Yeoh isn’t the only star present from recent awards darling Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ke Huy Quan also appears as Freddy, an actor who once starred in a fictional ‘90s sitcom filled with offensive, racist stereotypes and now struggles to find jobs that don’t require him to portray “nerds, neighbours, and sometimes ninjas”. It’s a striking parallel with Quan’s own experiences in Hollywood – he’s said in the past that, following his formative younger roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, he was forced to quit the industry because he was so depressed about the lack of nuanced roles for Asian actors.
Sometimes, the wholesome teen angle can hold the series back – its representations of racism and emotional upheaval feel too Disney-fied, sterilised, brushed under the carpet rather than fully explored. It’s a disappointing omission, given the fact most of the series’ viewers will be young Gen Zers – hardly a generation known to shy away from facing ‘problematic’ politics head on. If the serious parts of the series had received a more adult spin, this would be a brilliant show; instead, it’s merely a good one.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbHLnp6rmaCde6S7ja6iaKymZH9xfpJoZ25nYml8ornEq6CcmZ5ir7C%2BzWaaoaGemsCmecOiqqedqWK%2FpsLInq5mpZGnw6a4jg%3D%3D