Ken Jeong may go by Dr. Ken these days, but a generation of people remembers him as Korean mobster Chow in the film The Hangover. What isn’t well known is that when Jeong was given the job, his wife Tran was in the midst of brutal chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
Ken Jeong’s wife, Tran, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Tran, a physician who practices family care, detected a hard lump in her breast while nursing her then-one-year-old twin twins in 2007. She got it checked out, but the shocking news didn’t come until a year later, in 2008. Tran recounted how strong her husband was during those tough days in an interview with ABC News’ Amy Robach, a breast cancer survivor.
“I really needed it,” Tran said. “But, you know, I knew he was stressed out as well.”
Tran also mentioned how conflicted Jeong was when he was offered the role of Chow.
“And when the chance to see The Hangover came along, he was quite concerned,” she recounted. “‘I’m not sure whether I should do this,’ he remarked.”
Unsurprisingly, the actor took on the part and gave it his all, even turning it into a therapeutic experience for both him and his spouse.
Ken Jeong Created a Scene for His Wife On-Set
The actor spoke up about how he would improvise his lines in the film and substitute non-English sentences with the Vietnamese language as inside jokes for his companion.
“I’m Korean, and I spoke Vietnamese in the movie,” he said. “I shout ‘kai chee’ and other such things to get my henchmen to go.”
He only revealed afterward that “kai chee” was Vietnamese, meaning “chicken perish.” That was not the only occasion. Throughout the film, he interspersed inside jokes for his wife without even notifying anybody on site. Everything he did was to make Tran laugh at a terrible period.
Tran Was Cancer-free
The film was also a watershed moment for the pair, as Tran was confirmed cancer-free after the completion of The Hangover.
The actor, who left a medical degree to pursue a career in show business, marked the occasion by receiving an award at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. “I’d want to use this chance to thank my wife, Tran,” he said as he fought back the tears during the awards event.
“I did this because Mom taught me that life is short and that you shouldn’t be scared to take risks,” he continued. “I also want to let you know that Tran has been cancer-free for two years.”
As the interview at ABC concluded, Tran recounted how she went through the agony for a year before becoming cancer-free. Then, when her doctor told her that the therapy would take a year, she thought it was one of the most OK things she’d heard since being diagnosed.
