Obama out, Trump in, Mao forever: impersonators on the ups and downs of their trade
A music producer who plays Kim Jong-un and a music teacher who impersonates Donald Trump are having a field day, but for some political lookalikes, it’s not just about the money
“Just call me Howard, no surnames.” Sitting in a small dim sum restaurant near the Mid-Levels escalator in Hong Kong’s Central business district, this smiling Hong Kong-born Australian music producer is obviously concerned about his privacy. He removes his baseball cap and all becomes clear. His round face and trapezoid haircut are distinctive; other patrons notice, too. Here sits Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator.
“I was watching TV and I saw Kim for the first time, when his father appointed him as the next leader. I thought, ‘Look at this guy, he has my face!’” Howard recalls. A savvy businessman, he immediately saw a way to make money. He had to wait, however, until the new leader made international headlines, which he duly did in 2013, by testing a ballistic missile.
“I ordered a suit like his and I got his weird haircut. I posted the result on Facebook and, two weeks later, I got a call from an Israeli company, asking me to shoot a funny [advert] for kosher hamburgers while impersonating Kim.”