Meet the Asian stars taking Hollywood by storm
The impact of Asian actors and filmmakers, and actors and filmmakers of Asian descent, has never been so prominent. With no fewer than four Asian actors nominated for prestigious Academy Awards and even more for behind-the-camera recognition, the gifts that different perspectives can bring are as clear as ever. Of course though, this isn’t the first time that Asians and people of Asian descent have made their mark on the world of Hollywood.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ cast
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ appears to have won everything at every award show all at once, capping off an incredible season by making history at the Academy Awards in 2023 and becoming the most-awarded Best Picture winner since 2008’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ In addition to Best Picture, the Asian-led film picked up Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh—who was the first Asian person to ever win the award—Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, along with Best Director, Film Editing, and Original Screenplay.
That’s a total of seven Oscars, which comes close to the eight ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ picked up in 2009. Only three other films have passed that number in Oscars history (‘Ben-Hur,’ ‘Titanic,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’). ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ was actually nominated for a total of 11 awards, but had two actresses in the same category so it would have been impossible to win them all anyway. The night was a historic moment for Asian stars who celebrated from around the world.
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Ke Huy Quan
Vietnamese-American actor Ke Huy Quan has graced the world with the comeback story of the century. First finding minor fame as a child actor in films such as ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984) and ‘The Goonies’ (1985), he burst back onto the scene in 2022 with his endearing and Oscar-winning performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’
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Stephanie Hsu
Working alongside a cast full of veteran actors in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ Stephanie Hsu still managed to make an incredible splash with her gleefully chaotic and emotional performance. She was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to her co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.
Sandra Oh
The world first became enamored with Canadian-American actress Sandra Oh during her time on the long-running medical drama series ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ Sandra Oh continues to impress, and has given excellent performances as the titular Eve in the hit show ‘Killing Eve,’ and voiced a leading part in the 2022 Oscar-nominated ‘Turning Red.’ She was born to South Korean parents.
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Riz Ahmed
British-Pakistani actor and rapper Riz Ahmed has become a creative powerhouse over recent years. Apart from his critically acclaimed forays into music, Ahmed has also been nominated for multiple awards for his onscreen performances, including an Academy Award for Best Actor nod for his role in 2019’s ‘The Sound of Metal.’
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Simu Liu
Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu found international acclaim for his titular role as Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel film ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ Besides further Marvel projects, fans can expect to see him in the upcoming ‘Barbie’ movie.
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Chloé Zhao
Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao first found widespread recognition in 2020, following the success of her film ‘Nomadland.’ Zhao became the second woman and the very first non-white woman in history to win the Academy Award for Best Director.
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Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American actor who has kept himself very busy over the years. First finding recognition thanks to his recurring role in the HBO series ‘Silicon Valley,’ Nanjiani has continued to impress with roles in films such as 2017’s ‘The Big Sick,’ a film which he also co-wrote with his wife Emily V. Gordon.
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Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho has been an incredibly popular director in his home of South Korea for decades, but it was in 2019 that he found massive international fame with his film ‘Parasite.’ It became the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Henry Golding
Malaysian-British actor Henry Golding burst onto the radar in 2018 with his starring role in ‘Crazy Rich Asians.’ Since then, Golding continues to prove himself as a promising actor with additional starring roles.
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John Cho
Remembered by most for his role as Harold in the ‘Harold & Kumar’ series of comedy films, South Korea-born American actor John Cho started making a comeback in 2021 with his lead role in the live-action reboot of an anime classic, ‘Cowboy Bebop.’
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Dev Patel
Ever since his starring role in Danny Boyle’s award-winning 2008 film ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ British-Indian actor Dev Patel has continued to stand tall in the limelight. With recent hits like the critically-acclaimed ‘Lion’ from 2016 and the medieval powerhouse ‘The Green Knight’ (2021), Patel doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
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Ken Watanabe
Japanese actor Ken Watanabe is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in ‘The Last Samurai’ (2003). The veteran actor has continued to be a familiar face in theaters around the world.
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