ABC News’ “Soul of a Nation” Celebrates the Rise of Asian Representation in Hollywood with New Primetime Special

ABC News’ Emmy-Award winning Soul of a Nation returns with a special presentation, The New Face of Hollywood, in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

What’s Happening:

  • The one-hour primetime special delves into the rise of Asians in Hollywood, following the historic Oscars sweep of Everything Everywhere All at Once, the blockbuster multiverse film about the struggles of a Chinese American immigrant family.
  • Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang sits down with trailblazing star Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian woman in history to win an Oscar for Best Actress, and Ke Huy Quan, the former child star who won Best Supporting Actor after a 20-year hiatus from acting. Chang’s intimate interviews with Yeoh and Quan detail their personal journeys, their experiences through the highs and lows of fame, the setbacks often faced by Asian actors in Hollywood, and how their triumphant Oscar wins reverberated throughout the Asian American community and beyond.
  • The special will also take an unvarnished look at the complex history of Asians in Hollywood, including discrimination, bias and problematic portrayals, featuring interviews with legendary performer James Hong, one of the most prolific Asian American actors of all time; Anna Wong, the niece and namesake of the first Chinese American film star Anna May Wong; and trailblazing actress Nancy Kwan, who catapulted to fame in the ‘60s.
  • The New Face of Hollywood celebrates visibility and the power of representation with stars and creatives who are currently writing a new chapter in Hollywood, including:
    • Jonathan Wang, Oscar-winning producer of Everything Everywhere All at Once
    • Hawaiian Chinese actor Jason Scott Lee, star of the Disney+ series Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. and the new Hawaiian-language film The Wind and The Reckoning
    • Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, star of the popular teen comedy series Never Have I Ever
    • Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Kelvin Yu, creator of the new Disney+ series American Born Chinese
    • Adele Lim, co-screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians, and director of the upcoming film Joy Ride
  • The special will also feature insight on Asian American representation in film from columnist Wajahat Ali, author, Go Back to Where You Came From; Rebecca Sun, senior editor, diversity and inclusion at The Hollywood Reporter; and writer Jeff Yang, co-author, RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now; and sociologist and pop culture expert Nancy Wang Yuen, author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism.
  • The New Face of Hollywood – A Soul of a Nation Presentation airs Friday, May 26th at 8:00 p.m. EDT on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.
  • ABC News Studios’ Soul of a Nation will also present primetime specials for PRIDE Month (June 6th) and Juneteenth (June 19th) on ABC. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Luke Manning
Luke is a fan of all things theme parks and self-proclaimed #1 fan of Joffrey’s Coffee, who lives in Kissimmee, FL