“The harder the work, the greater the satisfaction in accomplishing it.” ~Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American movie star, a brilliant silent film, sound film, stage, and radio actress. She enjoyed a very successful acting career and is the first Asian American featured on a U.S. coin. However, for every accomplishment Wong achieved, she had to work twice as hard as her American counterparts. She fought discrimination at every step of her career and, even at its peak, struggled with only being offered stereotypical roles.
Wong grew up in a Chinese American family household in Los Angeles. Because her family lived outside of Chinatown, she was able to assimilate into American culture. She attended a public school but was soon transferred after becoming the target of racial bullying. She moved to a Chinese school where the classes were taught in English and attended a Chinese language school on the side. This helped her learn both languages and allowed her to maintain a strong connection to her heritage.
She started to notice all the movies being filmed in her area and quickly developed a passion for the industry. She started skipping school and using her lunch money to watch all the new movies, which angered her father. He didn't feel that film would be a stable career path and didn't like that her new interest was interfering with her studies. Despite his disapproval, Wong decided to pursue a film career. She started begging everyone on the movie sets to give her a role. By the age of 14, she started getting regular work as a movie extra, and at 16, she dropped out of school to chase her dreams full-time. That year, she received her first film credit, and the next year, she got her first lead role in The Toll of the Sea.
Wong quickly became known for her ability to play emotionally challenging roles and for her beauty and poise on and off the screen. However, despite her quick rise to fame, Hollywood hesitated to give her lead roles because of her ethnicity. She was stuck playing stereotypical exotic roles, but she was optimistic about her career trajectory as her fame continued to grow. At 19, she was cast in The Thief of Bagdad, which caught the attention of critics and launched her into broader fame. Unfortunately, due to anti-miscegenation laws, she was not allowed to kiss an on-screen co-star of any other race. This kept her from being offered leading roles, and she continued to be cast in stereotyped roles.
Tired of the parts she was forced to play, Wong moved to Europe to open up her career opportunities. She quickly became a massive star because people were enamored with her beauty and talent. She finally started booking lead roles and branched out into stage productions. She returned to the U.S. when she received a contract with Paramount Studios, which ironically started eying Wong during their search for new European talent. They promised her lead roles, top billing, and higher pay. Refusing to play any negative stereotypes, she got to show America how authentic Chinese characters should be portrayed. She also started performing in cabarets and made it to Broadway after sharing her love for stage performance.
Unfortunately, before long, Hollywood had fallen back into its old habits, and Wong got stuck playing roles in which she had no interest. She decided to return to Europe, where she started taking on more leading roles. These new roles led to the Chinese media speaking out against Wong, claiming that her increased on-screen sexuality disgraced her heritage. She struggled with this, often saying she was “too American” to be accepted by her Chinese culture and “too Chinese” to be accepted by her American culture.
At the end of her career, Wong took on more B movies that could give her greater liberties with their characters, so she got to take on the roles she always wanted to play. She finally got to play successful, professional, and heroine Chinese American characters and found great joy playing positive characters for a change. She also started to branch into TV, played title roles and recurring characters, and hosted one of the first U.S. documentaries on China narrated by a Chinese American. Her trailblazing career earned her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and representation as one of the four supporting pillars of the Gateway to Hollywood sculpture.
This quarter's design embodies the magnetism of Anna May Wong. You can't help but be drawn in by the alluring look on her face within the theater marquee. Her hand is resting under her chin, finger pointing to her name. This is because she was often photographed with her hands around her face, and the pointing finger calls for recognition of her name. Her name and face on the marquee advertise the honor she's receiving for her work, and the theater lights surrounding her highlight her star power, shining her light.