Movie Stars of AAPI Heritage | Part II

Over the last year, many actors and filmmakers of Asian descent celebrated artistic achievements on the big screen (and on the red carpet). In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, read part two in our feature about a few of these stars and find out where you can see them next.

The Indian film "RRR" brought millions of people to theaters around the world last year, and "Naatu Naatu" became the first song from an Asian film to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.

The three-hour long action-adventure epic tells a fictionalized story involving two real-life early 20th-century Indian revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr., AKA NTR Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan). Charan is currently filming "Game Changer," a political action film about bureaucracy and India's electoral system. NTR Jr. is working on his 30th film, a drama with the working title "NTR 30." He has two additional films in pre-production, including a sequel to 2019's Hindi-language film "War," which is part of India's popular YRF Spy Universe. "RRR" director and co-writer S.S. Rajamouli also has several films lined up, including one described as a jungle adventure set in Africa with elements of James Bond and Indiana Jones.

Another well-received film of the past year is Disney Pixar's "Turning Red," which earned rave reviews, garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, and fared well in its streaming release on Disney+. The film follows a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) who turns into a giant red panda when she gets too excited. Sandra Oh voices her strict mother whose high standards and expectations cause her daughter's condition to worsen. Chiang will next appear in an episode of the upcoming Disney+ animated series "American Born Chinese," dropping on May 24. She also has two additional series in the works, "Man Imperfect" and "The Audacious Adventures of Audra Lee." Oh has multiple projects in various stages of production. She will soon be co-starring with Awkwafina in a film with the working title "Untitled Sister Comedy Project." Next year, she will appear in HBO's limited miniseries "The Sympathizer," an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. She will also lend her voice to the animated feature "The Tiger's Apprentice" also scheduled for release next year.

Thai actress Hong Chau also had a breakthrough year, earning an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in "The Whale." She can currently be seen playing White House Chief of Staff Diane Farr in Netflix's series "The Night Agent," a conspiracy thriller that premiered earlier this year and has been greenlit for a second season. In June, she will appear in Wes Anderson's new film "Asteroid City," a sci-fi comedy-drama set in 1955. She is also part of the all-star cast in Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming film "AND," which is currently in post-production. We are also excited for her upcoming film "The Instigators," which is currently filming and includes scenes shot at one of Broadway Stages’ facilities in NYC.

We can't wait to see these upcoming productions! If you missed any of these fantastic performances, we encourage you to check them out and join us in celebrating great entertainment and  Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.