Advocating On-Screen Diversity
Female Malaysia|November 2019
TAKE A LOOK AT HOLLYWOOD MOVIES IN THE PAST AND PRESENT AND YOU’LL NOTICE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE: MORE ASIAN REPRESENTATION. SEEING MORE ASIAN CHARACTERS ON THE BIG SCREEN IS A GOOD STEP FORWARD, BUT HOW WELL DO THEY PORTRAY CULTURAL IDENTITIES? LENDING HER VOICE TO AN ASIAN ANIMATED CHARACTER IN ABOMINABLE, ASIAN-AMERICAN ACTRESS CHLOE BENNET SHARES THE IMPORTANCE OF INCLUSION AND REPRESENTATION IN FILMS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR HER TO PLAY THE ROLE OF YI IN THE MOVIE.
Elaine Loke And Vasenta Selvanayagam
Advocating On-Screen Diversity

Honestly, to what extent are you willing to go in order to achieve your dreams? For Chloe, her determination to realize her dreams of becoming an actress in Hollywood prompted her to change her last name from Wang to Bennet because with an anglicized surname, it would be easier for her to market herself, get invited to auditions, receive callbacks and secure strong parts in TV and movies.

Of course, one look at her and you’d never be able to guess that she can speak Mandarin (point to note: never judge anyone by their appearance!) and that the Caucasian-looking beauty is actually half Asian. Her father, Bennet Wang is Chinese while her mother, Stephanie Crane is an American. Chloe’s famous single in Mandarin, Uh Oh, was released in 2011 when she was just a teenager living in Shanghai, China. Despite being celebrated for her talent and beauty from a young age, Chloe didn’t rest on her laurels. Rather, she decided to take on a new challenge by embarking on a new adventure in the entertainment scene – in Hollywood no less. Today, the 27-year-old isn’t only well-known in the acting scene but she’s also recognized for championing diversity and creating awareness on mental health issues.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Born and bred in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Chloe grew up with six brothers. Fun fact: three of them are her biological siblings while three more are adopted. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 2013, Chloe revealed that while she didn’t have the best recollection of the South Side where they grew up in, she did have good memories of seeing her brothers play baseball while her dad coached them. This led Chloe to become active and she tried out different sports such as football, hockey, and even soccer.

This story is from the November 2019 edition of Female Malaysia.

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This story is from the November 2019 edition of Female Malaysia.

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