Archive: Anna May Wong
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Disney delayed the worldwide release of the live action adaptation of its classic animation, Mulan. Mulan tells the tale of a Chinese girl who secretly takes her father’s spot in the army when the country faces a Hun invasion. The live-action adventure was highly anticipated as a big moment for Chinese representation on the big screen.
Mulan’s adventure is postponed for now, but the heroine is far from the first Chinese women to create Hollywood buzz. Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American actress in Hollywood and a true pioneer for Chinese representation in the business.
Like Mulan, Wong’s destiny was forged by her own tenacity. Wong was born in 1905 to laundry mat owners in California. She grew up working at the family business with her eight siblings but once the film industry moved to California, show business was the only thing keeping her attention.
Little Anna May would skip school to observe the productions filming around Chinatown. She would use her lunch money to go to the cinema. The glitz and glam of the movies infatuated her and Wong knew she was destined to be a part of it.
In 1919, Wong sought out her first acting role when an upcoming film put out a casting call for a Chinese woman. Going behind her father’s back, Wong secured a meeting with the assistant director and became an extra in the silent film The Red Lantern.
She built up a number of appearances as an extra before receiving her first leading role at the age of 17. Wong was cast as Lotus Flower in The Toll of the Sea, one of the first movies filmed in color. Lotus Flower falls in love with an American man but drowns herself when he leaves her for an American woman.
Tragic characters like Lotus Flower were common for Wong as the industry would not cast a Chinese American as a romantic lead. Laws forbid an on-screen kiss between her and a white man. If she was not cast as a tragic character, she was boxed into roles leaning into “oriental” stereotypes like 1924’s The Thief of Baghdad.
Anna May Wong
Ever the trailblazer, Wong decided to start her own production company in order to represent Chinese culture and give her the leading lady role she desired. Unfortunately, Anna May Wong Productions failed rather quickly, and the actress fled to Europe for more acting opportunities.
In Europe, she received fleshed-out roles she was capable of portraying. She starred in a variety of films and plays including Picadilly, A Circle of Chalk, Schmutziges Geld and Tschun Tschi. In 1930, The Flame of Love became Wong’s first talking film. Her European success left the United States craving more and Hollywood promised her better roles upon a return.
Wong reveled in international stardom and flip-flopped between the American and European film scenes. She appeared in Shanghai Express during this time, a movie that brought her lots of notoriety in the USA.
Wong was a household name but certain studios still wanted to type cast her in stereotypical roles. She turned down several parts that she deemed offensive. Ironically, the time she wanted to play a Chinese character in The Good Earth; MGM gave the part to a white actress who used yellow-face. Despite her acclaim, the underlying bigotry in Hollywood was still apparent.
Wong appeared in United States propaganda films during World War II. She toured China and advocated for the Chinese people effected by the war. She also transitioned to the small screen and became the first Asian American to lead a television series on The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.
She was slated to make a cinematic comeback in the 1960’s with Rodger and Hammerstein’s all-Asian musical, Flower Drum Song. Health issues forced her to drop out. Wong died of a heart-attack in 1961.
Wong’s persistence in the business and fight for better representation was crucial for creating the current reality where Chinese women are achieving success.
In the present day, Chinese Americans are front and center in dynamic, different roles that Wong could only dreamt of playing. Comedienne Awkwafina starred in hit movies Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8. Along with a new Comedy Central series, the breakout actress became the first Asian American women to win a Golden Globe in a lead actress category for her role in The Farewell.
Lucy Liu, Ming Na Wen, and Michelle Yeoh are a few other notable Chinese actresses who have broken out into mainstream pop culture.
It is important that Hollywood continues to showcase Chinese performers and stories. Representation alone is not nearly enough; it is the quality of that representation that counts. Wong was thankful for the representation in her early career but even she began to expect more from herself and the types of characters she was playing.
Anna May Wong was a cinematic warrior. She defied the standards of an industry and proved her worth with over 60 credits to her name. She fought for better representation and paved the way for a future of Chinese leading ladies.
Moviegoers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the fierce, Mulan. The wait is indefinite but just like the animated movie, we can spend that time honoring those that came before. Anna May Wong would be proud the world gets to experience a strong, authentically Chinese heroine. We should return the favor and remind Ms. Wong we are proud of her too.