CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- On Saturday, I was privileged to have lunch with Harry Shum Jr. of "Glee" following his appearance at the Charleston Town Center Mall.
Over a tasty Tidewater meal, our group talked about everything from dance (including his "Legion of Extraordinary Dancers" project) to music (he raved about Obadiah Parker's "Hey Ya" cover) to carbs ("I love carbs. No one can get them away from me.") to canines (his terrier, Charlie, is a stray found on the set).
We also, of course, talked about "Glee."
Before poking around for details about season two, I asked Shum about his favorite performance from season one. He named "Bohemian Rhapsody," which Vocal Adrenaline performed in the season finale.
"It wasn't even one I was in," he said, "but it struck a chord. It was so beautiful."
Among the numbers he was a part of, he mentioned "Give Up the Funk," from the episode "Funk," and "Jump," which New Directions performed for the mattress commercial.
On the show, Shum is more of a background character, but he's optimistic that will change. When it does, he thinks the nickname that some fans have bestowed upon him -- "The Other Asian" -- will, too.
"I think it's hilarious," he said of the nickname, "but I don't feel like it will stick for that much longer. My character and myself have a lot more to offer. Hopefully, we'll see that more in season two."
If his character gains more prominence, there's the risk he might get a slushie to the face, but Shum's OK with that. "I want to get a slushie in the face," he said. "That would be fun."
It sounds a little less fun when he describes the slushie itself, though. "It's not an actual slushie. I don't know what it is. You can drink it, but it smells awful."
He said that when someone gets slushied, they try to film it in one take, but sometimes they have to do it again. "They'll say, 'Take 30 minutes. Get cleaned up, take a shower, and we'll go again.'"
"The worst, though, was Lea with the eggs," he added, referencing to a scene in "Funk" where Vocal Adrenaline pelts Rachel (Lea Michele) with eggs.
"Glee" landed some big guest stars in season one, and there have been a lot of rumors about upcoming appearances, so I asked Shum if he had a dream actor he wanted to appear on the show.
"As far as an ultimate wish list, the whole cast, we all have one," he said. "This may sound strange, but I'd love to have somebody like Christopher Walken. He's done theater, and he can dance. That would be cool."
Speaking of dancing, at some point during lunch, his tap performance with Tina in the "Dream On" episode came up. He revealed that it was his first time tap dancing.
"It was hard!" he said. "But it inspired me to want to learn more of other styles."
Before the time with Shum was over, as a TV lover, I had to ask him what TV shows he enjoys.
Right off the bat he said, "I love, love 'Modern Family.' It's so funny!"
We were talking about all the characters we like on the show when he said, "That's what's great about ensemble casts. There are so many characters that you don't ever get bored."
He also mentioned "Mad Men," which returns for season four Sunday night, and said that he really likes "Breaking Bad." I have to admit that my note-taking skills fell off after that last revelation, because I was so excited to talk about the show with a fellow fan.
After lunch, Shum soon was headed to the airport and back to L.A., where he stopped briefly before a short trip to Hawaii. He won't have too much time to relax, though, because later next week, the "Glee" gang will be back to work filming season two.
We won't get to see any of that work until the premiere airs Sept. 22, but in the meantime, you can check out some photos of Shum's appearance at the mall here.
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