Variety: Half a lifetime ago, a teenage Nora Lum saw Margaret Cho and felt a spark of hope. Even going to a performing arts high school in Queens, N.Y., didn’t give her much confidence that the music industry would understand her, a restless Asian-American tomboy with equally brash and nervous energy to spare. She even gave herself the name “Awkwafina” to poke fun at her own awkwardness, stemming from the fact that she was never quite sure of her place in the world.
5 comments:
I love Awkwafina! She’s an incredible actress, and an incredible creative singer/songwriter. Margaret Cho has been one of my favorite comedians since I started watching comedy. I initially did not want to click on this article because I feel like inclusivity is something I’ve read about too many times and I feel like I end up saying the same thing everytime. The fact that she's had the opportunity to build writer rooms and pull from people outside of hollywood is incredible. To make a writers’ room that can be mostly woman is incredible. She's had some incredible opportunities where she's experienced supportive strong females. I’m actually jealous. Awkwafina is one of my role models in how she focuses on finding voices outside of hollywood that can contribute to the conversation, and how she embraces herself. The success that she has gained so far is so beyond well deserved. I am so happy to see her success and I am going to go watch The Farewell this weekend because of this article.
I hadn't really heard of Awkwafina or seen any of her work before she hosted SNL a year ago. She is such a fantastic comedian and I loved her in "Crazy Rich Asians", but I am glad that I read this article because I had no idea about a lot of her newer projects. Her priority to reach out to new voices makes me like her even more because I think that finding new artists is such an important part of a successful artist's responsibility after they have established themselves in their industry. This isn't to say that I think finding new talent is a requirement for any performer, but I think that doing so shows that Nora Lum understands the impact that she has and can continue to make across many different industries. Nora is such a talented actress, and I am so thankful that she is using her fame not only to be an inspiration for other asian performers, but also to pave that road for the next generation.
It's not often you see norm-defying Asian-American women in mainstream media. Representation is always good, but for a long time, I thought I was okay with just seeing white people and men onscreen as long as they don't disparage people of color and women. That was before I saw more and more women and people of color onscreen. There was a never before known-to-me relief and calm that accompanied seeing specifically Asian women in film and television. I am grateful that people like Awkwafina are stepping up and being so unabashedly themselves, being Asian, being a woman, tomboyish or not. It gives me a sense of joy, because I am them and they are me. Seeing these women succeed gives me confidence that I too can make it in this world. People like Awkwafina prove that adversities of gender and race can be overcome and are role models for many.
I’m so excited for Awkwafina’s future projects. As someone who lived in Asia for their entire life, it was really rare to see myself represented in Hollywood. However, what makes Awkwafina unique is she is not a stereotypical Asian American woman. She defies all the norms with her unabashed personality. In terms of style, she can jump from a hard core tom boy to an elegant woman. That’s what I love about her the most. She is not just representing Asian Americans on screen but furthermore, she’s representing someone who is just themself. One thing that I didn’t know was there no Asian American woman has won Best Actress at the Oscars. That says a lot about diversity in the film industry but I also wanted to bring up the issues with “Asian American” representation. Awkwafina represents Chinese Americans. There are many other Americans of Asian descent. I personally don’t like the umbrella term “Asian American” because it’s sort of xenophobic considering that people don’t say they are “European American”. Also, Asia is such a big continent, including so many different countries and cultures. Americans of Chinese descent are different from Americans of Indian descent yet they are all grouped under the same category. However, I am grateful that Asian Americans are getting represented more in general. I am hopeful for more in the future!
Awkwafina has made monuments for comedy, for Asian-Americans, and for herself. This is such a refreshing article to read because it really demonstrates how far she's come and how willing she is to stay in this industry and continue to make film and television great again. Really, she's paved a way for a type of comedy that is both socially aware and highly effective. Her work in Crazy Rich Asians was some of the funniest I've ever seen, and I am very impressed with the type of comedy she brings to the table. I agree with Ella here, she's also such an advocate for Asian-Americans working in the entertainment industry and its because of actors like her that more films that represent and portray the Asian experience on screen are shown and widely distributed. I'm looking forward to more comedians like Awkwafine and Margaret Cho to take the big screen, and continue to revolutionize the industry.
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