Let’s talk about the Oscars…not what social media wants to talk about.
In 2021, Yoon Yoo-jung, the first Korean actress to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, debuted as the host for Best Supporting Actor.
Yoon Yoo Jung, right, presents Troy Kotsur with the award for Best Supporting Actor for an actor’s supporting role in “CODA” during the Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
She wears a UNHCR blue ribbon pin on her skirt in support of the Ukrainian refugee movement.
She also captured the hearts of audiences when she presented the American Sign Language Academy Awards to Troy Kosur, the first deaf actor to win an Academy Award.
After the phrase “Oscars”, Youn stopped to sign “Congratulations.”
Simu Liu arrives at the Oscars (AP Photo/John Locher)
On March 27, “Shang Chi” actor Liu Simu was also the host of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. He presented the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film with Tiffany Haddish.
A scene from Riz Ahmed in the Oscar-winning short The Long Goodbye. (SomeSuch and Left Hand Films via AP)
Of course, South Asians Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for “The Long Goodbye.”
LA Weekly wrote, “The media should celebrate the diversity of the Oscar winners list…instead of arguing over who’s right and who’s wrong,” about the fist that made the collective jaw drop.
In case you missed it, Will Smith hits Chris Rock on stage after Rock directs a GI Jane joke to Smith’s wife and actress Jada Pinkett Smith .
It “should not be about being a ‘Rock Band’ or a ‘Team Smith’…it’s about the movies,” LA Weekly said. “Despite the tough past few years for the film industry due to the pandemic, last night showed that art can still be powerful and inspiring, and that it is becoming more inclusive.
Especially after the #OscarSoWhite boycott of 2016 (in which the Smiths were involved), it was important to put personal feelings aside and focus on the progress. “
Since the worldwide popularity of #OscarsSoWhite, the Academy has been trying to be more inclusive of people of color in its nominations.
This change has also been reflected in the past few years, with the Academy passing several milestones in the previous two awards, with Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” becoming the first foreign film ever to win Best Picture in 2019 , while Zhao Wei made history and is only the second woman to win Best Director for Nomadland in 2020.
It’s been slow, but it’s certainly a start.
We love seeing Asian hosts and nominees show off their heritage through traditional attire on the red carpet.
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Kelly Marie Tran wears green áo dài by Thai Nguyen. (From Thai Nguyen’s Instagram page)
“Raya and the Last Dragon” actress Kelly Marie Tran has become the first actress in Oscar history to be in áo dài – her emerald green dress was specially designed for her by Vietnamese-American designer Thai Nguyen.
‘Writing with Fire’ directors Lintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh both walked the red carpet in traditional Indian attire, as did ‘Lunana’ director Paavo Jonin Dorgi Ghosh in Bhutan.
Pawo Choyning Dorji arrives at the Oscars (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Let’s see more Asian performances on and behind the scenes on the big and small screens. Traditionally, this is not a career path that Asian parents would approve or condone. Maybe it’s time to make a change. What’s not to like? Those who are successful in the entertainment industry enjoy money and prestige (check the box for Asian parents) as well as fame. It’s time for a bigger role — literally and figuratively.
