Pinewood students have been rushing to get tickets for the newly released live-action “Moana 3” — not because of a newfound passion for leis and canoe adventures — but rather because Pinewood’s very own physics teacher, Yong Kim, has been chosen to play the role of Maui.
Though many Pinewood students find themselves shocked at such breaking news, senior Kyle Ma, one of Kim’s AP Physics students, said he always suspected such a possibility.
“To be fair, I always kind of pictured Mr. Kim being able to take on this role because of his energy,” Ma said. “His presence in the classroom is lowkey legendary, so he for sure would have the humor for that role.”
In fact, when interviewed about casting, Disney revealed Kim’s casting to be due to a witty comment he had made while passing by an undercover casting director in the street.
Beyond his personality, another one of Kim’s students, freshman Christiana Chou, said she picked up on Kim’s casting well before the news came out.
“I could literally hear him practicing that one song ‘You’re Welcome’ between classes, and I just knew there had to be a reason bro was doing that,” Chou said. “I even saw him shirtless wearing a grass skirt in his room one day. It was really weird…”
Pinewood students and faculty were not the only ones caught by surprise by this casting. Kim said that he was taken aback by the offer, but he was grateful for every moment.
“I mean, I’m honestly just as shocked as y’all are,” Kim said. “I don’t really have a huge acting background, but this has been so fun.”
Despite the overwhelming support Kim is receiving from the Pinewood community, he says the role has been proving difficult.
“Choreography has been so intense,” Kim said. “Football came in handy for all the tackling scenes, but I’ve been doing a lot more ‘and a 5, 6, 7, 8’ than ‘1, 2, 3 hut!’”
Kim’s casting has also required quite the physical transformation.
“I was so weirded out to see Mr. Kim walk in one random morning with long, luscious hair, two full sleeves of tattoos on his arm, and a brand new 8-pack,” Ma said. “I could barely recognize him, but hey, it kinda suits him!”
If you wish to see such a transformation for yourself, head to theaters this April 1 to watch “Moana 3.”
