Hollywood movies starring beloved Asian actors to add to your to-watch list

It's only recently that Asian representation in the Hollywood industry has picked up - the first film with a predominantly Asian cast, Flower Drum Song, was released in 1961, while the third such movie, Crazy Rich Asians, was only released in theatres in 2018, a whopping 47 years later! Although, since then, there have been a slew of movies prominently featuring an Asian cast.

Some titles here are classics, while others are pretty fresh releases. Either way, we guarantee you'll love them. These are the Asian-centric movies we're obsessing over right now!

Hollywood movies starring beloved Asian actors to add to your to-watch list

Everything Everywhere All At Once

If there's one adjective we'd use to describe this movie starring Michelle Yeoh, we'd call it wacky… to say the least. Yeoh plays Evelyn, a Chinese-American immigrant being audited by the Internal Revenue Service who must harness her newfound powers to work with parallel universe versions of herself to save the multiverse from destruction. How's the show eccentric, you may ask? We shan't spoil the movie for you, though we'll tell you to mentally prepare yourself to see googly third eyes and sausage fingers.

Harry Shum Jr., Stephanie Hsu, James Hong and others also appear in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Turning Red 

Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang) is a young teen who always struggles to obey her strict mother (Sandra Oh) when what she truly wants is to be a chaotic youth. This is only made more difficult when Mei finds out that she transforms into a red panda when in a state of high emotion. This heartwarming movie teaches us about familial ties, friendship and change.

Sound of Metal 

Starring British-Pakistani Riz Ahmed as Ruben, Sound of Metal is a critically acclaimed film following a drummer in a heavy metal band who's recovering from heroin addiction. However, his life is thrown into turmoil when he finds out he is going deaf. To help him adapt, his girlfriend checks him into a sober house for the deaf, where he finds a rhythm of sorts but struggles with wanting to return to his rocker life.

Crazy Rich Asians 

Set in Singapore, this 2018 rom-com about crazy rich Asians (what else?) features dashing men, envious socialites, disapproving mothers and copious, copious amounts of wealth. What's not to love? Follow Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding) as they navigate life as a newly-engaged couple in Singapore's high society, where Nick was previously the most eligible bachelor. Keep your eyes peeled for the opulent wedding extravaganza at the end of the movie!

Crazy Rich Asians has a rather star-studded cast, including Ken Jeong as Goh Wye Mun, and Gemma Chan as Astrid Leong. Michelle Yeoh also puts on a spectacular performance as Eleanor Young, Nick's mother. You'll also spot familiar faces that you usually see on our local channels, like Pierre Png, Fiona Xie and Tan Kheng Hua.

Always Be My Maybe 

Ali Wong and Randall Park star in this heartwarming romantic comedy about a couple's second chance at love - they play Sasha and Marcus, two childhood friends whose teenage fling ends badly. 15 years later, they have a chance encounter in San Francisco where the spark between them is reignited, although other things stand in the way this time. The ending of the movie sees them coming full circle, in the best way possible. Watch it to see what we mean!

P.S. Keanu Reeves makes an appearance, if you need another reason to watch Always Be My Maybe.

The Joy Luck Club 

An oldie but a goldie, this 1993 movie is actually as relevant as ever today. Four elderly women in San Francisco, all Chinese immigrants, meet often to play mahjong, eat and reminisce. Each of them has a daughter, all first-generation Chinese-Americans. The movie depicts the past and present, and how, over the years, the eight of them come to an understanding over their vastly different Eastern and Western cultures.

The Joy Luck Club stars several now-veterans such as Lisa Lu, Ming-Na Wen and Russell Wong.

Raya and the Last Dragon 

When the people residing in the fantasy world of Kumandra are threatened once again by Druun who wiped out the dragons 500 years ago, a warrior named Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) embarks on a journey to find a legendary dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina) and stop the Druun for good. Along the way, they forge new friendships with Namaari (Gemma Chan), Tong (Benedict Wong) and more.

The mythical land of Kumandra is heavily influenced by Southeast Asian cultures, while Raya's name actually means 'celebration' in Malay! The hat that Raya dons is actually a traditional Filipino salakot, while her fighting style is rooted in Malay and Indonesian techniques.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings 

In Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is thrust back into a life he left behind when his magical pendant is stolen by the Ten Rings organisation. To retrieve this pendant, Shang-Chi has to confront his past and face his family.

The prolific Tony Leung portrays Xu Wenwu, Shang-chi's father, while Fala Chen and Awkwafina take on the roles of Shang-chi's mother and best friend respectively.

Over the Moon 

The legend of Chang Er is one that most of us are familiar with - she ingested an immortality pill originally meant for her lover, Hou Yi, in an attempt to stop an enemy from stealing it. Thereafter, Chang Er ascended to heaven, but still longing to be as close to Hou Yi as possible, she chose to settle on the moon.

A lighthearted take on this legend, Over the Moon is about a grief-stricken girl (Cathy Ang) who builds a rocket ship and flies it to the moon to meet Chang Er (Phillipa Soo). Along the way, she makes new friends who come in the form of a talkative pangolin (Ken Jeong) and endearing flying guardian lions.

Oh, and if you're a fan of the Chinese designer Guo Pei, you'll be delighted to know that she designed Chang Er's outfits in Over the Moon!

ALSO READ: Crazy Rich Asians spin-off focusing on Gemma Chan in the works

This article was first published in Her World Online.