MINNESOTA — James Hong isn’t ready to retire. The 97-year-old Minnesota native may not look as spry as he did in memorable moments from “Chinatown” and “Blade Runner,” but he still has the spirit of actors half his age.

During a Zoom interview with the legend last month, Hong broke out his impersonations of James Cagney and Jimmy Stewart with all the gusto and accuracy of a Las Vegas lounge act.

He’s also found the energy to put out “You’ve Seen Me Before,” on shelves now. Co-written by Jeff Yang, the memoir is peppered with reflections from a Twin Cities childhood: growing up in an apartment above his father’s herb store on 3rd Avenue S., bussing tables at Nankin Cafe, joining the drama club at Minneapolis Central High, attending Sunday school at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

After polishing off a chicken sandwich at his home in Los Angeles, Hong enthusiastically took another trip down memory lane.

Q: Your stories in the book are full of vivid details. Do you have an extraordinary memory?

A: Isn’t it funny? It could be because my mother fed me all these Chinese herbs when I was very young. Maybe that helped a little in building up my brain.

But it surprises me, the things I remember, like [actor/director] Jack Webb after doing an episode of “Dragnet.” I was getting ready to leave and he took me by the hand and asked a still cameraman to snap a photo. Then he signed it. A leading man doing something like that, you can’t erase that good image.

The bad images stay, too. [Actor] Jane Wyman was not a kind person. The second time I worked with her, she looked at me as if she didn’t know me or didn’t care. Then she called for her stand-in. She was just a cold person, as far as I’m concerned.

Other people are extremely nice. Jack Nicholson, who I did “Chinatown” and “The Two Jakes” with, will do anything for me. Always courteous and friendly. I hope he’s well.

Q: One name people here know is Cedric Adams. What did it mean to appear on his WCCO Radio variety show in the late ’40s?

A: When I got a chance to do impressions on “Stairway to Stardom,” I was very, very excited. My hands were shaking when I went into the studio. He was more or less my idol. That was the birth of shows like “America’s Got Talent.” That might have started the whole thought in my mind that I could make it in show business.

Q: One other anecdote that stuck out is your visit to the Minnesota State Fair with your uncle.

A: I didn’t have too many enjoyable events like that. I can’t remember anything my father took me to. He was too busy with the herb shop. I never had a good time with him. But my uncle, who ran a hand laundry business, took a liking to me. He was the only guy who cared enough to take little James Hong to the State Fair.

Q: I got a kick out of your story about how Minnesota got you a role in “World’s Greatest Lover.”

A: When I auditioned for Gene Wilder, he told me that the role called for a German accent. So I gave him my German accent. He was not really accepting it. He asked, “What else can you do?” I said, “Well, I’m from Minneapolis. I can do a Swedish accent.” I went, “Yeah, sure, I’m from Minn-ee-sohta. I have smorgasbord every day.” Something stereotypical. He said, “That’s it.” I learned a lot about comedy from him.

Q: What directors did you most enjoy working with?

A: Ridley Scott [“Blade Runner”]. How big can you get? Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert [”Everything Everywhere All At Once"] have to be right at the top.

I learned a lot from Roman Polanski. When we were doing “Chinatown,” there’s a scene where Jack is knocking on the door and I answer it. Roman did 10 takes. Jack finally said, “What am I doing wrong?” Roman said, “You’re not thinking the right thoughts when you talk to James.” Jack thought about and on the next take, he got it.

It taught me that you just can’t pretend in a scene. You have to really take a psychological approach.

Q: Can you appreciate how much you’ve paved the way for others?

A: Writing this book reminded me that I’m a forerunner for Asian Americans in Hollywood. You see things like “Everything Everywhere” and know that your work has paid off.

Q: You still have the desire to act?

A: I’m still a member of SAG. I still do voice-overs for video games and whatnot. I don’t know if producers and directors want to take a chance on someone who’s 97. It’s tough to prove to them that I can still move and dance and do voices like crazy. When this book comes out, maybe I’ll get on screen and tell everybody, “Hey, I’m still here.”

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