it was Kang’s first time in a Fast and Furious movie, he apparently hadn’t had as much experience behind the wheel in such a fast-paced capacity, leading to a minor car wreck that fortunately ended in a funny way. Read his quote below.
“I remember I slammed one of the 350 or 370Z into the wall. I was really paranoid, I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m going to get kicked out of here,” and I went up to the guy who was handling the cars and he goes, ‘Don’t worry. It’s not your car, you don’t have to pay for it. Just get in another one!”
Kang’s story is particularly ironic given that Han gets into a much more deadly crash himself by the end of Tokyo Drift – a crash in which he was believed to have died prior to the release of F9 and its great soundtrack. Both the character and the actor behind him have been through a lot more in the franchise now, and both ended up walking away from their respective brushes with vehicular danger. Still, it’s a shame about the cars.
With so many of Tokyo Drift’s original stars having returned in F9, some have theorized that a proper sequel could be coming in the future. Fast and Furious will likely be doing more spinoffs going forward, as there are only two more core films planned for the main saga. Han is clearly a popular enough character to lead such a spinoff, and with Justin Lin back at the helm, a set up Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift 2 could turn out great. For now, Fast and Furious fans will just have to cross their fingers.