The world of Nancy Kwan
Hong Kong-born Nancy Kwan was catapulted into the international spotlight as the eponymous lead in the movie classic The World of Suzie Wong. Sixty-one years on, Kwan remains just as charming and active, writing and producing films. Faye Bradley reports.
An inspiration to many
Meaty roles for Asian actors are still rare in Hollywood, although the racial imbalance is gradually shifting. "There have been a lot of changes in the motion picture industry, especially regarding minorities working in the business," Kwan says. "There are so many young, talented Asian actors waiting for their chance. Hopefully their time is now!"
Dong, who made the documentary Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films (2007), points out that actors of Asian descent in Hollywood today - although they are still a small minority - "have more agency to speak up and say 'no' when offered demeaning work". He adds, "some actors, most recently Gemma Chan, have also started their own production companies to develop projects, instead of relying on and waiting for outside forces to call them."
Recent examples of Hollywood films with all-Asian casts that have found box office success include Marvel's Shang-Chi (2021) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018), the latter based on a novel by Kevin Kwan, a cousin of Nancy's. Many Hollywood-watchers feel that at least a part of these recent successes is owed to pioneers like Nancy Kwan.
"Sixty years on and cineastes still talk about the impact Suzie Wong had on the movie-going world," says Jamieson.
Karger concurs: "When we applaud films like Crazy Rich Asians for featuring an all-Asian cast, it's necessary to acknowledge movies like Flower Drum Song, which also included a virtually all-Asian cast, almost 50 years earlier."
