“My journey began on a ship. I spent a yr in a refugee camp, and one way or the other I ended up right here on Hollywood’s largest stage. They are saying tales like this solely occur within the films. I can’t imagine it is taking place to me — that is the American dream.” 

These have been the phrases that Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan uttered throughout his acceptance speech on the Academy Awards in March. He left his viewers teary-eyed.

That evening didn’t simply change Quan’s life. It additionally ignited a debate concerning the significance of Asian illustration in Hollywood. 

Quan gained the Oscar for finest supporting actor for his position in “Every little thing All over the place All at As soon as,” making him solely the second actor of Asian descent to win on this class. 

On the Milken Institute Asia Summit in Singapore final week, the 52-year-old actor highlighted that Asians have a “enormous affect on how Hollywood tales are being advised.”

“The rationale why issues have modified within the final 10 to fifteen years is due to the massive Chinese language market that opened up,” he stated, explaining that Hollywood executives started producing movies round Asian characters to higher “faucet into that market.” 

“Whether or not an Asian actor performs a hero, or facilities round an Asian household … Once you exit and help these films, it sends a transparent message to Hollywood that [the audience] need extra of this.”

“Every little thing All over the place All at As soon as” dominated the Oscars this yr, clinching seven awards together with finest image, finest actress, finest director, finest modifying, finest supporting actor, finest supporting actress and finest unique screenplay.

Michelle Yeoh made historical past as the primary Asian to win the perfect actress award. 

Quan didn’t draw back from talking concerning the ongoing Hollywood strikes. 

Since Could, Hollywood writers have been on the picket strains protesting for higher wages, advantages and stronger job safety. Subsequently, Hollywood actors started protesting for a similar causes in July.

The scarcity of labor in Hollywood has bulldozed the leisure trade as manufacturing for movies, tv reveals and discuss reveals halted or have been compelled to wrap up early.

The battle pits the 2 unions — the Writers Guild of America and the actors guild, SAG-AFTRA — towards the Alliance of Movement Image and Tv Producers, a commerce group that bargains for main studios and streaming companies.  

“We would not strike except our existence trusted it,” stated Quan. “We’re not asking for a lot, we’re simply asking for a good deal.” 

Talking to the viewers at Milken, Quan stated he “is aware of what everyone’s going throug.”

He shared about how he misplaced his medical insurance through the pandemic and the challenges he confronted when he didn’t have common work. 

“After I needed to fill out an software and so they requested [for my] career, I all the time questioned what to place down as a result of I might work every week after which be unemployed for a yr, work a month and be unemployed for 2 years.” 

“There are a whole lot of individuals working collectively, and lots of instances, the crew will get paid little or no cash,” Quan stated. “They’re solely there as a result of they imagine within the sweat and so they need to come collectively and inform that one single story.”

Whereas there is no finish in sight for the strikes, there is a glimmer of hope because the Writers Guild of America is anticipated to renew talks with Hollywood studios on Wednesday.