Daniel Dae Kim Says an Asian Actor Wouldn't Have Been Cast as 'Hot Zone: Anthrax' Lead 10 Years Ago

“If this show were being made 10 years ago, I could guarantee you that a face like mine, wouldn’t be the FBI agent leading this investigation,” he says in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. “To me, that’s a real sign of progress.”

The actor plays Special Agent Matthew Ryker. “He is an FBI agent who tracks down the culprit of these attacks,” says Kim. “My character is a fictional one that is an amalgam of different people who actually worked the investigation.”

For more from Daniel Dae Kim, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.

Yuri Hasegawa

Peter Stranks/National Geographic

AfterLost, Kim starred as Detective Chin Ho Kelly onHawaii Five-Ofor seven seasons before leaving in 2017 amid a reported salary dispute. Since then, Kim has branched out into producing, adapting a Korean drama into the ABC showThe Good Doctor.

“If I can be a job creator and cast my shows in the way that I see the world and make those casts more diverse as a result, then I should do that, too,” he says. “I’m thankful that people have let me do it. And it is nice to be a job creator as opposed to someone who’s waiting on others to hire them.”

Kim says his wife Mia has been key to his success.

The Hot Zone: Anthraxpremieres Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. ET on Nat Geo and will stream on Hulu.

source: people.com