"Glee's" Harry Shum, Jr. may be jokingly called "Other Asian" on the show, but he's not just any generic Asian face in the crowd.
The performer who plays Mike Chang on "Glee" is also a dancer and choreographer known for his work in the iconic iPod silhouette ad campaign, in "Step Up 2: The Streets" and as part of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) crew. In fact, it's this skill that has earned him a ticket to the Oscars.
Shum and Chris Scott are associate co-choreographing an LXD number at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, taking place on Sunday, March 7 in Hollywood.
"We're finishing up rehearsals, and it's getting to the point where the picture is there," Shum tells Zap2it during a break from shooting "Glee." "We've created something really special, and I can't wait for the world to see it."
LXD has performed on "So You Think You Can Dance," where Shum met judge Adam Shankman, who's also co-producing the Oscars telecast. As Zap2it previously reported, former "So You Think You Can Dance" contestant Legacy will also participate.
"I think you'll be seeing hip-hop in a different way," says Shum about the dance. "I think we sort of accomplished that on 'So You Think You Can Dance' when we did that, but this is on a larger scale, on such a prestigious platform like the Oscars .Yeah [Legacy] is an LXD member. You're going to see a lot of LXD members that you've seen before and a couple more joining."
Unfortunately, Shum won't be on stage with LXD, but he's got the next best thing: A seat in the audience so he can watch his handiwork live.
"I was so surprised and excited. You know, there are only so many seats. It's gonna be awesome," says Shum. "I'm in the process of getting my tux right now. I wanna make sure I look legit."
As for his date for the night, don't expect a "Glee" cast reunion.
"Chris and I are taking the [creator and producer] of LXD," he reveals. "Right now we have our two seats and then two for guests, so we're thinking Jon Chu and Hieu Ho from LXD. Hieu Ho, he's the other guy that makes it happen. It was funny, he was like, 'So does that make me the other, other, other Asian?'"
After the Oscars, Shum will be keeping busy with his "Glee" duties. Besides finishing shooting episodes for the rest of the season, he's heading to the White House to perform for Easter and then hitting four cities around the U.S. for the "Glee" tour that was announced Monday (March 1).
"I think I'm looking forward to New York," says Shum. "I think there's something just magical about New York, especially Radio City Music Hall that has so much history behind it. But actually all the cities, even LA would be fun because you know, being among our peers would be awesome."
And he still can't believe First Lady Michelle Obama's invitation to the "Glee" cast to perform.
"It's amazing how these things keep happening," says Shum with a laugh. "Every week we hear about something new. That reaction was insane. All of us just looking at our phones, seeing the email. [Finding out by email] is the best because everyone gets it at the same time. So if we're around each other and read our email, we look at each other like, 'Oh my God!'
"Glee" returns to finish up its freshman season on Tuesday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
Check back with Zap2it for Part II of Harry Shum's interview in which he discusses "Glee."
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