For Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Netflix has launched a star-studded campaign highlighting its roster of AAPI talent.
The streaming giant enlisted stars like Daniel Dae Kim, Ashley Park, Ramona Young, Lana Condor, Justin H. Min, Ronny Chieng, Tan France, Jimmy O. Yang, Leah Lewis, Jessie Mei Li, Jo Koy, Punam Patel, Ken Jeong, Margaret Cho, Naomi Osaka and more to share one important message in a powerful 70-second video: Asians are more than a stereotype and their stories have no boundaries.
“We’re not just one thing, obviously,” France, who stars in Netflix’s Queer Eye, says at the beginning of the video. “Being Asian is so much more than that.”
In addition to the video, France, Condor, Koy, Cho, Osaka and Jeong will be featured on billboards across America accompanied by personal quotes from each of them.
“Be powerful, loud, blunt. Be heard,” reads Cho’s.
“Your all-American girl next door is Asian,” reads Condor’s.
In a blog post published on Monday, Netflix documentary and indie film head Lisa Nishimura reflected on the importance of people seeing their “lives, and experiences reflected on screen.”
“We [Netflix] want want to open the door to more stories by, for and about the AAPI community,” wrote Nishimura. “Thanks to stars like Ali Wong, David Chang, Tan France and the cast of Bling Empire, we’re offering new glimpses into different communities through jokes, food, fashion, music and more.With films like Finding ‘Ohana, we’re celebrating Hawaiian culture. With rom coms like The Half of It and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before we’re ushering in a new generation of leading ladies. In animation like Over the Moon, we’re reimagining heroes.”
Netflix will also highlight its AAPI creators and talent with a special hub called the “Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Stories” collection, which includes series, films and specials starring AAPI talent including Kim’s Convenience, Always Be My Maybe, To All the Boys franchise and Never Have I Ever. As Variety reports, the hub also features specific breakdowns for AAPI behind-the-camera talent, AAPI stories for families, Asian comedy icons, Asian and Pacific Islander Hollywood stars, and culture and food across Asia and the Pacific Islands.
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