67 Asian Actors and Actresses in Hollywood You Should Know

Asian actors have long been underrepresented on the silver screen, often relegated to playing characters predominantly informed by racist stereotypes (Long Dong Duk, anyone?). But over the past few years, the topic of representation has finally entered the industry, and with that, more stories have come out of Hollywood that champion the depth and nuance of America's largest-growing minority group. Thanks to the widespread success of projects like Netflix's Kpop Demon Hunters and the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once, there are now so many incredible films and TV shows that have opened the door for Asian actors to shine as leading roles, and launch their careers as movie stars in their own right.
It's not even just about the participation trophy of tokenized representation anymore, but about subverting what is traditionally depicted of minorities in America by highlighting them as whole people with their own individual experiences in mass media, the way that their white peers are casted. Asian actors are breaking ceilings and being seen as action heroes, rom-com protagonists, supervillains and iconic comedians. And while there is still a long way to go for equitable representation of Asian and Pacific Islander people in America, it seems that Hollywood is finally realizing the importance of appealing to all viewers, and sharing all different kinds of stories.
Ahead, read about some of the young Asian actors and actresses who are paving the way for this new era of storytelling, and what they're up to now.
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Simone Ashley
Though her credits include British favorite Broadchurch and Netflix’s acclaimed Sex Education, actress Simone Ashley captured all our hearts starring opposite Jonathan Bailey in the second season of Netflix’s Bridgerton as Kathani Sharma. Currently, she's set to act in the upcoming sequel for The Devil Wears Prada, which is coming out in 2026, and made a cameo in the F1 movie this year.
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Hoyeon Jung
Best known for her modeling portfolio, South Korean actress Hoyeon Jung’s big break as Kang Sae-byeok in Squid Game has left us all wondering what she will do next. She appeared in three episodes on the AppleTV+ series Disclaimer, starring Cate Blanchett, and will be in a Korean thriller, Hope, which will be released in summer 2026.
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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Teen Vogue cover star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan earned her breakout role in Never Have I Ever, where she plays chaotic, grieving high schooler Devi Vishwakumar. Her comedic prowess is off the charts, and she's put it to good use with voice roles in Turning Red, Big Mouth and The Twits. She also returned to the screen alongside Lindsay Lohan for Freakier Friday, proving that she's on track to become a Hollywood icon.
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Darren Barnet
Best known for his breakout role as Paxton Hall-Yoshida in Never Have I Ever, Japanese-American actor Darren Barnet’s character did not originally reflect his Asian identity – it wasn’t until Mindy Kaling heard him speak Japanese that this piece of information made it into the script. His heartthrob role led him to become the first male brand ambassador for Victoria's Secret PINK in 2022, and star in more rom-coms like Anyone But You and Netflix's Love Hard.
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Gemma Chan
You may know her from Crazy Rich Asians or her role as Sersi in Marvel’s Eternals, but it was her part in British sci-fi drama Humans that truly put actress Gemma Chan on the map. She's been outspoken about supporting Asian artists, often wearing Asian designers on the red carpet and lending her voice to projects like Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon and Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning animation, The Boy and the Heron.
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Lana Condor
The Vietnamese-American actress made her big-screen debut as Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse, but her major breakthrough role was in Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before as Lara Jean Covey. She reprised the role in the movie's two sequels To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and To All the Boys: Always and Forever, quickly becoming a household name for all rom-com lovers. “I never get auditions to play the lead in a rom-com, so it was really exciting for me,” she told Teen Vogue in 2018.
Since then, Condor has continued to flex her versatility as a leading lady on projects like the action thriller Valiant One and sci-fi movie Moonshot.
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Sydney Park
Philadephia native Sydney Park is a rising star known for roles in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, Moxie, The Walking Dead, Santa Clarita Diet, and more. But there's still more to come: Park, who is Korean American and Black, announced that she will appear in Scary Movie 6 next year, and also has been releasing music, dropping an EP in 2024 called “Back Against The Wall.”
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Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Natasha Liu Bordizzo first made a splash when she was cast in teen dystopian series The Society, and continued to star alongside Sydney Sweeney in Voyeurs and in Disney+ show Ahsoka. But the Chinese-Italian actor also has range — she's a Chanel ambassador and also has a black belt in taekwondo.
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Courtney Eaton
Australia-born actress Courtney Eaton’s first onscreen appearance was in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Since then, she has had a few smaller roles in films such as Gods of Egypt and Newness, but it is her part as Lottie in Showtime’s Yellowjackets that has left us all abuzz. In 2025, Eaton released her first EP, Hush, and also bought the film rights to Kathleen Glasgow's book “Girl in Peices” with her Yellowjackets co-star Sophie Nélisse.
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Leah Lewis
Not only has Leah Lewis been charming us all with her take on one of Nancy Drew’s best friends George Fan in The CW, her portrayal of Ellie Chu in Netflix’s The Half Of It was both endearing and full of heart. Now, she stars in CBS' Matlock and as the voice of Batgirl in Batwheels.
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Stephanie Hsu
Chinese-American actress Stephanie Hsu has been around for a while, and now, she's a juggernaut in the industry. If you’ve watched Marvelous Mrs. Maisel you may have seen her as the sarcastic Mei, but it’s her Oscar-nominated role in Everything Everywhere All At Once that is the true statement of her talents. She's continued to show her heartfelt comedy chops in projects like Joy Ride, Ryan Gosling's The Fall Guy and The Simpsons, but also went behind the camera to serve as the executive producer and star of Laid.
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Harry Shum Jr.
What can't Harry Shum Jr. do? The actor was born in Costa Rica to parents from Hong Kong and China; the family later relocated to California when he was six. Now, he's an actor, singer, and dancer, showing off his triple-threat talents in Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets, and Step Up 3D. His breakout television role on Glee made him a household name, and since then, he's appeared in some of the biggest majority-Asian cast projects, like Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Now, you can find him on Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Benson Kwan.
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Anna Cathcart
Anna Cathcart first became a star as the meddling, fiery little sister Kitty Covey in Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but has taken on her first leading role in the spinoff series XO, Kitty, which follows the teen as she navigates international school in South Korea. The Teen Vogue cover star said she was thrilled to take on a role that highlights LGBTQ+ experiences.
“I feel like in Korean dramas and in Asian culture, in general, that’s not really a topic that’s brought to the forefront,” she said. “So, the fact that we could do that means a lot to me because queer representation, all forms of representation, is really important to me.”
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Awkwafina
Nora Lum, a.k.a. Awkwafina, may have risen to fame first as a spoof rapper on YouTube, but the half-Chinese, half-Korean entertainer has since spun off to become a bona fide movie star. She starred in the female-led reboot of Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians, and then went on to debut her serious acting skills in the critically acclaimed drama The Farewell. The actor has faced backlash for her appropriation of African American Vernacular English (AAVE).
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Shay Mitchell
Like a few of the Canadian greats, Shay Mitchell got her start on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The half-Filipina actor went on to be one of our favorite liars on Pretty Little Liars, and later again as another fan-favorite manipulator: Peach Salinger, in the Netflix hit You. Mitchell has continued to act, but she's also cemented herself as a fashion and lifestyle mogul after launching her travel brand BÉIS. The label, which sells suitcases and travel bags, has quickly become an influencer favorite.
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Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
Aubrey joined the cast of Modern Family in season three and played Lily through the final season. Currently, Aubrey hosts a YouTube channel called FoodMania with her mom where the pair review food from all over the world. In 2025, she released her debut single, "Telephones & Traffic," under the name Frances Anderson.
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Ian Alexander
If you've seen The OA on Netflix, you know how talented Ian Alexander (who plays Buck Vu) is. They auditioned for the part on a whim, and though they had no professional acting experience, landed the role. Soon after, they were announced as the first transgender character played by a transgender actor in the Star Trek universe when they were casted onto Star Trek: Discovery, and they were one of the cover stars for the 2019 Pride issue of them.
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Ross Butler
Ross Butler (a.k.a. “the Original Reggie” on Riverdale) was born in Singapore to a Chinese-Malaysian mother. He left Riverdale High to continue his role in 13 Reasons Why for its second season, and then moved on to To All the Boys I Loved Before. Other notable film works include Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Raya and the Last Dragon. Butler also served as executive producer while starring in rom-com Love in Taipei.
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Lyrica Okano
The Japanese-American actress took on the lead role in the Hulu superhero teen show Marvel’s Runaways as Nico Minoru, a teenager who found out she has magical powers (and the most killer goth aesthetic). Now, Okano hosts Morimoto's Sushi Channel on Roku.
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Dev Patel
British-Indian actor Dev Patel made a smash on the big screen with his award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, and then continued to draw in million of fans with roles in The Last Airbender, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Lion, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This year, Patel made his directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed Monkey Man, which he is also credited as a co-writer and producer. He will executive produce and star in the upcoming miniseries, The Key Man.
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Naomi Scott
Naomi Scott, born to a British father and Indian-Ugandan mother, enchanted audiences worldwide when she starred as Jasmine in Aladdin, and an angel in Charlie's Angels. She took a brief stint from acting shortly after, but returned to star in the Netflix miniseries Anatomy of a Scandal and the horror film Smile 2. Of course, not only is she an incredible actor, real Lemonade Mouth fans know that she's a musician as well — she even performed at Lollapalooza this year.
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Kelsey Asbille
You may remember Kelsey Asbille Chow, who goes by Kelsey Asbille, from her roles in Pair of Kings, One Tree Hill, or Teen Wolf. In 2024, she celebrated the final episode of Yellowstone on The Paramount Network, where she co-starred alongside Luke Grimes. She also starred in the Netflix thriller Don't Move.
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Janel Parrish
Most of you may know half-Chinese American actress Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwaal on Pretty Little Liars, but the star also made her debut in Bratz: The Movie. She also competed and took home third place on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars. Parrish reprised her role as Mona in the PLL spin-off series The Perfectionists, and returned as Margot Covey in the sequels for Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before and the spinoff XO, Kitty.
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Charles Melton
Riverdale was famously Charles Melton's Julliard, and when the half-Korean actor took over the role of Reggie Mantle from Ross Butler, it seemed like he immediately clicked with the cast — you can read about how he felt about being an Asian actor portraying a traditionally white character in his interview with Teen Vogue. Melton also made history as the first Korean American and Asian American actor to lead a major studio teen romance when he was casted as Daniel Bae in The Sun Is Also a Star. Since then, Melton received critical acclaim for his film role in May December, co-starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, and for the A24 war film Warfare. He has also been casted for Beef season two.
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Claudia Kim
The South Korean actress has already been seen in the blockbuster Marvel film Avengers: Age of Ultron. She also played Nagini in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Kim has also continued her modeling and hosting work, gracing the September 2025 cover of Marie Claire Korea and hosting the 2025 Busan International Film Festival.
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Vincent Rodriguez III
The Filipino-American actor is best known for playing the lead love interest, Josh Chan, in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where he showed off that he’s an all-rounder talent who can act, dance, and sing (it also looks like he can hold his own in a fight). He landed another global hit role in the animated movie Ne Zha, which became the highest-grossing non-English spoken animated film. As an openly gay actor, Rodriguez has also made history for playing a straight leading man in a mainstream rom-com.
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Kunal Nayyar
Any Big Bang Theory fan knows Kunal Nayyar as the lovably awkward astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali. The London-born Indian actor grew up in New Dehli, where his parents still live. Nayyar holds a master's degree in fine arts, and since his big TV break, has voiced the roll of Guy Diamond in Trolls World Tour and Trolls Band Together, as well as acted in The Mindy Project, Spaceman, and Christmas Karma.
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Ki Hong Lee
Aside from his starring role in the Maze Runner series alongside Dylan O'Brien, you may have also recognized the Korean-American actor from the hit Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Now, you can find Ki Hong Lee on Hulu's King of the Hill, where he voices Chane Wassanasong.
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Hailee Steinfeld
The part-Filipina actress and singer first made headlines for her role in the 2010 film True Grit — which earned her an Oscar nomination NBD. She later went on to star in Romeo & Juliet, the Pitch Perfect film series, The Edge of Seventeen. This year, Hailee Steinfeld has continued her all-star career with her work in Ryan Coogler's film Sinners, where she portrays a mixed-race woman in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. She's also a musician, of course, releasing her second EP, Half Written Story, in 2020, and contributing to the Sinners soundtrack with the single “Dangerous.” She'll reprise her role as Spider-Gwen in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is set for release in 2027.
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Suraj Sharma
Though his best known work is still likely his breakout role starring in Academy Award winning film Life of Pi, Suraj Sharma has kept up with a steady stream of projects, including recurring roles in Homeland, God Friended Me and How I Met Your Father. This year, Sharma co-starred alongside Simone Ashley in This Tempting Madness, a psychological thriller.
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Auli'i Cravalho
She might still be best known as the voice of Moana (and just in case you forgot, please revisit her life-changing Oscars performance), but the Hawaiian actress and singer further showed off her chops in the musical drama Rise. She also starred in the queer Hulu rom-com Crush. Most recently, Auli'i Cravalho appeared in the film adaptation of Mean Girls: The Musical, and expanded into theater work, including Evita in London and Cabaret on Broadway. Cravalho reprised her role as Moana in the beloved sequel, and is also credited as an executive producer on the live-action remake.
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Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is arguably one of the most popular and successful Bollywood actresses out there. She starred in the ABC series Quantico — which made her the first South Asian woman to headline her own American network series. Priyanka's credits include Baywatch, Isn't It Romantic, and the music video for the Jonas Brothers' "Sucker." This year, Chopra co-starred alongside John Cena and Idris Elba in Heads of State, appeared in A Very Jonas Christmas Movie, and continued to lead the Amazon Prime Studio series Citadel.
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Manny Jacinto
Everyone loves Manny Jacinto. The Philippines-born actor started off with small roles in shows such as Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, and iZombie, but quickly became the internet's most-loved goofball when he took on the role of Jason Mendoza in the NBC comedy The Good Place. Since then, Jacinto has only grown to become a globally-adored heartthrob with more leading roles in The Acolyte and Brand New Cherry Flavor, as well as appearances in blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick and Freakier Friday.
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Constance Wu
Constance Wu is a veteran actor who has led projects like Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off the Boat, Hustlers, and more. But she's also expanded beyond the screen: Wu made her off-Broadway debut in Little Shop of Horrors with Corbin Bleu and was cast in a 2024 production of Shit. Meet. Fan., starring Neil Patrick Harris. Her memoir, Making A Scene, was released in 2022, and she'll also be going behind the camera as a producer for a potential limited series adaptation of R.F. Kuang's novel Yellowface.
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Arden Cho
Korean-American star Arden Cho started out as a model and landed her role in Teen Wolf, but today she's reached new heights as the leading voice of Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters. She's an advocate for Asian-American representation in Hollywood, which she made clear with her comments on the 2016 Academy Awards on Twitter. Aside from her notable character as Kira Yukimura, she's also made appearances on Pretty Little Liars, Castle, and CSI: NY.
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Jenna Ushkowitz
Jenna Ushkowitz's very first role was on Broadway in The King and I; she then went on to be a part of Spring Awakening and most recently to star as Dawn in Waitress. The theater gave the Korean-American actor major practice for arguably her most notable role: playing Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee. Her success on the show led her to get the starring role in a special production of The Wedding Singer, which was one of the first times one of the lead characters was played by an Asian woman. The role was so iconic that she now hosts a podcast with co-star Kevin McHale called And That's What You Really Missed, which recaps every episode of Glee from start to finish.
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Chloe Bennet
Chloe Bennet, born Chloe Wang, actually pursued a singing career in China when she was younger, but now, she is best known for her starring role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as her work on Interior Chinatown and Nashville. Bennet has been incredibly outspoken about anti-Asian American racism in her career, talking about how changing her last name to Bennet greatly improved her ability to land roles.
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Forrest Wheeler
Like his TV brother Hudson Yang, Fresh Off the Boat was Forrest Wheeler's first major acting role, but the Chinese-American actor has also appeared in New Girl, Community and Sofia the First. Now, Wheeler attends New York University, and appears to be focusing on his studies.
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Nikki SooHoo
Nikki SooHoo first rose to prominence in her starring role as Betty Finn in the Heathers TV show (who has been reimagined as an Asian "mean girl" from the original 1988 film). But she's also a Disney icon — the Chinese-American actor has starred on Disney Channel shows Phil of the Future and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and has also appeared on Drake & Josh and Pretty Little Liars. Now, SooHoo does commericals and posts about raising her son, Jett.
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Amrit Kaur
Amrit Kaur has landed a series of TV roles since the start of her acting career, but her leading role as Bela Malhotra in The Sex Lives of College Girls was where she truly sparkled. Now that the HBO show has wrapped, she has moved to the big screen, starring alongside Iris Apatow in the rom-com Young Werther. Kaur will also be in Just Picture It, a rom-com led by Millie Bobbie Brown that is currently filming.
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Freida Pinto
Born and raised in Mumbai, Freida Pinto captured audiences with her groundbreaking performance with Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, she's starred in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Mindy Project and Apple TV+ thriller Surface. Pinto is set to star in Netflix's Unaccustomed Earth, a drama series inspired by Jhumpa Lapiri's short story collection of the same name.
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Karan Brar
Karan is best known for his role in the Wimpy Kid franchise, and the Indian actor is also a Disney Channel alum with his role in Jessie and spin-off Bunk'd. In 2023, Brar wrote for Teen Vogue about his struggles with PTSD and depression, navigating his own queer identity, and grieving the death of his best friend, Cameron Boyce.
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Brenda Song
Hmong and Thai-American icon Brenda Song was often many Asian Americans kids' first exposure to representation: her extensive Disney Channel career includes credits on That's So Raven, Phil of the Future, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Phineas and Ferb, and Wizards of Waverly Place. She went on to play more intense roles in The Social Network, Scandal, and Dollface — and is now starring in Mindy Kaling's Running Point. From Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior to Zootopia 2, Song's resumé stands alone, and she'll forever be our real-life Disney princess.
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Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko released her debut album Expectations in 2018 and has continued to thrive in music ever since. But she's also the star behind your childhood favorites, including voicing Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster. The half-Japanese actress has also been in Disney productions, starring in Lemonade Mouth and Wizards of Waverly Place. Hayley also played a main character on CSI: Cyber. She published her first YA novel, Girls Like Girls, in 2023.
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Vanessa Hudgens
You will know actor Vanessa Hudgens from her work as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical franchise, but the Filipina-American actor has had an impressive career ever since she left her Disney Channel roots. From Spring Breakers to Tick, Tick… Boom! to Netflix's holiday hit The Princess Switch, Hudgens has also gone beyond the big screen to perform in theater productions like In The Heights and Rent. She also co-hosted the 2022 Met Gala — which was deserved, after so many years of being the Queen of Coachella fashion.
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Nik Dodani
Teen Vogue New Hollywood honoree Nik Dodani has acted in a slew of TV and movie roles — he's best known for his character on Netflix's Atypical — as well as on Broadway in Waitress. Meanwhile, he's co-founded his own production company and created a TV and film mentorship program for South Asians. Most recently, he appeared in Twisters alongside Glen Powell and The Parenting alongside Parker Posey.
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Hudson Yang
Hudson Yang landed his first major acting role as the Huangs' eldest child in Fresh Off the Boat, quickly turning him into everyone's favorite riotous teenager. Now, he's about to graduate from Harvard University, and has already returned to set, hosting the cooking show Crash Course Cuisine With Hudson Yang.
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Ian Chen
The young Taiwanese-American actor has been in the business since he was five. From Modern Family to Grey's Anatomy to Dr. Ken to Fresh Off the Boat, he's become a regular face on the ABC slate, but has also taken on exciting new roles as Eugene Choi in the Shazam! franchise and the animated film Wish Dragon.
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Mindy Kaling
When it comes to Asian American representation, Mindy Kaling has long been at the forefront. The Tamil-Bengali Actor's role as Kelly Kapoor in The Office made her an instant star; she went on to develop and lead her own show, The Mindy Show, before creating Never Have I Ever, Sex Lives of College Girls and Running Point, casting Asian American actors in all of her projects. All the while, she's built up an impressive filmography, acting in Ocean's 8, A Wrinkle in Time, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Despicable Me. Her upcoming show, Not Suitable for Work, will follow a group of work-obsessed twentysomethings striving for professional success in the Manhattan neighborhood, Murray Hill.
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Henry Golding
Malaysian actor Henry Golding was discovered in a global casting call for the majority-Asian cast of Crazy Rich Asians, and quickly rose to fame for his portrayal of leading man Nick Young. Since then, he's played Blake Lively's husband in A Simple Favor and its sequel, Another Simple Favor, as well as dipped his toes into the action realm with projects like The Gentleman and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
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Jamie Chung
Jamie Chung got her start as a reality star on MTV's The Real World: San Diego. When the show wrapped, the Korean-American actor used her newfound fame to land dozens of television and film roles, including parts in The Hangover Part III, Days of Our Lives, ER, CSI, and more. She's continued to act in both television and film projects, but also shares her OOTDs and parenting content on her social media channels.
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Olivia Rodrigo
Before Teen Vogue cover star Olivia Rodrigo was a pop-rock sensation, a globally adored singer-songwriter with billions of streams to her name, the 23-year-old Filipina American was actually an actor. Her first album, SOUR, was released while she was starring as Nini in High School Musical: The Musical - The Series, and eagle-eyed fans have even spotted her as a guest star on New Girl. Since she became a three-time Grammy Award-winning artist, she hasn't returned to acting, but for a talent like Rodrigo, the horizons are always bright.
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Midori Francis
Whether you have seen her playing one of the titled roles in Christmas themed show Dash & Lily or more recently as Alicia in The Sex Lives of College Girls, there is no denying that Midori Francis is a star in the making. She recently starred on Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Mika Yasuda and returned to do theater in an off-Broadway production of Bus Stop.
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Jessie Mei Li
Jessie Mei Li became known after they were cast in the role of Alina Starkov in Shadow and Bone, the TV adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s popular book series. Alongside her acting work, she has spoken out about their gender identity, the importance of Asian representation, and is a vocal environmentalist against climate change. This year, they starred in Netflix's Havoc.
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Amita Suman
Nepali-British actress Amita Suman’s acting career includes credits such as Doctor Who and a recurring role in The CW’s lesser known The Outpost, but it was her role as fan favorite Inej Ghafa in Shadow and Bone that made her popular. More recently, she was casted as a lead on NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
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John Harlan Kim
Best known for his role as Ezekiel in The Librarians, Australian-Korean actor John Harlan Kim is slowly but surely becoming more popular, including for his most recent performances as Agent Park in Nancy Drew and Albert Han in 9-1-1. Kim is currently filming for Perfect Girl, a thriller about a new K-pop girl group being formed.
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Justin H. Min
Korean-American actor Justin H. Min’s career began after his decision to quit journalism, and we are certainly not complaining. His first big film, After Yang, released in 2021. He is best known for his work as Ben Hargreeves in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. This year, he was a contestant in the Netflix reality competition show The Devil's Plan.
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Charithra Chandran
Just a few years after Charithra Chandran graduated from Oxford University, she landed her breakout role as Edwina Sharma on season two of Bridgerton, and stunned viewers with the effortless charm and emotional depth she brought to her performance. Since then, Chandran appeared in PinkPantheress' “Mosquito” music video and took on a recurring role in Dune: Prophecy. She will star in season 2 of the Netflix series adaptation of the manga One Piece, set for release in 2026.
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Ashley Park
Ashley Park first got her start on the stage, landing her Broadway debut in 2014 as part of the ensemble for Mamma Mia! in New York. Fast forward a decade, and the Korean-American actor has not only originated the role of Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway musical rendition of Mean Girls, she also launched her television career as Mindy Chen in Emily in Paris, and was cast as her first film leading role in the raunchy comedy Joy Ride.
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Greta Lee
No one will be quick to forget Greta Lee's deeply moving dramatic performance in Past Lives, but the Korean-American actor has also flexed her comedy chops with her work on shows like New Girl, Russian Doll, and Broad City. Most recently, Lee starred in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She's also quickly becoming a fashion darling, partnering with the likes of Loewe and Calvin Klein.
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Havana Rose Liu
Chinese and Irish-American actor Havana Rose Liu rose to prominence with her role in Bottoms, but fans of the actor can expect many more exciting projects. The Brooklyn-born star is set to appear in several highly-anticipated projects, including musical comedy Power Ballad with Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd, 2026 thriller Her Private Hell alongside Charles Melton, and even an untitled Jesse Eisenberg musical comedy from A24.
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Lola Tung
Lola Tung was a first-year at Carnegie Mellon University when she was casted as the lead in Jenny Han's Amazon Prime Studios teen romance, The Summer I Turned Pretty. The show was an immediate hit, and Tung, who played Belly Conklin, was quickly catapulted into fame. She returned for the show's three seasons and is likely to come back for the upcoming film adaptation, but in the meantime, has made her Broadway debut in Hadestown and landed her first film role alongside Lili Reinhart and Gabrielle Union in the 2026 horror movie Forbidden Fruits.
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Sabrina Wu
Stand-up comedian Sabrina Wu started out on stage as the co-president of the Harvard College Stand-Up Society, worked as screenwriter for Disney's Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., but soon, the Chinese-American star made their film debut in Joy Ride as the oddball cousin Deadeye. Since then, they've guest starred on Abbott Elementary and performed stand-up for Netflix's comedy series Verified Stand-Up.
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Ambika Mod
Ambika Mod initially turned down the lead role for Netflix's television adaptation of One Day. “I didn't see myself playing a romantic lead,” she told BBC. Thankfully, the comedian ended up going for it, and was immediately met with praise for her performance. As a South Asian woman taking on a previously white role, Mod said she hoped the show would “open people's minds a bit." In 2025, the Indian-British star has appeared in the spy film Black Bag with Cate Blanchett and the action movie Sacrifice, starring Anya Taylor-Joy.
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Sherry Cola
Raunchy comedy has been the throughline of Sherry Cola's career thus far; the California native's first television role was for Amazon's I Love Dick, and her breakout film role was on the kooky girl-gang comedy Joy Ride, with Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu. Currently, you can find Cola on both seasons of Netflix's hit rom-com series, Nobody Wants This.
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Avantika Vandanapu
Known by her first name Avantika, Avantika Vandanapu first started her acting career in Telugu-language films, but she soon became a star in Hollywood after a Disney Channel original movie and when she appeared on Sex Lives of College Girls and then the Mean Girls musical movie adaptation as Karen Shetty. Avantika is set to appear in Mindy Kaling's upcoming series, Not Suitable for Work, but she's also a student at Columbia University, admitted to the class of 2027.
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Chase Sui Wonders
If you didn't know Chase Sui Wonders from her work on Bodies Bodies Bodies or HBO Max series Generation, you will certainly know her now as the hungry junior executive Quinn Hackett on Apple TV+ comedy The Studio, which won 13 Emmys and broke the record for the most wins in a single season by a comedy show. Wonders, who is the niece of Anna Sui, will also appear in the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot as Shirley.






































