A Hiro's Welcome

Veteran Japanese Star Hiroyuki Sanada Finally Rises to the Top of Hollywood with Shōgun

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For Asian actors, achieving stardom in Hollywood has historically been a formidable challenge due Hollywood has long relegated Asian actors to stereotypical roles - often as martial artists, sidekicks or exotic figures rather than fully realised characters, making it difficult for them to break through as lead stars.

For instance, Anna May Wong, who was active in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s, and is often called Hollywood's first Asian-American movie star, struggled to land leading roles. Due to the Hays Code (a set of guidelines that regulated the content of American films from 1934 to 1968), Wong could never be cast as the main romantic lead opposite a white actor. Instead, the roles she landed perpetuated stereotypes of the Lotus Flower and the Dragon Lady. As a result, Wong stepped away from Hollywood for many years in the latter phase of her acting career.

Even the legendary Bruce Lee encountered problems when he first tried to break into Hollywood. Cast in The Green Hornet as Kato, the sidekick to the show's eponymous hero, Lee's supporting role became arguably more popular than the lead character. Yet, despite his popularity, the producer and writers refused to give Kato many speaking lines. After The Green Hornet ended, Lee struggled to find work in Hollywood. He was offered bit parts, but nothing approaching the leading roles he believed he was destined to play. Lee had to move to Hong Kong to become the global superstar he was always destined to be. Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan had a similarly difficult time trying to break into Hollywood before his 1995 Hong Kong smash hit Rumble in the Bronx turned him into an international Hollywood action A-lister.