It's fitting that I should be penning this piece today, seeing the recent success of the movie 'Everything, Everywhere, all at Once' at the Golden Globes, the numerous nominations for Ryan Coogler's Wakanda Forever at the upcoming Oscars, and it being Black history month. The minorities have been sidelined and marginalized for far too long, in the entertainment industry, and to a lesser extent in other fields. We contribute like everyone else, but do we have a say? The media plays a very important part in this aspect and it warrants our attention. Being an Asian immigrant with a 12 year old Asian American daughter, I have been acutely aware of these issues. America really is a country divided. But while the situation is getting better, we still see a worrying trend of Asian hate across the country and police brutality towards African American. So any attention and any message we can get out there is a plus.
Things seem to be evolving in a positive direction. Crazy Rich Asians seems to be changing the narrative. With an all Asian cast and production team, was this the wave we have been waiting for? I personally believe, however that this was more likely the sum of a lot of hard work paved by pioneers that made inroads into the industry. Asian American celebrities such as George Takei in Star Trek, Ming Na Wen in the Joy Luck Club, and even James Hong and Ken Jeong. They all embraced their Asian ancestry and didn't shy away from educating the masses any chance they got.
To date, leading roles have been few and far between for minorities. All this changed with the release of Crazy Rich Asians. Flash forward to 2023 and we have Ke Huy Quan and his return to the big screen as Waymond, the husband to Michelle Yeoh's Evelyn in EEAO. Ke was awarded the Golden Globe as best supporting actor. His story hits close to home with everything discussed in my prose. After his success with starring roles as Short Round, opposite Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and as Data in the Goonies, he was forced to go behind the scenes, and even to another country to ply his trade due to the lack of opportunities.
Ke's story is not the only one in Hollywood for the sidelining and background roles of actors and actresses of Asian descent. Bigger Asian stars have tried to make a breakthrough in tinseltown, with only a modicum of success. And these are the creme de la creme of Asian cinema , boasting luminaries like Jacky Chan, Chow Yun Fatt, Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Asian American actors have it even harder. Getting parts in TV series was considered an achievement. Daniel Dae Kim in Hawaii Five O, Maggie Q in Nikita, Daniel Wu in Into the Badlands, and Steven Yuen in The Walking Dead to name a few! And now we have Crazy Rich Asians, Liu Simu's Marvel's Shang Chi and EEAO. Note that Michelle Yeoh stars in all three!
So are we starting to see a golden age where Asian American voices will finally be seen, heard and recognized? Only
time will tell! With increased visibility and awareness, I am really hopeful for the future!
UPDATE: Ke Huy Quan snagged the best supporting actor award for his role in EEAO, and Michelle Yeoh won the best actress award at the OSCARS and SAG Awards in addition to the Golden Globes!
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