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Aaron Yoo

Aaron Yoo

Actor · Born May 12, 1979 (47) · East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Aaron Yoo (born May 12, 1979, in East Brunswick, New Jersey) is a Korean-American actor and writer, the son of Korean immigrant parents. He attended East Brunswick High School, where he played cello and ran track, before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. Originally pursuing writing, he switched to acting after a summer Shakespeare workshop. He is married to actress Fara Homidi (married September 6, 2014). His most recognized film roles include Ronald "Ronnie" Chu in Disturbia (2007, starring Shia LaBeouf), Choi in 21 (2008), and Chad "Chewie" Wong in the Friday the 13th reboot (2009). Other notable film credits include Rocket Science (2007), American Pastime (2007), Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008), The Wackness (2008), Gamer (2009), A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), 10 Years (2012), Money Monster (2016), Killing Gunther (2017), and Wish Dragon (2021, voice role). On television, he is best known as Russell Kwon in The Tomorrow People (2013–2014, 22 episodes), with additional credits in The Blacklist, StartUp, Hawaii Five-0, Goliath, God Friended Me, Evil, and Criminal Minds. In theatre, he performed as Henry in Christopher Chen's The Headlands at Lincoln Center Theater (2020) and in Where Do We Live?.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 12, 1979 (47)
From
East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
31 on Motif · 36 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 65 days to Oct 28Down 2% in 30 days

What are Aaron Yoo's films like?

Across their 14 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 22nd percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Self
30%
Morality
20%
Survival
10%
Power
4%
Society
3%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 6 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 8 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 5
Hero
1 of 5
Trickster
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Dread
5
Thrilling
5
Joyful
4
Romantic
4
Other
15

How their films linger

Unsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Aaron Yoo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 31 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Aaron Yoo's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

36 credits, 31 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Wish Dragon(2021)

    as Pockets (voice)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Evil(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Li Zhang

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • God Friended Me(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Tze

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Killing Gunther(2017)

    as Pak Yong Qi

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Youth in Oregon(2016)

    as Motel Clerk

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Goliath(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Lemmy

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • StartUp(2016)

    Show 11 episodes · as Alex Bell

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Money Monster(2016)

    as Won Joon

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Everything Before Us (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    as Ben

  • Someone Else(2015)

    as Jamie

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Demonic(2015)

    as Donnie

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Mysteries of Laura(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Chris Lee

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Kid Cannabis(2014)

    as Brendan Butler

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • McCanick(2013)

    as Carl

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Tomorrow People (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 22 episodes · as Russell Kwon

  • The Blacklist(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as Bo Chang / The Troll Farmer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • 10 Years(2011)

    as Peter Jung

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • A Flicker in Eternity (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    as Stanley

  • Hawaii Five-0(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Hedeki Tashiro · as Hideki Tashiro

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street(2010)

    as Marcus Yeon (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Gamer(2009)

    as Humanz Dude

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Drop Dead Diva(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Edward Kim

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Labor Pains(2009)

    as Miles

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Good Guy(2009)

    as Steve-O

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Friday the 13th(2009)

    as Chewie

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist(2008)

    as Thom

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Wackness(2008)

    as Justin

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • 21(2008)

    as Choi

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • American Pastime (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    as Lyle Nomura

  • Disturbia(2007)

    as Ronnie

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Rocket Science(2007)

    as Heston

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Bedford Diaries (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 4 episodes · as James Fong

  • Criminal Minds(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Roger Song

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Closer(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as John Park

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Tommy

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • ER(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Kwan Li

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 36 titles from 1994 to 2021; peak year 2008.

Biggest box office

21 (2008)

$160M worldwide

Highest rated

Wish Dragon (2021)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Friday the 13th (2009)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19942021

Peak 2008 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting36 of 36: 36 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score67th

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s14 · acting2010s19 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 17 roles
0712

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Aaron Yoo's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Someone Else (2015)

88th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Blacklist (2013)

Midcredits 87th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Aaron Yoo's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles32–80 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles9–72 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles32–78 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles27–62 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles22–81 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Aaron Yoo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Aaron Yoo's Motif titles; David Morse shares the most, 2.