Jon ********, I am an actor & I direct actors
The chances of any of us becoming a Hollywood level actor are so infinitesimally small, it might seem not even worth trying. And yet, I did. I have three degrees in theatre -- a BFA in Acting, a Post Bac in Theatre Education, and an MFA in Directing. By the time I moved to Hollywood, I had been working as a professional actor for over 15 years. I had been trained in film and television acting, as well as my extensive stage training and resume. Needless to say, I was well-trained and well-prepared for a career in Hollywood. Sadly, life doesn't quite work out the way you think it ought to. I had money problems, I had trouble getting an agent, I took bad classes that didn't advance my career, I joined acting projects that didn't showcase my talent, and I arrived at a time right before the Internet would change everything. There was no Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, and I didn't have my own career website. I got few auditions, and mostly worked non-acting jobs in Los Angeles. I did a few small independent films, but nothing to speak of. My stage work was far more substantial, and I eventually realized that the stage had always been my true love, and where I was most successful. I left L.A. and returned to the theatre and a successful career on stage and in the classroom.
Now that was just my experience, and many things have changed in the 15+ years since I lived there. The Internet will be an incredibly useful way of marketing yourself, and will hopefully get you more access to agents. But at the very core, even though technology has changed and perhaps made it easier for actors, becoming a working actor, much less a star, in Hollywood is still a monumental task, and one only a few achieve. There are SO MANY people competing for the same exact job. And no matter how well-prepared you may be, there will always be someone better looking, better trained, with more screen credits, and even more talent. There will always be the perfect person the director and casting agent are looking for, and 99.9 % of the time, that won't be you.
However, you have to live for that slim percentage you may be the person they're looking for. That has to be what keeps you going.
If you want me to be even more honest with you, I'm gonna tell you like it is. As much as America's opinions on race and social justice have evolved, we still have a LONG WAY to go. Nobody wants to admit they're a bigot, but this country is filled with people who have unenlightened views about people they regard as different from them. This mistrust of minorities is deeply embedded in American culture, and can be found in our advertising, our religion, our tastes, our laws, our criminal justice system, and perhaps nowhere as obvious as in our entertainment. As of now, America is majority white, and the films and television shows we have historically watched have been white, patriarchal, Christian, and homogenous in nearly every way. While the business is making great strides to cater to a more diverse audience, the reality is, there are still remarkably few parts for minority actors.
The roles for minorities have been few, and that goes for African Americans and Hispanic actors, who both represent sizable populations in this country. A recent study by childrens book publisher Lee & Low Books reveals that just eight of the top 100 best-selling sci-fi and fantasy films from Hollywood had a protagonist of color. Worse, only two minority actors landed lead roles: Will Smith, who alone played six of those characters, and Keanu Reeves. Both actors have starred in major films since the 1990s.
Asians made up just 4.4 percent of speaking characters across last years top 100 grossing movies, according to a University of Southern California study. The figure is slightly lower than the total percentage of Asians in the country, which is just over five percent. The difference may not be much, but the numbers belie the difficulty of becoming an Asian-American Hollywood star. Although Asian Americans are now the nations fastest-growing demographic, their presence in films has gotten visibly smaller since 2008.
Less than five minutes from Paramount Pictures is the bustling and thriving Los Angeles neighborhood of Koreatown, with thousands of Koreans working hard and making a life in America. Less than five hundred miles north, in the Silicon Valley, Asians are the majority, and make up over 50% of the tech work force. But despite these realities, Hollywood hasn't been fair or just in representing the Asian on screen. There are shockingly few roles for Asian actors, and almost no lead roles. What roles there are, are often grossly stereotypical and provide comic relief at the expense of the actor's ethnicity. It is all but impossible to see an Asian actor in a role that isn't the quirky goofy sidekick (Ken Jeong in The Hangover) or the martial arts action star (Jackie Chan in Rush Hour). I can't even think of an Asian actor performing in a deeply moving dramatic film or as a romantic leading man. I know there must be a few, but the closest thing I can think of was Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim's moving performances as a complex and nuanced Korean couple on the hit TV show Lost. Regardless, the list is short.
Why do I tell you all this? It's not to discourage you from going to Hollywood and trying to make it as an actor. Not at all. In fact, I think you should. I think if directors and casting agents saw more Asian actors auditioning for them, they might start to consider casting more of them -- whether the role was written that way or not. I think that everyone should be allowed to follow their dreams. You should never be caught lying on your deathbed regretting the things you DIDN'T do. You will never know until you try. I tried, and although things didn't work out for me, it made me stronger, and it renewed my love for the stage. It gave me an experience I will never forget. You need to do that for yourself.
But you didn't ask this question to have someone sugarcoat an answer for you and pat you on the back. You asked if it was "possible" for you to become a Hollywood actor. The answer to that is YES. Anything is possible, especially in a country like America. But it will not be easy. The odds are stacked impossibly high against the average white actor, and are staggeringly worse for actors of color. Asian actors are probably the most underrepresented in Hollywood, and offer the least amount of roles. The truth is, filmmakers are not even going to be considering an asian for a role, even if it wouldn't change or alter the script in any way. Even where the addition might improve the script. Because they haven't been trained to see you in the role. We see so few Asians on screen, we forget to put them up there, and you can see what a vicious cycle that can be. YOU will have the difficult task of making them see you. You have to make yourself indispensable, and worth casting. Don't let them forget your face, and teach them the lesson that all Asians don't look alike, and you are living proof. Whether you want to or not, you will be a proxy or representative of every Asian everywhere, as you attempt to break into Hollywood, and change the color code. As progressive as Hollywood is, it is still one of the most conservative bastions of institutional racism and mild bigotry.
Becoming a Hollywood actor was all but impossible for me, a young white male with good looks, an extensive resume, and solid training. For an Asian actor like yourself, it will be even harder. Once you accept that, then you can go try and conquer Hollywood. I wish you the best!