It's always going to be a struggle
in this business
no matter who you are.
But being Asian, being woman
you know it's a double negative sometimes.
'If you have a dream, you can go after it'
The wonderful thing about being
in a Disney animation
is that when it hits all the right notes
it becomes classic.
It becomes universal.
Ming-Na Wen is perhaps best known...
for being the voice of Disney's Mulan, about a Chinese warrior.
I never really believed that Mulan could have been that
only because it was so specifically a Chinese folklore
and the fact that her legacy, her character
has survived the decades is astounding.
I definitely see Mulan as a feminist
but in the best way.
Mulan has all the attributes not only to inspire women
but also, to inspire men, to inspire the boys
to appreciate and respect a female like her.
Ming-Na Wen starred in TV series ER and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Now she plays Fennec Shand in the Star Wars franchise.
I wake up every day and I'm still astounded
that I am in the Star Wars universe, that I am part of it.
I was alone in a very white neighbourhood
as an Asian girl.
Star Wars and Luke Skywalker especially
spoke to me and made me realise that
if you have a dream
if you have something that you want in your life
you can go after it.
You cannot imagine what that's like
for that little girl who came from China
and who grew up in a white neighbourhood
and having to struggle
to suddenly realise that her dreams came true.
Born in Macau, a special administrative region of China...
Ming-Na Wen moved to the US as a child.
China is a very old, society, culture, right?
It's gone through many, many, many phases of change.
My DNA, my being is
so powerfully influenced by all the women in my family lineage
of surviving that of suffering through so much.
I mean my mum alone.
She suffered through famine, she suffered through
you know the communist takeover.
It seems impossible
but she gave us the opportunity to live the 'American Dream'.
Ming-Na Wen has also spoken out against anti-Asian hate crimes.
These crimes saw a sharp rise in the US as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
When the Asian hate crimes were happening
you see the very vulnerable getting attacked
the women
the elderly.
It was pathetic.
It was painful to watch.
And the only way that I know to combat it is with love
with understanding.
It's important to speak up when the timing is right.
And I hope that I have enough sense from my years of living
to recognise when it is necessary and when I can contribute.
Ming-Na Wen is set to receive a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
But she has also had to deal with discrimination and typecasting.
Stereotypes, they're created to sort of
pigeonhole a group of people.
And in Hollywood, many times
casting directors, producers
they use that stereotype
because they're comfortable
or it's what they know.
It's what they think will sell.
And your job as an artist and as a human being
is to fight against it.
In my own life, I have definitely come across so many of those stereotypes.
When I came out into the real world
one of the challenges I had
was always going after roles that weren't specifically written for Asians
and there weren't that many back in those days, trust me.
But Ming-Na Wen says she has started to see a shift in attitudes.
I love, love this time in Hollywood
because diversity is almost becoming the norm.
We had Crazy Rich Asians.
We had The Joy Luck Club .
We've got Awkwafina.
It's not impossible for an Asian to be a lead in a project.
What's great is that now when these people are in a room
or on a set
they're not looked at as tokens.
It's really becoming more a norm
and that's what I love about it.
And scene!