In the past year, Asian representation in U.S. films and television has become more common. The recently released Warner Bros. movie “Crazy Rich Asians” follows the story of a young New York University professor, Rachel Chu, and has an almost exclusively Asian cast. The last time any Hollywood film did this was 25 years ago, in the famous book-to-movie adaptation, “The Joy Luck Club.”
I enjoyed watching “Crazy Rich Asians” because of its great comedy, quirky soundtrack, and entertaining settings. Chinese culture is represented in a humorous but accurate way and I appreciate the overall theme of the film: a Chinese American woman trying to meet the rigorous standards of being in a Asian household.
The characters and their wacky, over-the-top personalities always find a way to pluck at our heartstrings. Awkwafina (a.k.a Nora Lum) plays the hilarious best friend who displays her personality through her unique fashion and generosity. Although she has never played a main character in a movie, she lights up the theater in her role as Goh Peik Lin in “Crazy Rich Asians.” You may find her in movies such as “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” and “Ocean’s Eight.” Another critical character is Nick Young, played by Henry Golding. He is the billionaire bachelor who falls head over heels for a woman he meets in New York. Despite his large role in the movie, this is the first time he has ever acted in a major Hollywood film.
As with many films involving heavy representation of minority groups, I noticed that some viewers praise “Crazy Rich Asians” not because of the quality of the film, but because “it features a lot of Asians in it.” However, I saw the majority-Asian cast as an asset to the film instead of something that defines what the movie is. While “Crazy Rich Asians” is the most popular recent film to star Asians, other films and TV shows have featured Asians in lead roles in the past year.
For instance, the British drama television series, “Killing Eve”, stars Sandra Oh, a Korean-Canadian actress. Additionally, the American teen romance movie “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” stars Lana Condor, a Vietnamese-American actress. Constance Wu, who plays Rachel Chu, has a major role in the 2015 sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” as well.
While I believe that more Asian representation in American media is a positive trend, this change should have occurred a long time ago. For films that didn’t involve martial arts or ninjas, Asian representation was practically nonexistent in Hollywood. Thanks to the immense popularity of “Crazy Rich Asians” and similar films, Hollywood executives and producers may finally realize that a diverse cast will not hinder the success of a film. I expect to see more Asian representation in movies and television shows in the future.