Justin Chon ’03

Justin Chon

Actor and director

Justin Chon is an actor/director best known for his role as Eric Yorkie in the popular Twilight film series. A Southern California native, he began acting in 2005, two years after he graduated from the USC Marshall School of Business.  Guest-starring roles in such television series as Jack & Bobby and The O.C. led to his breakout part as Peter Wu in the hit Disney Channel film Wendy Wu: Homecoming Princess.

Following the success of the Twilight films, Chon played lead roles in the comedy 21 & Over and the fact-based crime drama Revenge of the Green Dragons (executive produced by Martin Scorsese).

In 2015, Chon co-wrote, directed, executive-produced and headlined the feature film Man Up. He has also directed several digital short films for his YouTube channel, including You’re Stoopid and 90 Day Visa.

Drawing upon his own childhood experiences, Chon wrote, directed and starred in Gook, which tells the story of the friendship between two Korean teens and an African-American girl, against the backdrop of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Gook premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award in the film festival’s NEXT section.

In 2018, Chon received the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. He is currently writing and directing his next film, which is scheduled to start production in late 2018.