VIDEO: THE KING AND I's Daniel Dae Kim On Increasing Theatre's Diversity

Though Daniel Dae Kim appeared as Paris in a 1991 production of ROMEO AND JULIET at 42nd Street's New Victory Theater, his Broadway debut didn't arrive until his soon-to-conclude engagement as Siam's scientifically-minded ruler in Lincoln Center Theatre's hit revival of THE KING AND I. His starring turn opposite Broadway favorite Marin Mazzie ends this weekend.

Kim is best known for his television work on "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-O" and, as he tells CBS News, he is especially proud of the diversity displayed in the latter.

As active behind the scenes as he is on camera and on stage, Kim stresses that greater diversity depends on actors in underrepresented groups not just seeking work, but creating work for themselves.

Click the photo below for a video of the full interview.

Three-time Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie and Daniel Dae Kim now star in the Tony Award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. The production ends its triumphant run on June 26th.

One of Rodgers & Hammerstein's finest works, The King and I boasts a score which features such beloved classics as Getting To Know You; Hello, Young Lovers; Shall We Dance?; I Have Dreamed; and Something Wonderful. Set in 1860's Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children.

Photos: Paul Kolnik