The last few years have seen an increase in Asian representation that has gone beyond stereotypical roles, but Lucy Liu, who feels hopeful about the future, still thinks the film industry has a “long way to go.” In an interview with People, she spoke about her career and the improvements made, as seen with films like Everything Everywhere All at Once.
For over 25 years, Lucy Liu has been a bright spot for Asian representation. While it was never perfect as the industry would offer racist and stereotypical roles, which has led her to “fight for roles” and “go in against all odds,” she became known for films like Kill Bill and Charlie’s Angels, which made her stand out in the industry. She also got to deliver a new take on Watson in the Sherlock Holmes series Elementary. Now, she gets to play the goddess Kalypso in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
In recent years, more films have done a better job of representing the community with success, like Minari and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Last year, Everything Everywhere All at Once went against all expectations for an independent film with a mostly Asian cast. A24 has become a prominent indie studio but has not found the kind of success as the Michelle Yeoh multiverse film. For Lucy Liu, films that deliver positive Asian representation like this finding success are just “the beginning” of a movement.
“I understand that a lot of places have a check box and they have to meet a certain percentage, and sometimes that has to happen before it becomes the norm. So I still think we have a long way to go, but it is creating a space and hopefully some sense of normalcy to see that as it activates itself in hopefully a more natural way.”
Lucy Liu on Asian representation in film needing work but still improving
While finding proper roles for adequate Asian representation could be a struggle for Lucy Liu, she has found great success in Hollywood. Due to this, she keeps herself busy. Following Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ upcoming release next week (March 17), she will be on set after set for various projects. She will star in Kung Fu Panda 4, A Man in Full, Red One, Exploding Kittens, Nobody Nothing Nowhere, and an untitled ABC workplace comedy.