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Brenda Song is an actress all 2000s Disney Channel viewers remember. For those who don’t know, Brenda played the wealthy London Tipton on Dylan and Cole Sprouse’s co-starrer The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck. Over the years, the actress was part of several projects – but the image it made her cost her a part in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’.
In a past interview, the actress recalled missing out on a major opportunity as the makers felt she was ‘not Asian enough.’ Read on to know what she said and the film director’s response.
In November 2019, while in a conversation with Teen Vogue, Brenda Song opened up about missing out on a major opportunity because of the ‘image’ years of working in the West earned it. While talking to the publication, the ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ fame London Tipton said, “A lot of people don’t know this, but I never got to read for ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ ever.”
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As per the report, Brenda Song – who was a fan of Kevin Kwan’s book, asked her managers to arrange an audition during the casting calls for ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, but they came back with bad news. Revealing the reason behind this denial, Brenda said, “Their reasoning behind that, what they said, was that my image was basically not Asian enough, in not so many words. It broke my heart.”
The actress continued, “I said, ‘This character is in her late to mid-20s, an Asian American, and I can’t even audition for it? I’ve auditioned for Caucasian roles my entire career, but this specific role, you’re not going to let me do it? You’re going to fault me for having worked my whole life?’ I was like, ‘Where do I fit?’”
A while after Brenda Song made this statement, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ director Jon M. Chu responded to it via a tweet. He wrote to Twitter, “Would these words ever come out of my mouth? Nope makes no sense. I feel horrible she thinks this is the reason. The fact is I love Brenda Song and am a fan. I didn’t need her to audition because I already knew who she was!”
🤷🏻♂️would these words ever come out of my mouth? Nope makes no sense. I feel horrible she thinks this is the reason. The fact is I love Brenda Song and am a fan. I didn’t need her to audition because I already knew who she was!
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) November 20, 2019
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the romantic comedy-drama starred Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, and Michelle Yeoh in pivotal roles. ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ was released on August 15, 2018 (in the US) and won several accolades, including the 76th Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), four nominations at the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards, and more.
Would you have liked to see Brenda Song in the film? Let us know in the comments below.
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