15 Asian American And Pacific Islanders Who Are Making Waves In Hollywood

We're making positive movement for inclusivity and diversity, and these AAPI celebs are helping

Kylin

• Published in Film & TV
• June 25, 2022

Even though May has come and gone, (or maybe it’s come again, depending on when you’re reading this,) it’s still important to acknowledge, honor, or otherwise recognize what is becoming more of a celebrated event: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Moreso, the Asian and Pacific Americans who are living in a time where violence and racism against them and their cultures are on the rise.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month became official in 1992 when Congress passed the law. The month of May was chosen as there were several significant moments in history relating to Asian immigrants and their contributions to America’s history.

"The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants," the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month website says.

While as a society, we’re still working towards equitable diversity in all things, the entertainment industry has been a major focus. Fortunately, there seems to be (albeit slow) change, and we’re seeing more AAPI celebrities, musicians, and athletes in the spotlight.

We have a long way to go for actual diverse representation in Hollywood, and in general, we want to take the time to celebrate the Asian American celebrities that are making positive contributions to our world. Read on to see which AAPI celebrities have been making waves lately.

1. Constance Wu

The Chinese-American actress may be best known for starring in Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians.

"I'm very happy with the kind of change that's been happening."

"It's exciting to see so many stories by and about Asian American people," she told The Guardian, "I'm very happy with the kind of change that's been happening."

2. Olivia Rodrigo

After her breakout role on Disney's High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Rodrigo really found herself as a solo musical artist with hits like "Driver's License" and "Good 4U."

"I think it is important for people to embrace their culture and learn about their history"

"My family and culture are a big part of who I am. I think it is important for people to embrace their culture and learn about their history," she shared about her Filipino heritage.

3. Auli'i Cravalho

Auli'i Cravalho, the voice behind the titular character in Disney's Moana, and starring in Hulu's movie Crush, is a native Hawaiian.

She's always been vocal about supporting her community.

She recently made headlines criticizing protestors who wanted to reopen Hawaii during the initial pandemic lockdowns.

4. Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris is not only the first Black American but also the first South Asian American to be elected vice president of the United States.

Her parents are immigrants from Jamaica and India

She was born in Oakland, California.

5. Sandra Oh

in 2019, Sandra Oh became the first Asian woman in 40 years to win a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama. She's most famously known for starring in Grey's Anatomy, and Killing Eve, and voiced Ming Lee, Meilin's mom, in Pixar's Turning Red.

"It's an honor just to be Asian."

She famously said at the Emmys, "It's an honor just to be Asian."

6. Hayley Kiyoko

Kiyoko is a triple threat, as a singer/songwriter, actor and director. She has been open about being biracial, she's Japanese, Scottish, and Welsh.

"Naturally being biracial shapes you as a person because you experience different things."

"As an actress for example, I'm constantly going out for Asian American roles and 'I'm not Asian enough,'" she told Mandatory. "They will flat out say that. Then I'll go out for open ethnicity roles, and they will go, 'You're not white enough.' It's just part of who I am and what I look like."

7. Dwayne Johnson

We all know and love Dwayne Johnson, whether it be from his wrestling career, the Fast & The Furious franchise, or Moana. The Native Hawaiian keeps busy, and he is one of the world's highest-paid actors.

He's always been outspoken about his love of Hawaii

"There's no place like these islands. They are alive. And the mana is real — it's strong and powerful," he told Travel & Leisure. "You get lost in time when you're over here. In New York and LA, it's a nonstop treadmill. But you come out here and you just lose track of time. I'm a big evangelist when it comes to talking about aloha spirit and what that means."

8. Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen has been open about her Thai heritage and shares the influences it has on her life and the recipes she shares. She expressed a growing worry about the safety of her mother, Vilailuck "Pepper" Teigen, as the ongoing violence against Asian Americans continues to grow.

"But I think we know what it is."

"I automatically think of when my mom's without me, how do people look at her?" she said. "How do people treat her? A lot of mothers and fathers are being targeted around the country, and it's so obvious to me what the motive is. It doesn't seem to be obvious to the politicians out there who are saying, 'We're not quite sure of the motive.' But I think we know what it is."

9. Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi is beloved for the films and shows that he's directed or starred in, most recently starring in HBO's Our Flag Means Death. The half-Polynesian superstar has said that growing up in New Zealand with his heritage was hard, due to racism against Maori and Polynesian people.

"There's still profiling when it comes to Polynesians."

"I think New Zealand is the best place on the planet, but it's a racist place," he told The Guardian. "People just flat out refuse to pronounce Maori names properly. There's still profiling when it comes to Polynesians. It's not even a color thing — like, 'Oh, there's a Black person.' It's, 'If you're Poly then you're getting profiled.'"

10. Keanu Reeves

While Keanu Reeves is the Internet's Boyfriend, I'm not sure many people knew until more recently that he has Asian heritage, as his father is Chinese Hawaiian.

"My relationship to my Asian identity, it's always been good and healthy."

"My relationship to my Asian identity, it's always been good and healthy. And I love it. We've been growing up together." He told NBC Asian America "with a smile."

11. Jason Momoa

Although Momoa has been involved in Hollywood for years, he really exploded onto screens with his roles in Game of Thrones and Aquaman. The Hawaiian-born actor has roots in Hawaiian and Pawnee heritages.

With roles in major projects including Game of Thrones and Aquaman, it's hard to ignore the mark that Jason Momoa has already left on Hollywood, all while being proud of his Hawaiian heritage. He even launched his own line of water in recyclable aluminum cans inspired by his love of Hawaii and his mission to protect the planet.

His love of Hawaii inspired him to launch his own line of water.

Mananalu Water is sold in recyclable aluminum cans and is a Certified Plastic Negative product, meaning they remove twice as much plastic from nature as they use.

12. Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka is a tennis legend, winning four Grand Slams, and is the first Asian tennis player to hold the Number 1 ranking by the Women's Tennis Association.

Tennis legend Naomi Osaka isn't stopping at playing the sport — she has also started her own sports agency, as she announced in May 2022. Naomi is the first Asian tennis player to hold the

She announced in May 2022 that she's started her own sports agency.

“I’ve spent my career doing things my way, even when people told me that it wasn’t what was expected or traditional. Evolve is the natural next step in my journey as both an athlete and businesswoman,” Osaka told Sportico.

13. Ali Wong

Ali Wong is a seriously funny woman and draws from her Asian upbringing with Chinese and Vietnamese parents for a lot of her content. She's had three Netflix specials so far.

The comedian mother is also an actress and writer

She starred in Netflix's rom-com Always Be My Maybe (which includes a very silly cameo by another remarkable person on this list, Keanu Reeves).

14. Olivia Munn

Actress Olivia Munn paid tribute to her Chinese-Vietnamese heritage in naming her son she had with partner John Mulaney, Malcolm Hiệp.

Munn said when she first started as an actress, many times she was told she was “too white” to play the Asian role and “too Asian” to play the white role.

"I would see roles that were very ethnic neutral, but they would always go to the white girl," she said during a speech at USC. "[Then] somebody told me, 'Don't worry because one day they will have to match them to you.' It was that confidence that somebody else had changed my way of thinking. I didn't know how to think that way."

15. Ross Butler

Ross Butler may be a familiar face if you're a fan of teen-centered shows, with roles in shows like Teen Wolf, 13 Reasons Why, and Riverdale. Taking advantage of his platform, he's been vocal about the lack of nonstereotypical roles for Asian actors in Hollywood.

"We're a very underrepresented population in Hollywood, but we are the majority population of the world," he told Refinery 29.

"It's a weird dichotomy that we have here. It's starting to get better and we are starting to see more Asians in roles, but we're not seeing a lot of Asians playing roles [that are] not specifically written for Asians." he told Refinery 29.

Was there an actor or other celeb on this list that you didn’t already know had Asian heritage? Or did we miss an opportunity to include another notable AAPI celebrity in this list?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends!

Kylin