This A-Profiler we bring you Grant Imahara currently seen on the Discovery Channel's hit show, Mythbusters. Find out how this real life nerd has turned an electrical engineering degree into a TV career and find out what's on the horizon for Grant and his passion for robots.

Your site URL:
http://www.myspace.com/grantimahara

What is your ethnic background?
Fourth generation Japanese-American.

So, tell us, what is it like being a Mythbuster?
It's a lot of fun, but also really hard work! Most people think it's all fun and games, but we have cameras on us all day, every day. The camera sees all your brilliant moments as well as your worst failures. It takes a long time to make something, since you have to pause for camera and sound. You have to be articulate, succinct, and funny, all at the same time. There isn't a crew of volunteers. We do all the work, including taking out the trash. It's hard work, but great to see the final product and the impact it has on the lives of young people around the world. We get email from science teachers all across America thanking us for making science cool.

How did you become a Mythbuster?
I've known Jamie, Adam, and Tory for 8 years or so through ILM. Jamie would hire me when I wasn't working at ILM (usually nights and weekends) to come and work for him at M5 doing radio control and electronics. Adam and Tory worked with me in the Model Shop at ILM. While Tory and I were working on Van Helsing at ILM, Jamie called to ask me to audition for a "Build Team" that was being added to the show. I had just competed on a show called Junkyward Wars and was burned out on reality TV. I told Jamie I wasn't interested. Tory left ILM to join the Build Team. I went on to work on Star Wars: Episode III and xXx 2: State of the Union. After Scottie Chapman left the show, Jamie called again to ask me audition for the cast. Things were winding down at ILM, and this time, I agreed. Two rounds of interviews later, I had the job.

Do you get recognized on the street very often?
More and more often. At the hardware store, home electronics stores, and most of all at the airport. Our fans are really, really nice. Everyone is polite and complimentary.

You've worked at ILM in a role that would make fanboys squeal, updating the fleet of R2-D2 robots for the prequel. Do you look back on those days, previous to more use of computer generated imagery, with fond memories?
Absolutely. I was part of a team of highly skilled people, some of the best in the world at their craft. We made magic and fooled the camera on a daily basis. It was a great nine years.

You've got a BS in Electrical Engineering. Was EE always something you knew you were interested in?
I was interested in how things worked. While growing up, I had done a lot of my own electronics experiments using the Radio Shack books by Forrest Mims. I liked the way it was almost like magic, making things work.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How is that different than what you are doing now?
Like most kids, I went through different phases. I wanted to be a paramedic. I wanted to be a secret agent. But through it all, I enjoyed building things out of Lego building blocks. In a certain sense, it's not all that different from what I do now, building things.

What will life be like after Mythbusters? Anything we should be watching out for?
I've been working on a live action robot show, a drama, called MORAV with a friend of mine from ILM, Fon Davis. He came up with the idea, and I've been developing it and writing scripts. It deals with a future where giant robots are as ubiquitous as bulldozers. Of course, I'm also working on endorsements and developing other ideas. You never know what's going to happen, but I know that you should always be ready to take advantage of opportunity when it comes along.

You really are yourself on Mythbusters and not some made up TV version of Grant Imahara. Has there ever been some effort made from the people behind the show to change your image?
When I first got the job to be on Mythbusters, I asked Discovery Channel if there was anything they'd like to change. Wardrobe, perhaps, I thought... After a few days the word came back from the Discovery execs. "Could you spike your hair?" I was flabbergasted. I didn't know exactly what they wanted, so I asked for some pictures. A few more days went by, and I got an email with five pictures: Brat Pitt, Colin Farrell, and three male models. When I overcame the initial shock, I acquiesced and agreed to my makeover. I had envisioned some sort of "Tokyo Pop" kind of hairstyle. The appointment was made, and I was ready to go. Just before the appointment, Executive Producer and creator of Mythbusters Peter Rees got wind of the makeover. He put an immediate stop to the whole thing. In his words, "You hired the Uber-Nerd. You should be prepared to deal with the consequences!" Indeed, he was right, and my look stayed, and the rest is history.

Have you ever had people criticize you for portraying the "nerdy Asian guy" on TV, not realizing that, well, you are the nerdy Asian guy in real life?
I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I've never been accused of portraying a nerdy Asian guy on TV. (laughs) I think it would be different if our show was a drama, but as a reality show, the people you see on screen really are us. We're not playing characters, and that comes across. Because everyone on our show is a nerd in one way or another, I don't stand out as a nerd. It just looks normal.

Many people may not know this, but you used to perform with the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors doing skit comedy. How did you get involved with the 18MMW?
When I was in college, I joined the cast of Here and Now, an Asian American performing troupe in Los Angeles. When I graduated and moved up to San Francisco to work with Lucasfilm, I had to leave Here and Now. This left a void in my life, and I sought out another comedy/drama group. I ran into Dianna Weng of AATC, who told me about an Asian American comedy group called New Godzilla Theatre. I eventually found them, but New Godzilla had disbanded. However, the remaining members formed a writer's group called the Rough Edge writers. This group eventually became the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors.

Do you miss doing skit comedy?
I recently realized that I miss the interaction with the audience. As emcee for an anniversary benefit for USC's APASS Department in Los Angeles, I had a great time playing with the audience and working with members of Cold Tofu. I get a brief taste of being on stage when fellow host Kari Byron and I do talks at various colleges around the country, but that's about it these days.

Have you kept in contact with members of the 18 MMW?
Not really. I get an email from Pearl Wong every now and then, but that's about it. I catch Greg Watanabe on AZN's "Asia Street Comedy" once in a while.

Besides having a love for building things, what are some of your interests that may surprise people the most?
I'm sure it's not surprising that I love robots and movies. I actually mentor a group of high school students in Richmond, CA in a national robotics competition called FIRST. I've been doing it for six years now, and it's one of the most rewarding things I do with my free time.

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong. Special thanks to Grant Imahara.

Images courtesy of Grant Imahara. Used with permission.
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