Get to Know: State House Rep. B.J. Pak Acts, Too

Lilburn knows B.J. Pak as a State House representative, attorney, husband and father.

But thespian?

"I'm terrible," the 102nd District representative joked of himself as an actor. "I rate myself somewhere between Kevin Costner and Keanu Reeves, which is borderline horrible."

Pak has helped organize, write and act in bi-annual productions of  A Courthouse Line, an endeavor of the Atlanta Bar Foundation, the Atlanta Bar Association's fundraising arm. He has joined casts of more than 60 attorneys and judges in spoofs of musicals and movies, like this year's "Law School Musical" at Atlanta's 14th Street Playhouse on May 19-21.

Funded by law firms and corporate sponsorship, the previous eight productions, including last year's "Saving Private Practice," have raised more than $200,000 for the foundation.

Pak has been heavily involved in previous productions' months of planning, writing and acting, but after several years away, returns this year for only a brief cameo. Having but a few lines, he makes a political joke while talking to state Supreme Court Justice David Nahmias. With little time beyond demands of family, his law practice and a legislative session concluded just last week, Pak still made time to rejoin the cast at the urging of its director, attorney Catherine O'Neil.

This year's diminished role in the spoof of Disney's High School Musical has allowed Pak more time with wife Sandra and young daughters Sophia and Madeleine. But, he jokes, it'll deprive viewers of his stellar acting, like in previous spoofs "Phantom of the Courthouse" and "Death by CLE (Continuing Legal Education)," where his character was killed off by the second scene. In past productions, he's performed aside the likes of Nahmias, as well as judges Chris McFadden, Janis Gordon and Melodie Clayton and attorneys Jim Deichert and Kevin Weimer.

Deichert, a 10-year friend of Pak's who lives in Lilburn, said Pak has ideal qualities for acting.

"He's an energetic, fun guy," Deichert said. "He has a real good voice and good stage presence."

Weimer met Pak about eight years ago while both performed in Phantom of the Courthouse, where Weimer played the Phantom, a disbarred attorney giving others advice. He, too, was impressed by Pak's theatrical sense.

"He's witty," said Weimer, Parkview High's Salutatorian in 1995. "And he can actually sing, too."

While Pak considers his and his colleagues' acting far from polished, he said some are surprisingly good on stage.

"As you can imagine, you have a wide range of talent when it comes to lawyers," said Pak, reportedly the first Korean-born representative of a Southeastern State House. "Some are really talented and could probably have a second career in acting.

"Among the legal profession, a lot of people are kind of trapped and would rather do something else if they could afford it," he added. "I think some (consider law) a safe route to go, when their real passion might be something like acting or music."

Involvement in theater isn't out of character for Pak. Though shy as a kid, he performed in plays and musicals in high school in Florida. He even was paid $50 one time for an appearance in a commercial back then.

"That kicked off my acting career, and it should have ended there, too," joked Pak, who also was president of his school's debate club. "I've always enjoyed (attending) theater of all types."

Writing for A Courthouse Line is what Pak has enjoyed most, believing his work behind the scenes surpasses that on stage. He likes the challenge of creating humorous dialogue and lyrics, tailoring both to specific actors.

"I like it all, but I really enjoyed the writing portion of it," he explained. "If you write a particular joke and hear people's laughter, that's pretty gratifying."

There's on-line video of previous A Courthouse Line productions, but Pak believes none include him.

"Even if some did, I wouldn't say," Pak joked of knowing whether video of him exists. "I heard there's something on YouTube, but that didn't come up during the (Congressional) campaign, so I hope not."

Before entering politics as a Republican candidate, Pak was best known as a Certified Public Accountant and former federal prosecutor. Acting remains a dimension few know about him.

Any initial reluctance to try acting was overcome by Pak's ability to laugh at himself.

"I work in a serious profession, but it's important to kind of keep perspective," he said. "You have to learn to laugh at yourself in certain situations, or you'll go insane."