Before starring on a popular TV show and appearing in several movies, Brandon McKnight was working as a mechanic at a dealership in Toronto, questioning whether his day job would be repairing cars or acting.

His older co-workers told him that if he could, he should do something — anything — else, even if he wasn’t sure it would lead to a stable career.

During that uncertain time, he attended a new play at the prestigious Soulpepper Theatre Company. It was the first time he’d ever bought a ticket to live theater, having no idea that a dozen years later he would appear in the first American tour of the same show.

“Kim’s Convenience,” written by and starring Ins Choi, is in previews at Downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre at Center Theatre Group. Directed by Weyni Mengesha, the 90-minute, one-act play opens its four-week run March 24.

The play, which spawned a five-season Canadian TV show, revolves around a shop owned by a Korean family, headed by Appa (Choi), along with his daughter Janet (Kelly Seo). McKnight, who appeared in an episode of the TV version, performs roles of four people who enter the store.

“It’s the first play I paid for, my first TV show, and now the first play where I’m starring in maybe 12 years,” McKnight said. “It’s a lot of firsts, a lot of full-circle moments for me.”

Once McKnight opted for roles over cars, he began landing small parts in films, including in “The Shape of Water.” But his notable break came in 2019, when he was cast in the sixth season of “The Flash” as Chester. He started in a recurring role and then shifted to a regular cast member.

Though some actors on sci-fi shows fear being typecast, McKnight wasn’t.

“I was like, this is a no brainer,” he said. “It’d be ridiculous for me to refuse. And about being typecast as far as acting, it’s a tough industry to be in. So, to be in a position where you can be typecast is a blessing.”

After more than three years on “The Flash,” followed by a few smaller parts on screen, McKnight was ready for a different challenge.

“I always have this quote in my head,” he said. “If you want to make money, do TV, if you want to be famous, do movies, if you want to be good, do theater. And I thought, I want to stretch, try some new things. With this, in the first 25 minutes, I play four characters.”

He’s a Realtor, someone from Kenya and a man from Jamaica. McKnight said he is meticulous about finding the accents, the tones, the walks and their backstories. The fourth character is Alex, a police officer who is dating Janet. And like McKnight, Seo’s connection to the play goes beyond this tour.

Seo saw “Kim’s Convenience” at Soulpepper with a friend, and they approached Choi after the show so her friend could get his autograph — a moment Seo reminded Choi about after she was cast in the tour.

Seo remembers not only that moment, but the impact the play had on her.

“It wasn’t like, oh, finally a role for me, because I think the previous generation of Asian writers and actors have done that,” she said. “But for me, it was like, oh, it was just cool to see a full Asian cast where it wasn’t just having an Asian member for the diversity, but it was really celebrating a culture on a theatrical stage. And I think that’s what this production changed for me in my career.”

This is Seo’s third production with the play, and while she has enjoyed her co-stars each time, she called this cast special.

“When we first met at the rehearsal, there was a certain magic to it,” she said. “And from day one, we could tell that there were no egos in the room, and everybody was like-minded in that we are going to do what is within our power for the stories.”

One of Seo’s favorite parts of the tour has been the post-performance talkbacks, where audience members have explained how the play impacts them, including women who have said they are much like Janet, with similar family conflicts.

“Regardless of what culture you come from, there is that essence of the idea of wanting to be acknowledged by your parents, not understanding their perspectives and then also seeing from the parent’s point of view of how challenging and difficult it is to come into Canada, where there are so many different cultures,” she said.

That diverse appeal is part of what attracted CTG to join the tour, according to General Manager, Presentations Eric Sims. He said “Kim’s Convenience” is a “perfect fit” for the company that people need now.

“What I really love about this play is that it’s not a political play, but it is kind of made political by the context of the world we live in,” Sims said. “But ultimately, it’s really a play about family and love and forgiveness and the relationship between parents and children and the way we kind of all have to accept each other as we are. And what I really hope is that this play will encourage people to kind of look past the rhetoric that frames the immigration conversation and really kind of focus on the shared humanity that we have with these characters.”

“Kim’s Convenience”

WHEN: Various times through April 19 (opens March 24)

WHERE: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

COST: Tickets start at $40.25

INFO: 213-628-2772, centertheatregroup.org