Randall Park Modified His Life After His Father’s Loss of life: ‘A Wake-Up Name’ (Unique)

Randall Park has confronted a few of his biggest private challenges prior to now few months.

“The final 12 months has been quite a lot of highs and quite a lot of lows,” The Residence actor tells PEOPLE solely. Witnessing his father’s demise from most cancers in Might 2024 — and turning 50 just a few months prior — led Park to reassess his personal well being.

“Seeing my dad, his well being ailing, and his physique breaking down was very a lot a wake-up name for me,” Park says. “I’ve a daughter, Ruby. She’s 12 and on the autism spectrum. Simply eager to be wholesome so long as potential, to be there for her so long as potential, actually hit me.”

So he set to work. Park started coaching and ran his first marathon in New York Metropolis in November — one thing he says by no means crossed his thoughts till he was approaching his 50s.

“That is a part of the explanation why I made a decision to enroll in the marathon, to present myself a purpose, and to additionally show to myself that even at this age, I can do exhausting issues,” Park, now 51, explains. “That was the spark for me.”

He skilled for the large race by researching and working with mates. Regardless of having fears about hitting the dreaded “wall,” he by no means did.

“I used to be very acutely aware about fueling through the run, ensuring that I stayed hydrated all through, and was very meticulous about these issues,” he remembers. “Once I ran it, my purpose was to only end it first off. In any manner, simply end it. My different purpose was to not cease or stroll. I simply needed to run constantly [and] I used to be in a position to try this.”

Although his days could be “unpredictable” resulting from his busy schedule, Park — who’s starring in Netflix’s new homicide thriller The Residence and CBS’s Watson, the place he performs the enduring Sherlock Holmes villain Moriarty — is strict about becoming in a exercise, even when it must be damaged up into a number of elements all through the day. He retains a health journal, the place he jots down any accidents he is suffered and the progress he is observed.

The Recent Off the Boat alum admits he is nonetheless “fairly dangerous on the diet side,” however he is all the time naturally leaned in direction of “protein-heavy meals” with “quite a lot of greens and greens.”

“I do not eat quite a lot of sugary issues,” he provides. “I simply was by no means too massive of a dessert individual.”

Although does candidly admit: “Final evening, I had pizza. I’m extra aware than strict.”

Park’s new exercise routine additionally has given him a psychological well being increase.

“I’ve extra power to be bodily energetic and match, nevertheless it’s for my thoughts as a lot as it’s for my physique. It retains me optimistic and upbeat,” he says. “It’s additionally been actually enjoyable. I most likely wouldn’t follow it if it wasn’t.”

One other factor he is having enjoyable doing proper now could be starring within the Shondaland whodunit as particular FBI agent Edwin Park, alongside Uzo Aduba as Detective Cordelia Cupp, who launches an investigation after a lifeless physique turns up in The White Home throughout a State dinner.

“It is only a actually enjoyable present,” he says of The Residence. Along with “adoring” working with Aduba, he gushes in regards to the “stacked” forged, which additionally consists of Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, Ken Marino and Bronson Pinchot to call just a few.

“It is a uncommon factor, however everyone on the present is simply so pretty. All of us simply turned very shut,” he says. “To today, we’re all mates, we keep up a correspondence, we’ve a textual content chain going. Once we’re in one another’s cities, [we’ll] seize lunch. It was such a stunning expertise with so many nice folks.”

As Park approaches the primary anniversary of his father’s demise, he hopes for the “continued good well being” it impressed in addition to alternatives to do “extra issues that I haven’t carried out earlier than,” he says.

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“New alternatives, colleagues and mates. That is one of many nice issues about what I do, is I get to fulfill new folks on a regular basis,” he continues. “It is only a fairly unbelievable factor to be in your 50s, and to be making new mates.”

He’ll additionally take extra of the easy issues in life, like spending time at dwelling along with his daughter and spouse Jae Suh Park. “To simply actually be blissful,” he says. “Be as blissful as potential.”

The Residence is now streaming on Netflix. Watson airs Sundays on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT.