'The heroes of our own stories': Why representation matters in Crazy Rich Asians

Andrea Chiu went to see Crazy Rich Asians the first day it was in theatres.

Afterwards, she took to Facebook to describe how the film affected her more than she was expecting. 

"Greatly underestimated how emotional I would feel whilst watching Crazy Rich Asians," wrote Chiu, a senior communications officer at the CBC. "I may not be crazy rich, but I am Asian and it feels so nice to be finally represented on the big screen."

Chiu isn't the only one to have such a response; the film opened in Canada this week to critical praise and is resonating with Asian-American and Asian-Canadian audiences.

Part of this is due to the fact it's the first movie with an all-Asian cast focused on an Asian-American narrative since The Joy Luck Club was released 25 years ago.

The film is a glitzy romcom with a star-studded cast, including Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding, Awkwafina and Kevin Jeong.

It's had a tonne of buzz, and with a lot to live up to, some are saying its performance could affect the future of Asian representation in Hollywood.

Growing up with a lack of representation

It's only recently that Chiu has reflected on the Asian representation she had growing up. She says that looking back, it's really sad.

There were two Asian role models she saw on TV growing up. The first is current CBC Radio host and former MuchMusic VJ Sook-Yin Lee, who Chiu says remains a hero of hers to this day.

The other? A MadTV character named Miss Swan, who was played by Alex Bornstein, a white actress, and was portrayed as funny for not being able to understand English, says Chiu. 

"Back then I was like: it's an Asian character, that's representation," she said. "But looking back on it, 20 years later, it was a really problematic character built on stereotypes."

Asian people have often been the butt of jokes, says Chiu. But Crazy Rich Asians is different.

"There's certainly a lot of humour in this movie, but we are not the joke, we are part of the joke," she said.

'Not my parents ... Asian.'

Chiu says that part of what made the film so meaningful for her was that it wasn't just an Asian cast: it was a cast of diverse characters that look and sound like her and the people she grew up with.

"These were like British-Chinese people, American-Chinese people, people who are my Asian, not like my parents or my grandparents Asian," Chiu said.

Not everyone is happy with the representation in the film, however, with some saying it's not representative of all Asians, including non-wealthy Asians, and south-east Asians.

Chiu says that though those are valid questions, she's frustrated with these criticisms.

"That pressure shouldn't be put on this one movie, the first movie we've had in 25 years," said Chiu.

More than just a movie

Chiu quotes a sentiment from the film's director, Jon Chu, saying, "this is more than a movie, it's a movement."

She thinks that the movement toward better Asian representation in Hollywood is just beginning and that she hopes Crazy Rich Asians will inspire young Asian creators. 

"Maybe ... seeing themselves on a big screen will help inspire them to pursue a career that that many people before them didn't even think they could consider."

That's the significance of Crazy Rich Asians and its representation, says Chiu — it helps viewers understand the possibilities.

"You don't really realize that you can do something until you see someone who looks like you do it first," said Chiu.

"We can see ourselves as the heroes of our own stories now and that's super significant, I think, not just for me but for generations to come."

To hear more from Andrea Chiu, download our podcast or click the listen button at the top of this page.