On Wednesday, Lucy Liu became the second Asian-American woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The first was Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong, who worked heavily throughout the 1920s and 30s and was awarded a star in 1960. In her speech, Liu paid tribute to Wong for paving the way for her career.
“A hundred years ago, she was a pioneer while enduring racism, marginalization, and exclusion,” Liu said. “We could actually start our own little Chinatown right here.”
She continued, highlighting the dissonance between her groundbreaking career and the erasure of Asian cinema outside of the U.S. “Sometimes people talk about my mainstream successes as groundbreaking for an Asian, but Asians have been making movies for a long time,” she said. “They just weren’t making them here because we weren’t yet invited to the table. I was lucky that trailblazers like Anna May Wong and Bruce Lee came before me. If my body of work somehow helped bridge the gap between stereotypical roles, first given to Anna May, and mainstream success today, I am thrilled to have been part of that process.”
Liu, who has starred on the CBS drama Elementary since 2012, started her career in the 1990s, landing breakout roles in shows like Pearl and The X-Files. Her biggest break came on Ally McBeal, where she earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of tough lawyer Ling Woo.
“At the time I started on Ally McBeal, it was rare to get a glimpse of any diversity on screen,” she said. “[Show creator] David Kelley, who is here today, took a risk by creating Ling Woo. David, thank you for taking a chance on me.”
She was also joined at the ceremony by her family, including son Rockwell, and fellow actors like Rhea Perlman and former Charlie’s Angels co-stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. Demi Moore also spoke (completing the Charlie’s Angels reunion), praising Liu as a “badass with brains.”
Liu finished her speech by recalling her early, struggling actor days and explaining how she finally was able to find herself in the business.
“I’ve learned the specific things that made me feel like an outsider were actually the biggest contributors to my success,” she said. “This industry has afforded me the opportunity to grow as a human being and discover more and more of what I am capable of. This dream-fulfilling honor I am receiving today affirms anyone who feels like an outsider can take her place among the stars.”
