Episode 70 – Remembering Anna May Wong Hollywood’s First Chinese American Movie Star - Part 2

During the second half of Tony’s fascinating conversation with Anna Wong -- the niece of legendary movie star Anna May Wong - they discuss why her aunt didn’t get the role of ‘O-lan’, the lead female character in MGM's film version of “The Good Earth” which ended up being played by the non-Asian actress Luise Rainer, what happened when her aunt went on a year-long tour of China to help with the war effort, how in the 1950s Wong made history with her television show “The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong”, being the first-ever Asian American series lead on a U.S. television show, how she had been planning to return to the silver screen in the film version of the Broadway musical “Flower Drum Song” before she unexpectedly died of heart failure prior to filming, the resurgence of interest in her career today in books, TV series like Ryan Murphy’s  Netflix series “Hollywood”, and Damien Chazelle’s  feature film “Babylon”, the rumors that she might have been a lesbian/bisexual and her huge LGBTQ+ following, the explosion of Asian representation in films today like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, how excited Anna May’s niece was when actress Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2023 Academy Awards, and the truth behind the rumors that Asian actress Gemma Chan will be playing Wong in a new feature film about her life!

ANNA WONG

Anna Wong grew up mere miles from Hollywood where her Aunt, iconic Asian American film star Anna May Wong, left an indelible mark on cinematic history. While Anna never had any desire to pursue a career in front of the camera, she has always been drawn to the cultural impact and inclusiveness that her namesake strove to achieve. Whether she’s repping artists, planning events, producing and developing film & tv projects or engaging in philanthropic endeavors Anna’s mission is to increase awareness of Asian American issues and further the effort for equality.

ANNA MAY WONG

Anna May Wong was born in 1905 near Los Angeles’ Chinatown to Chinese American parents. At 14, Wong had her first break when she was cast as an extra in the 1919 film The Red Lantern. Soon after, despite the disapproval of her family, she quit school to pursue acting full time. 

In an era, during the Chinese Exclusion Act, when Chinese characters in Hollywood films were typically played by white actors in yellowface, she was the first woman to buck this trend. She starred in classics like The Toll of the Sea (1922) & Douglas Fairbanks’ The Thief of Bagdad (1924). Despite her popularity, however, she continued to be cast in supporting roles as  anti-miscegenation laws, prevented her from sharing an on-screen kiss with any person of another race. Moreover, because of pervasive racism, these roles tended to depict Chinese Americans in a stereotypical and discriminatory light, as either tragic or evil characters. 

Fed up with the typecasting, in 1928 she left for Europe, where she acted in English, German, & French films, including the British film Piccadilly (1929). After returning to the US, she was widely lauded for her supporting role in the film Shanghai Express (1932), where she performed alongside film superstar Marlene Dietrich. Wong’s successful career earned her widespread celebrity, and she became known not just for her acting but also for her impeccable fashion sense.

Despite her status as the premier Chinese American actress, she was passed over for the lead role in an adaption of Pearl Buck’s novel, The Good Earth (1936). The director opted instead for a white actress in yellowface. In response to this slight, she spent 1936 traveling China & filming a documentary about her experience. In the 1950s & 60s, she acted in various TV series such as The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.

Wong was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. She died on February 3, 1961, at the age of 56 of a heart attack.