Harry Shum Jr recalls how his dance steps gave him big break
LOS ANGELES: Harry Shum Jr has recalled how he struggled to gain a footing in showbiz before making it through his dance steps.
Born in Costa Rica to Chinese immigrant parents, the actor moved to San Francisco, then Grover Beach—“a town no one really knows”—when he was nine, and immediately began working at his parents’ Chinese restaurant.
Growing up, he was learning English, struggling to make friends, and had trouble finding his footing—until he literally found it through dance. He moved to Los Angeles and scored a gig as a backup dancer for Beyoncé. Then came Glee and Shadowhunters. Then came Crazy Rich Asians. And here we are.
Recalled Shum: “My dad always taught me to take small steps. And I’m okay with that, because I want longevity with this. I don’t want to just be burnt out in the beginning.”
Shum, 36, moved to L.A. on a whim fresh out of high school. He spent the first week dancing eight hours every single day, and immediately landed his first tour with pop singer Kasi. Choreographer Jamal Sims, who worked on the Step Up movies, saw him in class and asked him to go on the road. “I probably would have done it for free if they didn’t say they were going to pay me,” Shum quipped with a shrug.
Then came the call that would change anyone’s life. “I was eating dinner and they were like, ‘We’re interested in you going on tour with Beyoncé.’ I just ran as quick as possible and auditioned in front of Beyoncé to make sure she approved, which she did. It was crazy.” He still remembers the entire choreography to Naughty Girl and Baby Boy. “They just sit in my brain. The songs you love, they’re just in you forever.”
Between various tours, Harry leapt onto the screen, performing in Step Up 2 and Apple commercials. One day, his then girlfriend Shelby Rabara— she’s now his wife—shot a television pilot. “She came home saying, ‘This is a really good show. I had so much fun, there’s something about it that fulfils me as an artist.’ And I was like, ‘That sounds awesome, what is it?’” The name of the show was Glee.