Netflix’s Asian Stars Reveal the ‘Badass’ Icons That Inspired Them
From Bling Empire to Never Have I Ever, Netflix stars reveal the Asian talents who’ve inspired them.
Phil Bray/Netflix
To celebrate the launch of Golden, Netflix’s new Twitter and Instagram channels highlighting Asian talent and storytelling, we asked some of our favorite Asian stars to tell us which Asian artist or icon inspired them and why. Check out what they had to say!
Michelle Yeoh
Marco Polo, Gunpowder Milkshake, The Witcher: Blood Origin (upcoming)
Ang Lee. As a filmmaker and collaborator, the mutual feeling of trust that he instills is second to none and has allowed him to push boundaries in ways that haven’t existed. No detail is too small to him, and getting to witness his craft firsthand continues to inspire me to seek out new challenges and see things with new eyes.
Ed Araquel/Netflix
Randall Park
Always Be My Maybe, Human Resources, Blockbuster (upcoming)
The late, great Pat Morita, because he was a true trailblazer in TV and film, and he was always funny, charming and relatable.
Dev Patel
Hotel Mumbai, Monkey Man (upcoming)
Bruce Lee. I used to sneak downstairs and watch him on the TV through the banister when I was supposed to be sleeping. He had an incredible on-screen presence and was the definition of an Asian icon, with dark skin and dark hair — someone who looked like me that I could aspire to be.
Freida Pinto
Love Wedding Repeat, Hillbilly Elegy, Intrusion
I was very inspired by Smita Patil, growing up in India. Her restrained and beautifully nuanced performances inspire my craft. With the streaming era being our main medium of film and TV consumption, I hope the world will be able to witness the depths of her unparalleled talent.
Charithra Chandran
Bridgerton
A fellow Tamilian, MIA is a successful multi-hyphenate performer who has inspired me through her authenticity and the unequivocal pride she has for her heritage. She always incorporates elements of her culture into everything she does. Growing up, I rarely saw myself represented in the media, it made me want to conform and distance myself from everything that made me different and special. Seeing MIA be so unabashedly Tamil made me want to do the same.
Kelly Mi Li
Bling Empire
There are many talented and inspirational people in our AAPI community who make an impact every single day. Among them is Lisa Ling, an award-winning journalist, television personality and author, who I have always admired. We are all well aware of Ling’s decades-long work in journalism and her focus on bringing awareness to very difficult topics. However, it is Ling’s unwavering devotion and support to our AAPI community that has continuously inspired me. Ling has constantly spoken out about the importance of diversity and representation for our AAPI community. Her support has shown especially through her fearless stand with the Stop Asian Hate movement, where she [uses] her platform and voice to denounce hate.
Seeing an empowering Asian woman choose a career path in media — something that is not common in Asian culture — and use her platform in such an influential way inspires me to continue being the best person I can be. It has reminded me of how important it is to stand up for what you believe in and come together in our community, as we are all making a difference together.
Kevin Kreider
Bling Empire
Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up with any public figures in entertainment that I wanted to aspire to because they were all martial artists who never got girls and were made fun of. Someone I looked up to though was Ichiro [Suzuki], the baseball player with the Seattle Mariners. He looked badass and was one of the fastest players.
Kim Lee
Bling Empire
Awkwafina. She’s funny and very talented. She did music before, and now she’s on the big screen.
Guy Tang
Bling Empire
Godfrey Gao, may he rest in peace. He [broke] Asian men stereotypes. Very good actor, handsome and great sense of style.
Anupam Tripathi
Squid Game, Space Sweepers
Irrfan Khan. The way Irrfan Khan performed all over the world is super inspiring to me. He showed how the actor can cross all boundaries [to reach] each and every audience who don’t even understand the language. He’s also an Indian actor and my role model who I admire a lot. Among his many films, Life of Pi is my favorite.
Anna Cathcart
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, To All the Boys: Always and Forever
The main cast of Kim’s Convenience, because they’re not only Asian but Asian Canadian, which is extra special for me. I’ve been a fan of the show since day one — they’re all so talented!!
Hayden Szeto
Tigertail
Bruce Lee, because the Hong Kong spirit and work ethic is infectious.
Hari Kondabolu
Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives
I watched Margaret Cho do standup on TV when I was 14, and that was what inspired me to do comedy. Seeing a strong Asian American speak with confidence about her experiences, her immigrant parents and her points of view made me believe I could do it too.
Abraham Lim
Clickbait
While there are so many incredibly talented Asian actors and actresses that have walked before me whose work I admire tremendously, I’d say that Song Kang-ho inspired me greatly. For many years, his work has been — and continues to be — so deeply empathetic and transformative, transcending the confines of the traditional norms of masculinity in Korea. Every story he tells is so honest (sometimes painfully so), it is no wonder his work has gone beyond the barriers of subtitles to touch the hearts of audiences on a global scale.
Christopher Smith/Netflix
Tan France
Queer Eye, Queer Eye: We’re in Japan!
Seeing Mindy Kaling on a major show, The Office, really inspired the younger me. Before then, I [believed] that our lives and stories didn’t interest the wider audience, and what she’s done since then has kept me inspired and motivated.
Janel Parrish
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, To All the Boys: Always and Forever
Lea Salonga and Nancy Kwan. Growing up, I fell in love with musicals. Seeing faces like mine portrayed on stage and on screen inspired me and motivated me. I, too, could do that if they could. Such talented ladies!
Alan Yang
Tigertail, Master of None
As a kid, I looked up to tennis player Michael Chang. I still hope to someday be a 17-year-old who wins the French Open.
Isabella B. Vosmikova/Netflix
Richa Moorjani
Never Have I Ever
Sarita Choudhury in Mississippi Masala (and everything she does). Growing up in a time when I never saw anyone who looked like me on screen, I remember feeling so proud and inspired seeing Sarita playing powerful leading roles, and it gave me the confidence to pursue acting in Hollywood.
Momona Tamada
The Baby-Sitters Club, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, To All the Boys: Always and Forever
There have been so many individuals who have inspired me throughout the years, but if I had to pick one, I would say Gemma Chan. She has inspired me not only as an actress in the film industry but as a person. Seeing what she has been able to accomplish using her voice endlessly encourages and influences me to do the same.
Megan Suri
Never Have I Ever, Atypical
I’m grateful that I’ve gotten to work on a variety of projects surrounded by Asian talent whom I’m constantly finding myself inspired by. However, not just because she’s my boss, but Mindy Kaling is definitely one of the multi-hyphenate talents I have found myself being fervently inspired by.
To really unpack her journey as a South Asian actor/writer in a time [when] diversity wasn’t of much significance, to see her now being an accomplished actor in multiple hit TV shows (some of which she herself has either created or wrote for) as well as the author of many successful books, to see her having her own production company — with which she has not only extended the symbolic ladder but simultaneously created a pathway for fellow Asian talent, and it seems like she’s just getting started — is nothing but inspirational.
She’s badass.
Daniel Joseph Corpuz
School of Chocolate
Pastry chef Yam Lok Hin. Chef Hin is not widely known, but his work has inspired me because of his style and artistry when it comes to pastry and chocolate. It has certainly inspired much of my work when it comes to flavor combinations and color use.
For more on Netflix titles spotlighting Asian talent and creators, follow Golden on Twitter and Instagram.
And as a bonus, watch Ken Jeong, Freida Pinto, Tan France, Jon M. Chu, and the casts of Never Have I Ever, Bling Empire and more welcome you to Golden!
This article originally appeared on Netflix Tudum.