I just commented on a similar thread in this subreddit but, this is so infuriating.

My sibling is actually full on trying to become an actress. She's had small success and we've learned a lot about what it means to try and work in the entertainment world. It is far more complex than I ever realized, with many different avenues to break into and lots of higher powers that ultimately decide who gets cast. On the other end, my spouse's close friend has spent two decades of his life and all his life savings trying to become a director. So we've learned just a little bit about how it works on that end. He's come close - won some awards, gotten a little hype, gotten people interested - but it just seems like spin spin spin and he's still not anywhere near where he wants to be. His day job is in advertising and it is just sad to see.

So yes, here are 2 second gen Asian Americans who are throwing themselves 100% into a creative field. And from what they tell me, there are MANY other similar people like them. It is absolutely not the case that there jsut aren't Asian Americans interested in entertainment for all the self-blaming, stereotypical reasons. They just cannot break in.

Granted, most people cannot break in. They also meet hundreds of aspiring actors, directors, musicians of all racial backgrounds who struggle just the same.

But the problem for Asians happens with this cyclical loop of who is considered a guaranteed money maker (producers are conservative and want to stick with already famous stars), who is considered possible in this role (directors, writers may not imagine Asians as viably complex "human" characters), and who is imagined to be an important person to know (stereotypes about Asians as not leaders, not cool etc will hamper networking).