The “Fresh Off the Boat” actor is taking over William Shatner’s role as Priceline’s Negotiator.

Randall Park recalls taking a road trip to see a girlfriend that ended with him in the hospital: ‘I never made it’

The "Fresh Off the Boat" actor is taking over William Shatner's role as Priceline's Negotiator.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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May 12, 2026 7:00 a.m. ET

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Randall Park in 2026. Credit:

Robby Klein/Getty

- Randall Park recalls the worst trip that he ever took was when a long drive to see a girlfriend ended with him in the hospital, he tells **.

- Park's best trip was when he went with his father to London, not long before he died.

- The *Always Be My Maybe* star is taking over the Negotiator character in Priceline ads from William Shatner.

Randall Park has had some memorable trips — not all of them happy.

"When I was out of high school, I had a high school girlfriend who ended up going to Indiana University. So I decided to do a road trip from L.A. to Indiana," Park tells **. "And that turned out to be a nightmare because I ended up getting sick somewhere around Wyoming. And by the time I got to Chicago, I ended up in a hospital, and I had viral meningitis."

The *Fresh Off the Boat* star was desperate to reach his girlfriend, but his health status made it impossible.

"I remember just thinking, 'I have to get to Indiana to see her,'" he says. "But I was so sick that I ended up having to fly back home and I never made it to Indiana."

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The couple stayed together for a year or so, but then they broke up. He always wondered what would have happened if he had reached his intended destination.

Park, who married actress Jae Suh Park in 2009, takes travel seriously. Priceline announced Tuesday that he's taking over the role of the brand's Negotiator from the iconic William Shatner.

Randall Park and Jae Suh Park in 2025.

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

The actor, who has already portrayed Jimmy Woo in Marvel projects such as *Ant-Man* and *WandaVision*, as well as appeared in the 2019 movie *Always Be My Maybe*, notes that it's a big deal for him.

"I took it just as seriously as I would any role," Park says. "I really put a lot of thought into the character and what I could bring to it, but also all of the tropes and the things that a spy, a secret agent kind of character would embody."

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The job was an easy sell for him.

"There was a lot to like about it, because I grew up watching their ads and seeing William Shatner as the Negotiator," Park says. "So that was all firmly in place in my brain and kind of just embedded from growing up watching him. So to be a part of something that already existed in my memory was very exciting."

Park, 52, is quick to recall his best trip, too, although narrowing down the list is difficult for him.

"A couple years ago, I went on a trip to London with my parents," he explains. "And that was really cool. My dad passed not too long ago, so I really look back at that trip very fondly. He really loved the trip and we had a really great time."

Park told PEOPLE in March 2025 that his father's death from cancer and his 50th birthday had prompted him to focus on his health. He ran his first marathon in New York City.

In addition to his new role as the Negotiator, Park plays the character of Gabe on the new AMC series *The Audacity*.

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