When the 27 Asian men that deserves more screen time article came out, my friend and I automatically tried to come up with a list for Asian women--specifically Asian American women. We had about 5 or 6, but we started throwing in some Asian actresses (those from Asia) to make the list look fuller. Mind you, we only got up to about 12 at most. Is it because we lack knowledge of who is in the field, or is it because Asian/Asian American women haven't been getting enough roles for the average television/movie watcher to remember their names? I don't know. Ever since the birth of the Internet, I don't really watch television anymore. And I'm being honest. But from advertisements and browsing through the web, I don't see a lot of people who look like me on screen. People always ask me who I look up to as an actor, and I try to think of somone--but I draw a blank. Do I even have any real role models? To be honest, I find inspiration from different people--people from the "industry" or not. Actor wise, I look up to Steven Yeun, Sung Kang, Michelle Krusiec, Sandra Oh. Artist wise, I look up to Deth P. Sun, Jeff Staple, and folks at Giant Robot. I love creativity and art that speaks with a purpose. If I was to pinpoint on how I discovered these artists, it was possibly because of actually watching them in a film/show or by reading a feature in an Asian American oriented magazine, meaning they've already been public and sought after. I wonder if there are any undiscovered APA talents out there. If so, I can't wait to discover and learn from more.
To end this on a high-note, seeing Ming-Na Wen on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is pretty freakin' inspiring. I think I need to add her to my list of role models. Oh, and this summer, someone told me I look like a mini Ming-Na. If that's true, I want to play her daughter on that show. Ha! Wishful thinking :D