Entertainment Weekly’s 2018 Entertainers of the Year is finally more diverse than years past
HOLLYWOOD, CA – AUGUST 07: attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Crazy Rich Asiaans” at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on August 7, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The women behind Crazy Rich Asians
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Crazy Rich Asians has become the most successful rom-com in nine years. Since Asian actors and characters have been underrepresented or deliberately cast as side characters in romantic comedy movies, Crazy Rich Asians’ box office revenue is a triumphant success for the film and representation.
The film could also the predominant contributor to the future of continued representation. Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, an experienced television writer with eight years of experience in the industry, tells NBC News that Crazy Rich Asians monetary success validates so many Asian creators and stars and their rightful claims that Asian entertainers should and need to be represented in Hollywood.
Cullen adds, “For us, one hurdle — maybe even the tallest hurdle — is getting networks to believe that audiences will show up for these stories, and I think that’s where Crazy Rich Asians has moved the bar. In Hollywood, numbers speak. And when a movie with all Asian leads brings up $35 million in the first week, executives sit up and take notice.”
Crazy Rich Asians’ success foretells a future in film where underrepresented communities tell new stories. Hopefully, Hollywood listens and makes this a reality in 2019 and beyond.
Aside from the film’s success and what that success stands for, the actresses behind the film also use their work to tell stories that mainstream history textbooks have erased. For example, Emma Chan helped dismantle selective history by appearing in the Britain’s Forgotten Army documentary. The documentary educates viewers on the approximate140,000 Chinese soldiers who fought with the UK army in World War I. However, rectifying history isn’t the only notable accomplishment of the women of Crazy Rich Asians.
Like many of the women of Crazy Rich Asians, Constance Wu thankfully has a growing list of times she’s discussed the entertainment industry’s problem with diversity. As Mic notes, she has spoken out about the infamous whitewashing in Ghost in the Shell and how stereotypical Asian roles only perpetuate stigmas about Asian people.