Meet Alex Landi, The Gorgeous Korean-Italian Actor & Model Representing The LGBTQ+ Community In His Acting Roles
Asian representation in American media remains very low to this day: According to Variety, a recent study of the top 100 films and series on streaming platforms did show that while Asian characters in Hollywood increased from 3% to 16% between 2007 and 2022, there remain major stereotypes such as the “model minority” trope still often attached to them. Additionally, only 18% of them have a storyline in which race was “central to their arc”, and only 6% of these Asian characters were in leading roles.
When it comes to Asian LGBTQ+ representation, the stats are far more severe. In the study, there was only one Asian character who was queer, and none were transgender or non-binary. Representation for minority groups such as these, therefore, continues to be disappointingly low, and that’s why any addition to either group, let alone both, is welcome in American media.
American actor and model Alex Landi plays just such a role in the popular and long-standing medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. The show, which began in 2005, just came back with its ongoing 20th season on March 14, 2024, with Landi once again joining in his role as gay male surgeon Dr. Nico Kim.
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Landi, born on September 28, 1992, is a 31-year-old actor of Korean-Italian descent. His mother’s side of the family is Korean, and she immigrated to the United States at age 15 with her family to settle in New Jersey, where Landi grew up. He began his career with small, single-episode appearances in shows such as Bull and Prillen Short Shorts beginning in 2016, and earned the role of Dr. Kim on Grey’s Anatomy in 2018 during season 15. With this role, he became both the first Asian and the first gay male surgeon to appear on the show, both titles he wears with pride.
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His role in the medical drama is his most well-known, though he has also appeared in the second season of Netflix’s Insatiable and portrays the character Bret Nam in The CW’s The Walker.
As Dr. Nico Kim on Grey’s Anatomy, a major part of his character arc is his romantic relationship with intern Dr. Levi Schmidt, played by Jake Borelli. Landi has spoken about being glad to represent both the Asian and the LGBTQ+ communities with his role in the show, and hopes that his representation does everyone proud by breaking stereotypes.
I’m just glad that I can give everyone a voice. Asians are represented, I think, by less than 3 percent in entertainment, LGBTQ being less than 1 percent, so for them to combine both of those categories into one role is super special, and I’m so happy that I can take that on. I just hope I do it right. I just hope the way I do it is accepted by everyone. I want to take these two categories and make everyone look strong. I want to get rid of that stereotype and give them a different look on the LGBTQ community. I just hope I’m making everyone proud.
— Alex Landi
He certainly brings a lot of attractiveness to Grey’s Anatomy as well — his Instagram is full of thirst traps!
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We hope to see more representation for both the Asian and LGBTQ+ community in major shows and films like Grey’s Anatomy, and Alex Landi is helping to pave the way for such roles to become more common.
