‘DIFFICULT’ DECISION

John Cho on why he took Hulu comedy role

OPPOSITES attract in the dating game — but it’s much more fun when equally terrible types hook up.

That’s what happens when John Cho (“Star Trek”) joins the third season of the Hulu sitcom “Difficult People” as abrasive Billy Epstein’s (Billy Eichner) acidic love interest.

The show follows Billy — a struggling New York actor — and his equally bitter comedian friend Julie Kessler (Julie Klausner), who burn every career and personal bridge they encounter. Cho will play Todd, a successful advertising executive who uses Billy’s acting head shot in some unflattering publicservice ads. (Think STD and body image campaigns.) When Billy objects, it starts a war of words and retaliation — and a spark of romance. Cho boils down Todd — and the relationship — in simple terms. “He’s an a--hole,” Cho says, laughing. “They get turned on by each other’s moral depravity.” (The first three episodes of the season will stream Tuesday; Cho’s character first appears in Episode 4, released Aug. 15.) Klausner was impressed by Cho’s ability to balance caustic and kind attributes on a show where “there aren’t a lot of likable people,” she says. “He plays that specific kind of jerk so well — so handsome and charming and smarmy and high-status,” she says. “We knew he’d bring good swagger.” Cho has a solid resume of comedic roles in both film (including “American Pie” and “Harold & Kumar”) and on TV (“Go

On,” “Selfie”). But he worried about the show’s blistering, fast comedy style. “I was scared. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off — so I decided to do it,” says Cho, 45. “They have this heightened reality and it just seemed like a challenge. It was tremendous fun.”

Part of the challenge was Eichner’s intensity as a performer, as witnessed by his other show, “Billy on the

Street,” in which he powerwalks through New York with celebrities (like Lena Dunham, Chris Pratt, Neil Patrick Harris and Lupita Nyong’o) while shouting absurd questions at startled bystanders. Cho says Eichner barely slowed his roll for “Difficult People.”

“It was literally hard keeping pace with him. He’s very tall to begin with, so he has a long stride and is a really fast walker and he accused me of being a slow [Los] Angelino,” Cho says. “Thank God it’s not the Billy Eichner of ‘Billy on the Street.’ I don’t know whether I could have kept up with that.”

The attraction between Todd and Billy explodes when they make out post-argument on the bustling streets of Midtown Manhattan. Cho, a married father of two, has no problem rating Eichner’s PDA skills. “I’ll give him a thumbs up,” he says — but adds that the scene did come with its own logistical problems. “I will say he could use a good shave,” he says. “The thing about kissing men — how do people stand it? “The stubble is maddening.” While Cho is happy for the return to the small screen — he also joins Season 2 of the Fox drama “The Exorcist,” premiering Sept. 29 — he continues to chase film roles. He stars in the indie drama “Columbus,” which premiered last week, and is waiting to hear about a fourth installment in the “Star Trek” franchise, in which he plays helmsman Sulu (a part originated by George Takei in the original 1966-69 TV series).

“I’ve heard whispers but haven’t heard anything solid. We’re missing a crew member now,” he says, alluding to last year’s accidental death of cast member Anton Yelchin. “But nothing would please me more than to get the gang back together.”

“They have this heightened reality and it just seemed like a challenge.” — John Cho talking about his role as Todd opposite Billy Eichner on the new season of “Difficult People.”