1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: brain Stuff. Lauren bog obam Here in Crazy Rich Asians 3 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: made history. Aside from being the highest grossing romantic comedy 4 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: in a decade, making two and thirty five million dollars 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: worldwide within weeks of its release, the film featured an 6 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: all Asian cast, making it the first Hollywood production to 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: do so in twenty five years. Perhaps more mind blowing 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: is that star Constance Wu became the first Asian American 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: actress in forty four years to be nominated for a 10 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: Lead Actress Golden Globe, and in one Stephen Yune became 11 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: the first Asian American actor to ever be nominated for 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: a Lead Actor Oscar part of a year of nominations 13 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: with a diversity that's long overdue, but today let's look 14 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: at the pioneering work of Asian American industry icon Anna 15 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: May Wong. On January twenty two, of nWo audiences set 16 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: eyes on Wong and her first starring role as Lotus 17 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: Flower in the film The Toll of the Sea. The 18 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: Los Angeles born actress would go on to appear in 19 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: more than sixty movies throughout her career and leave a 20 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: lasting legacy as Hollywood's first Chinese American film star, but 21 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: a career on stage and screen, including a role in 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: one of the very first Technicolor movies, didn't come easy 23 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: for Wong, and it certainly didn't come without significant struggle 24 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: and sacrifice that's shaped the entertainment industry and paved the 25 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: way for more modern success stories. Born on January three, 26 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 1: of five, Wong was the second of eight children. Her 27 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: birth name is Wang Lu Song, which translates to frosted 28 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: yellow willows. She later incorporated her English moniker Anna May 29 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: into her stage name. Wong's grandfather had emigrated to the 30 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: United States in the eighteen fifties from Taishan, China, and 31 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: her father married a fellow California born descendant of Chinese immigrants. 32 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: The couple opened a laundromat in l A and started 33 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: a family. Wong initially attended California Street Public School, but 34 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: transferred to the Chinese Mission School due to the racial 35 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: prejudice and bullying that she and her siblings faced. In 36 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: the nineteen teens, the film industry began migrating from New 37 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: York to California, and Wong became fascinated by the world 38 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: of cinema. She skipped school to visit production sets and 39 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,119 Speaker 1: see movies, and in nineteen nineteen attended a casting call 40 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: for a movie called The Red Lantern and scored apart 41 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: as an extra. Two years later, Wong dropped out of 42 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: high school and began acting full time. At seventeen, she 43 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: landed her first starring role in the Toll of the Sea, 44 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: a silent version of the film Madam Butterfly. Snagging the 45 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: part was a major triumph, but it didn't prove to 46 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: be the career kickstarter that Wong had hoped for. Due 47 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: to the US's anti miscegenation laws that prevented into racial 48 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: marriage and even on screen kissing between actors of different races, 49 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: and given Hollywood's reluctance to cast Asian American men in 50 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: leading roles, Wong wasn't able to land any roles as 51 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: a romantic lead. She left Hollywood for Europe in ninety eight. There, 52 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: she was a huge success and starred in several notable 53 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: stage productions and films, including Piccadilly In ninety nine. She 54 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: used her newfound celebrity to advocate for several political and 55 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: Chinese American causes and for better film roles, but by 56 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties, Paramount Studios came calling and promised Wong 57 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: leading roles if she returned to the US. The deal 58 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: sounded sweet, but Wong was mostly relegated to playing roles 59 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: that played on stereotypes of Asian people and cultures. She 60 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: accepted the work solely on the idea that she would 61 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: be able to take on more robust roles in the future. 62 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: In nineteen thirty two, she appeared in Shanghai Express alongside 63 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: her friend Marlene Dietrich, and decades later, she became the 64 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: first Asian American to lead a U S television show 65 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifty one series The Gallery of Madam 66 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: lu Song. But she was sorely disappointed when she lost 67 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,119 Speaker 1: out to the German actress Louisa Reiner for the big 68 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: role of oh Lan in the movie adaptation of pearl 69 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: S Bucks The Good Earth. She had planned to travel 70 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: to China, but put off her trip in hopes to 71 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: play a Lan. The studio, however, pushed for Wong to 72 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: play the part of Lotus, the cliche wicked concubine instead. 73 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: Wong refused, she said in a ninety three interview for 74 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 1: film weekly. I was so tired of the parts I 75 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: had to play. There seems little for me in Hollywood 76 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: because rather than real Chinese, producers prefer Hungarians, Mexicans, American 77 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: Indians for Chinese roles. Wong did eventually travel to China, 78 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: where she was also criticized by Chinese people who said 79 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: her films degraded Chinese women, and despite having studied Mandarin Chinese, 80 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: Wong felt she was too American to perform in traditional 81 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: Chinese theater, ironic given that in Hollywood she was considered 82 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: not American enough for most roles there. In nineteen sixty 83 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 84 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: but in nineteen sixty one, tragedy struck when the actress 85 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: and trailblazer died of a heart attack at the young 86 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: age of fifty six. Yes, she was posthumously recognized by 87 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 1: the Asian American Arts Awards and the Asian Fashion Designers Group, 88 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: which both have named annual awards in her honor. Today, 89 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: Wong is still remembered as one of the most important 90 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: Asian American leaders in the entertainment industry and beyond. Today's 91 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: episode is based on the article Chinese American actress Anime 92 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: Wall Alot, racism in life and on screen on how 93 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: stuffworks dot Com. Written by Michelle Konstantinovski. Brain Stuff is 94 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks 95 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more 96 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 97 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.