Awkwafina battling Asian under-representation in films
LOS ANGELES: Her father is Chinese-American, while her mother is South Korean.
Awkwafi na, the breakout star of Crazy Rich Asians, is just the poster girl entertainers need in the fight against the underrepresentation of Asians in Hollywood.
In Hollywood, where most entertainers are embracing a new-found cultural diversity, the buzz is giving Crazy Rich Asians just the lift it needs at the box office.
At the US box office, the movie took in US$ 6 million (about RM24.6 million) on Wednesday. It was made on a budget of US$ 30 million, and stars the likes of Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, and fellow Malaysian Henry Golding, a former BBC host.
Are Asians very underrepresented in Hollywood movies?
A recent study out of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism of the 1,100 top-grossing fi lms from 2007 to 2017 shows little has changed over the past decade. As with many minority groups, Asian actors are woefully under-represented on-screen, particularly in leading roles. Of the top 100 fi lms in 2017, 65 had no speaking roles for Asian or Asian-American females.
In a cast of scene-stealers, it is Awkwafina (born Nora Lum), the internet personality, rapper and actress, who walks away with the most laughs.
Speaking on what the industry could do to make improvements in representing Asians on the big screen, she commented: “Representation starts both in front of and behind the camera. I think a big reason there aren’t a lot of our stories reflected is people don’t know how to write for us or think they can’t write for us. So I think for any minority group, you need to have writers who can reflect those stories and tell them honestly. It’s important to give people a chance. Take a chance on opening up roles, even leads, for actors of colour.” Speaking on how the cast members got along, she said: “It was amazing, and honestly, we became a family in a way I’ve never really experienced on a set before. From the moment the film was announced, I was just excited to see the movie come to fruition, whether or not I could be in it. I knew it would be impactful for my community.”