WHETHER PRODUCED in a Hollywood studio or abroad, the recognition of recent films such as Everything Everywhere All at Once in the Academy Awards and beyond seem to indicate the greater presence, popularity, and influence of Asians in Hollywood[1]. The growth of Asian cinema in Hollywood is multi-dimensional. There are more Hollywood films that portray Asian Americans and their experiences, as well as Asian directors and artists whose content is acclaimed and adapted in Hollywood. Such increasing vivacity of Asian cinema in Hollywood coincides with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a yearly celebration in May that commemorates the history and contributions of the AAPI community. In lieu of these reasons, this article will address the history and contributions, as well as the future relationship between Hollywood and Asians. 

50 years of firsts: Asians in Old Hollywood

    Asians in Hollywood first appeared during the Golden Age of Hollywood, which roughly lasted from 1910-1960[1]. The ways Asians were depicted during films at that time are correlated with the cultural phenomenon of the yellow peril[2]. The mass influx of Asian workers—particularly Chinese—to the United States during the early 20th century created a phobia of Eastern values interposing with the politics, culture, and economy of the West[1]. While Japanese American actor Sessue Hayakawa opened his own studio, Haworth Pictures Corporation, in 1918 with the goal of better representing Asians in Hollywood[3], his efforts seem to have been overshadowed by xenophobic tensions. 

   The influence of yellow peril in Hollywood films can be seen in the practice of yellowface, in which white actors or actresses alter their appearance with makeup to resemble stereotypical East Asian features[3]. Several characters from films that are considered to be Hollywood classics depict East Asians in such manner. In the Fu Manchu movies from 1965-1968, for instance, British actor Christopher Lee portrays downcast eyes with monolids, a yellow-ish complexion, and a thin long mustache framing the sides of his mouth and chin. 

   Another example of the influence of this cultural phenomenon is the depiction of Asian women as disposable objects of desire[3]. By playing the roles of dragon ladies[4] or lotus flowers[5], East Asian women were oversexualized as either sexually manipulative villains or sexually unliberated geishas, respectively. Additionally, the Hays Code[6] at the time prohibited interracial romance on-screen[2]. This code negatively impacted the career opportunities for Asian actresses. Not only did they lose roles to white women, but their Asian identifier was depicted through harmful stereotypes and a caricaturizing of their features through yellowface. Chinese American actress Anna May Wong, for instance, lost her role to Louise Reiner in the 1937 film The Good Earth by director Pearl Buck due to this law. Reiner, in turn, was subjected to wear yellowface to assimilate the features of an East Asian woman[3]. 

   Not all hope was lost, however. In 1961, the musical Flower Drum Song was the first Hollywood production with Asian American leads. While it was written and directed by German director Henry Koster, and the film’s portrayal of Asians heavily depended on the Western lens, it was still impactful in terms of the number of Asians on the big screen. A few years later, in 1965, Asians were first recognized by the Academy Awards with James Wong Howe winning an Oscar for Best Cinematography for his role in The Rose Tattoo—making him the first Asian to win an Oscar in any category. Fast forward to the 1980’s when Asian actors received Oscars in several acting categories: British Indian actor Ben Kingsley for his role in Ghandi (1982) and Cambodian American actor Haing S. Ngor for The Killing Fields (1984)[3]. 

Onto more firsts: Asians in New Hollywood

   The strides taken by Asians during Old Hollywood seem to have culminated as the 1990s and early 2000s were successful and revolutionary years for them. These years saw Asian and Asian American films with their own narratives outside of the confines of Western stereotyping for the first time. Additionally, many of them became worldwide hits. The Joy Luck Club by Hong Kong director Wayne Wang was one of the first films about the Asian American experience to gain widespread attention in Hollywood. Furthermore, Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s film Brokeback Mountain won him an Oscar for Best Director, making him the first director of Asian descent to win in such category[3].

   In contemporary Hollywood, various Asian films have gained recognition. The stories have transcended stereotypes of Asians in continuous efforts to authentically convey their own narratives. Countless films have explored the Asian American experience. For instance, Korean actress Youn Yuh-Jung won an Oscar for best supporting actress in 2021 for her role in Minari. This movie, which was directed by Korean American director Lee Isaac-Chung, made her the first Korean woman to win an Oscar for acting[7]. In addition, films such as The Namesake (2006) by Indian American filmmaker Mira Nair, Crazy Rich Asians (2018) by Asian American director Jon M. Chu, and The Farewell (2019) by Chinese-born American film director Lulu Wang, capture different nuances in the Asian American experience. 

   The stories are not limited to Asian American stories nor directors. Impacted by the increasing globalization of the 1990s and early 2000s[8], several filmmakers from abroad, such as Ang Lee, Wong Kar Wai, and Bong Joon-ho, have compelled the world with stories based in several Asian countries and historical periods. Stories of martial heroes in Ancient China, love in 1960’s Hong Kong, and poverty in present-day South Korea have caused gasps and commotion in Hollywood and the world. 

   From these years onward, Asians have experienced a positive and constructive relationship with Hollywood, where they continue to become “firsts” in several categories, hence breaking barriers. In 2021, Marvel released its first Asian-led superhero film, Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Furthermore, in the same year, Chinese director Chloe Zhao became the first woman of color to win best director at the Academy Awards for her film Nomadland[7]. 

Creative ebb and flow: influence of Asians to Hollywood

  Acting in or directing a Hollywood film are not the only ways Asians have made a name for themselves in this industry. Over the years, several Asian actors, actresses, directors, and artists in general, have made both explicit and implicit contributions to the show-business capital of the world. One of such subtler influences can be seen in instances where Hollywood has bought and adapted several creative stories written by Asians, which would later become worldwide sensations.

   Bruce Lee paved the way for the martial arts genre in films and Asian actors in general. Initially, Lee was rejected several times by Hollywood. He went to Hong Kong and created several successful movies there. Years later, his 1973 film Enter the Dragon not only gained the attention of Hollywood, but it also successfully launched his career in the United States[3]. Thereupon, martial arts films unprecedentedly influenced a series of actors and directors. Actor Jet Li’s renown 1994 film, Fist of Legend, for instance, is considered a classic among martial arts movies in Hollywood. What is more, the fighting techniques in the scenes are a tribute to Lee and his contributions in increasing the popularity of martial arts in Hollywood. The popularity of martial arts films even reached a diverse age range of audiences. DreamWorks’ animated film series, Kung-fu Panda, in the 2000s, stand as an example of a successful film in Hollywood that drew inspirations from Asian culture. 

   Just like Bruce Lee’s martial arts-themed movies, several of Hollywood’s classics are ideas that traveled from Japanese mangas into an American big screen. The Matrix franchise by directors Lana and Lily Wachowski, for instance, has been heavily influenced by the Japanese manga Ghost in the Shell by Mamuro Oshii in both form and content. From the film’s trademark, fast-paced green digitized typography, to the themes of refuting one’s reality and overcoming the system, the Wachowski sisters have mentioned the influence of this manga in their creative process[9]. Another example is the relationship between the 2010 film Black Swan by director Darren Aronofsky and the Japanese manga[10] Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon. With Aronofsky buying the rights of Perfect Blue, both the manga and the film revolve around a young girl’s afflictions upon her dual identity[9]. 

Daring unforeseen limits: the future of Asians in Hollywood 

   The 100-year-long relationship between Asians and Hollywood has overcome several obstacles. Nevertheless, it has yet to mature into a relationship that renders more substance. On surface level, the numbers show that representation is still not ideal. A 2021 study by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reviewed 1,300 top-grossing films from the years 2007-2019. The report indicated that less than 6% of Asian Pacific Islanders (API) had speaking roles in these films and less than 4% of APIs were cast as leads or co-leads[11]. 

  However alarming such statistics may seem, the conversation could also be more focused on terms outside of representation. This is because history and contributions of Asians in Hollywood have proven that there is as much of artistic inputs as demographic statistics in their presence. That is, representation alone could rather be superficial solution in deepening the ties between Asians and Hollywood. This is because it limits the role of Asians in Hollywood to overcoming “firsts,” rather than substantially developing upon Hollywood’s film industry. A more pressing issue for the current era in Hollywood may be the ways in which Asians can be represented beyond the sake of “representation.” 

   One way of maturing the relationship—whereby Asian actors and filmmakers are valued in Hollywood for their intrinsic talent—is by including more Asians in films in which the narrative does not revolve around their Asian identifier. While films such as Minari, Shang-chi, and Everything Everywhere All at Once are proofs of the great achievements of Asians in Hollywood, they specifically revolve around the Asian experience. These stories may ultimately desire the inclusion and understanding of Asians. However, with their Asian-specific narratives, what they may be causing is further marking the Asian experience as something inherently different. This may cause unforeseen limits because the conversation centers around a film’s capacity of giving visibility to a minority group, rather than the intrinsic artistic value of the film.  

   Another way to deepen the ties between Asians and Hollywood is by reckoning the broadness of Asia. Hollywood should begin to acknowledge Asia with its due diversity. Asia is a large continent comprising of over forty-five different countries—from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, for the past 100 years, most of the depictions of Asia have been geared towards East Asia. Such specificity may cause limits for both Hollywood and non-East Asian countries’ film industries in appreciating and thus exchanging each other’s artistry. For instance, India’s Bollywood is the global leader in the production of movies[12]. Nevertheless, the South Asian country has gained little recognition in Hollywood[13]. 

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  The presence of Asians in Hollywood has been one defined by perseverance. Starting from the onset of historical and cultural factors that limited the roles of Asian actors and actresses on screen, the following 100 years were marked by several “firsts” Asians had to overcome. In this process of resistance in the industry, there was an exchange of ideas that not only attempted to change western perceptions of the East into more positive notions, but also became big successes in the process. Additionally, the relationship between Asia and Hollywood was also present in the creative process, as several films have been inspired by martial arts and manga. Nevertheless, the relationship between Asians and Hollywood contains unforeseen limits that hinder deeper artistry. 

[1] History

[2] Yellow peril: A metaphor referring to the threat of Eastern Asian peoples to the culture, politics, and economy of the West 

[3] The Washington Post

[4] Dragon lady: A way to stereotypically describe East Asian women as cunning, aggressive, and sexually powerful 

[5] Lotus flower: A way to stereotypically describe East Asian women as passive, innocent, and feminine beings who need the protection of men 

[6] Hays Code: A code used during the 1930s and 1940s in Hollywood that prohibited the depiction of interracial romances or marriages 

[7] ABC News

[8] Peterson Institute for International Economics

[9] Screen Rant 

[10] Manga: 

[11] The Hollywood Reporter

[12] India Perspectives 

[13] Statista