Here are some photos of Lucy Liu at Paleyfest two weekends ago, supporting her work on Elementary. I love her on Elementary, and it bums me out that Elementary isn’t more beloved and watched. Like, it’s one of the best shows on television and they handle mature discussions about sexual assault and addiction very well. Lucy and Jonny Lee Miller are also fantastic on it and they have great chemistry together, but not in a sexual will-they-get-together sort of way. Anyway, at Paleyfest, Lucy was asked about what it’s like to be such a prominent Asian-American woman in Hollywood. Some of her comments:
What she thinks about Hollywood whitewashing: “That obviously is a hot topic. It’s hard because often times I’m asked not how I feel or how I pride myself as an artist but how I feel as an Asian artist — there’s always some sort of a hangman before the actual thing. That disturbs me a bit. It’s never about the art itself, it’s about the adjective. I’m playing the main act of what’s happening.”
She’s uncomfortable receiving acclaim specifically for being Asian-American: “When you’re asked to go a festival and it’s Asian-American, or it’s an award, it’s specific to ‘that.’ Because I’m ‘that.’ It’s difficult to swallow.”
Being invited to join the Academy: “It was just a big honor. Then, with all that’s been going on, they sent a letter out, basically saying they wanted members to then open up and send a list of people that were ethnic in diversity. I had this moment of, I was just thinking about it. I was just so glad I was accepted into this wonderful group because of my work, not because I am Asian, and now they’re trolling the fields for people who fit that. I want to be acknowledged for my work, not for my ‘fill in the blank.’”
The frustration about having to discuss her race: “It’s exhausting, to have to explain it. Is it difficult? Absolutely. There’s less to have, and there’s more to do, in order to get that less. It’s hard because it’s rare that I’ll be asked a question that is not with that before it. I always have this hyphen, even if it’s a great periodical — sorry to sound so geeky — if it’s a great something that people really respect and admire, they still will ask that as opposed to ‘How does it feel to be an actress in the business?’ It’s never that. ‘How does it feel to be an Asian person in the business?’ I don’t know. I don’t know what it is to be ‘Asian’ because I am a person. I’m a human being. I don’t look in the mirror, honestly, and say, ‘Oh, before I say something, I better remember that I am Asian.’ The whole joke is, like, when you go to China, you don’t order Chinese food, you’re just ordering the f–king food. So, yes, it’s not easy. I want to get the job. I want to get the thought or the acceptance because of my work, not because I have a hyphen before my name.”
This reminded me so strongly of what Mindy Kaling has always said, and I’m paraphrasing but it’s basically like: if you’re a woman of color in the industry, you have to talk endlessly about what it’s like to be a woman of color in the industry and all of the white guys get to talk about their art. Lucy wants to talk about her art. She wants to talk about the show. She wants to talk about what she does an actress, not as an Asian-American woman. But women of color do feel the responsibility so much of the time to actually champion their racial cause because… well, let’s face it, women of color are NOT being given a seat at the table for the most part, and being able to say “Mindy Kaling” and “Lucy Liu” and “Viola Davis” actually changes perceptions around which actresses are even considered for roles.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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