The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau indicates that over seventeen million people identify as Asian or Asian-American, a statistic scarcely represented in Hollywood. In 2014, studies show that only 5.3% of roles in films were Asian. Randall Park terminates all the odds stacked against him as a triple threat within the industry, serving as a Korean-American actor, comedian, and writer. A man capable of playing Kim Jong-un is a man worthy of an exclusive blog post. Alongside his reputable role as the North Korean politician in The Interview, Randall Park is well-known for playing Marcus Kim in the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe. Randall Park first launched his career in 2012 as Steve in The Office. He is also a prominent figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because of his roles in Ant-Man and the Wasp and the upcoming television series WandaVision. Additionally, he is a part of the DC Extended Universe for his role as Dr. Steven Shin in Aquaman. Randall Park was born to Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, California. His pride within his heritage is heavily established by his schooling. As a student attending UCLA in 1995, he co-founded “Lapu, the Coyote that Cares,” the largest and longest-running on-campus Asian American theater company, now known as the LCC Theatre Company. He attributes his experiences with LCC for his desire to professionally become an actor. Randall Park graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in English, with a concentration in creative writing, and a minor in Asian American studies. He also completed his master’s degree in Asian American studies at UCLA in 1999. The diversity in the shows Randall Park has been a part of is as comprehensive as the diversity he has brought to film. He has made guest appearances in Community, Curb Your Enthusiasm, New Girl, The Office, ER, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Four Kings, Las Vegas, House, Cold Case, The Mindy Project, and my personal favorite, iCarly. The culmination of his career was his role as American restaurateur Louis Huang in Fresh Off the Boat, for which he was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016. In an interview with the Daily Trojan, Randall Park accentuates how impressive it is that the show ran for six seasons: “To have an Asian family on TV on a show that lasts that long … it shows the industry that there’s good business in telling these stories." Randall Park’s journey as an actor is yet another success story for people of color in comedy. He serves as a revolutionary and an inspiration for people of color looking to trace his path to Hollywood. Randall Park said it best within his interview: “The success of our show proves to the industry, and not just our show — and a lot of shows with people of color as leads — shows the industry that these shows can be watched by everybody and celebrated by everybody.”
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Whenever I hear church bells on a Sunday morning, I envision a lively lounge singer whose mobster beau commits murder, thereby forcing her to disguise herself as a nun in a California Convent. Whoopi Goldberg’s notorious role as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act distinguishes her as an African-American comedian. That being said, Goldberg’s qualifications cannot be suppressed by a single profession- she is also an accomplished actress, author, and television personality. Her stage forename is indicative of her personality: “Whoopi” is derived from the word “whoopee cushion.” Goldberg discloses, “When you're performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door. So if you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, 'You're like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came from." Goldberg’s pursuit of acting would have been halted if it were not for a sliver of African-American representation. In Trekkies, Nichelle Nicolette communicates that when Goldberg was a child, she was watching Star Trek when she saw Uhura. Goldberg exclaimed, “Momma! There's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!" Years later, Goldberg furthered Uhura’s mission to expand Black representation in the media with her recurring guest-starring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her overarching goal of becoming an actress was preceded by various odd jobs. Goldberg worked as a bank teller, a mortuary cosmetologist, and a bricklayer. She later joined an avant-garde theater troupe known as the Blake Street Hawkeyes, where she cultivated her passion for the performing arts by teaching comedy and acting classes. The beginning of Goldberg’s career as an actress began with her one-woman show titled The Spook Show. When director Mike Nichols discovered her, The Spook Show was taken to Broadway and retitled Whoopi Goldberg. In my opinion, having a Broadway show solely featuring a Black woman is the culmination of people of color in comedy. That being said, Whoopi Goldberg cannot be tied down to one genre. Steven Spielberg cast her in the leading role of Celie in The Color Purple, based on the novel by Alice Walker (which is revolutionary in its inclusion of a primarily Black cast and its LGBTQ+ representation). It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and Goldberg was nominated for Best Actress. Between 1985 and 1988, Goldberg starred in 7 films, making her the busiest female star. At the conclusion of the 1980s, she became a host of a multitude of HBO specials of Comic Relief with fellow comedians Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.
It was not until 1992 that Sister Act was released, which earned Goldberg a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She hosted a late-night talk show titled The Whoopi Goldberg Show and after starring in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Goldberg became the highest paid actress at the time. Not only is Whoopi Goldberg an important figure for POC in comedy because of her numerous accolades, but she also racked up a ton of money as a versatile actress. Goldberg’s talent solidifies that no matter your background, you are sure to gain popularity imitating a nun at a California Convent. I can’t put my finger on when I decided to develop my own political opinions. It may have been as early second grade when word got around that Barack Obama was going to be the first African-American president. Politics are teeming with controversy, but the easiest way to mend the differences between people with opposing opinions is through comedy. Hasan Minhaj is an Indian-American Muslim comedian. Minhaj gained popularity after appearing in The Daily Show alongside Trevor Noah from 2014 to 2018. He performed at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where he cracked jokes about the president and the fourth estate. He earned his first Peabody Award for his first stand-up comedy special “Homecoming King,” which debuted on Netflix in 2013. In 2018, he left The Daily Show to pursue his own weekly comedy show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. Patriot Act has won two Peabody Awards and two Webby Awards. The show explores a wide range of cultural and political topics. The sobriety of the content of his show is diffused with his comedic voice and the personal anecdotes he incorporates. Minhaj is the first Indian-American Muslim host of a weekly comedy show. Minhaj attributes his discovery as a comedian to Ben Affleck. The actor’s confrontation with Bill Maher and writer Sam Harris for their stereotyping of Islam piqued Minhaj’s interest. During his audition for The Daily Show, he created the bit “Batman vs. Bill Maher.” “Batman vs. Bill Maher” condemns Islamophobia in a light-hearted manner and is a microcosm of Minhaj’s ability to fuse politics and comedy.
There’s a circulating joke that the root of comedy is personal trauma, which Minhaj is not short of. A lot of “Homecoming King” communicates his experiences as a second generation American growing up in Davis, California. His parents moved from Aligarh, India, but Minhaj was left alone with his father when his mother returned to India to complete medical school. “Homecoming King” specifically explores Minhaj’s relationship with his father. As an immigrant exploring a new country, his father was keen on protecting his son by instilling rules and regulations, forbidding partying, enunciating the importance of school work, and being emotionally unavailable. By sharing his experiences with his father and portraying his forgiveness for his parents’ actions, Minhaj serves as a figure that children of immigrants can relate to and seek hope from. When Patriot Act got cancelled in June of 2020, Indian-American Muslims everywhere felt as if they had been deprived of their one source of representation in comedy. To make matters worse, Netflix premiered the movie Cuties, which depicts a Muslim girl named Amy that “liberates herself” by removing her hijab and partaking in a twerking competition after joining her school’s dance team. Netflix terminated an entertaining and educational show with an Indian-American Muslim representative to fuel misconceptions regarding Islam in their subpar movie Cuties, which portrays the necessity of representation in the media. By serving as the first Indian-American Muslim host of a comedy show, Minhaj has revolutionized the representation of POC in comedy. Although Patriot Act has been discontinued, Hasan Minhaj’s impact as a person of color in comedy is eternal. In 6th grade, I moved back to the United States after living in Saudi Arabia for 4 years. After moving across the globe, I was exhibiting the effects of a culture shock. I was at a loss of friends, so I took to the Internet to remedy my insecurity within my religious and cultural identities. Between 6th and 8th grade, I immersed myself within the vloggers, beauty gurus, and comedians of YouTube. However, the lack of representation within the popular creators I watched did nothing to mollify my case of imposter syndrome. One evening, when I was communicating my desire to return to the Middle East to my sister, she showed me Liza Koshy’s page on YouTube, which was filled with comedic sketches. Liza Koshy was Indian-American, and a lot of her humor was centralized around the stereotypes surrounding her racial identity. She communicated the tribulations of the children of immigrants, which I could relate to. Liza also portrayed a wide array of characters that she created with different accents, mannerisms, and facial expressions, including Jet Packinski III, Helga, and Carlos. She filled in her eyebrows and drew in facial hair to represent her different male characters, and I admired her inability to feel embarrassed in her efforts to make people laugh. Liza inadvertently made light of the insecurities I was facing with my identity upon returning to America, and despite the fun she poked at racial stereotypes and her immigrant parents, she was nothing short of proud of her heritage. She was a comedian, but she was also an advocate for marginalized communities across the country. Through her videos, Liza gave me someone I could relate to and admire. I grew more comfortable with my identity as an Arab Muslim-American after watching her videos, and the aspects of my personality that I carefully concealed from my peers slowly began to shine through. After cultivating my confidence within myself, I wanted to emulate the positive effect Liza had on me. In 7th grade, I decided to join my middle school’s Speech team, and I performed a humorous monologue. I contorted my face into different caricatures and incorporated various accents in my piece, and by the end of every performance, I felt physically drained from my efforts. It was worth it, however, when laughter would permeate the room. Since YouTube, Liza has grown as a comedian. She initially had a series on YouTube Originals titled Liza On Demand. Recently, she has grown past the Internet. Her movie Work It premiered on Netflix in 2020, and her talents as an Indian-American female comedian are being recognized globally. I have also grown as a comedian and a representative of the Muslim community. Since commencing my Speech career in the 7th grade, I’ve become captain of my high school’s Speech team. My favorite part of my leadership position is being able to help underclassmen that come in riddled with insecurity grow into self-assured public speakers. By being who she is and sharing her comedy on the Internet, Liza revitalized my pride for my heritage. Liza is one example of how important representation is in the media, and I hope to one day join her in the impact she has created for POC everywhere. |
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