Lucy Liu says she has been held back by Racism
'People see Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy, not me'
'I got pushed out of both categories, too Asian, too American'
'My relationship status is a giant question mark. I wish I knew the answer'
As any actor will attest, the acting industry is tough to break into. But there are even more challenges once you break through, Lucy Liu has confessed. In an exclusive interview she talks about the typecasting and racism she's faced.
'I wish people wouldn’t just see me as the Asian girl who beats everyone up, or the Asian girl with no emotion. People see Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy, but not me. You add race to it, and it became, "Well, she’s too Asian", or, "She’s too American".
'I kind of got pushed out of both categories. It’s a very strange place to be. You’re not Asian enough and then you’re not American enough, so it gets really frustrating.'
'I can’t say that there is no racism - there’s definitely something there that’s not easy, which makes [an acting career] much more difficult,' she says.
When asked to reflect on her favourite roles her answer is Lucky Number Slevin with Josh Hartnett and Watching The Detectives, two movies she admits 'not many people' have seen.
'Both are special to me because I didn't have to do any kind of action or karate kicks. It was just about the acting, and I was able to stretch my muscles in them,' she says.
'Well, figuratively, anyway.'
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