Cho began his career as a print model for Korean magazines, such as appearing in an ad for Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
After graduating from Berkeley, he moved to Los Angeles, and worked with the Asian American theatre company, East West Players, appearing in Edward Sakamoto's The Taste of Kona Coffee in 1996, and Euijoon Kim's My Tired Broke Ass Pontificating Slapstick Funk in 2000. He gained attention with a small role in the 1999 comedy American Pie.