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Hailee’s maternal grandfather was fractional Filipino and fractional Black. “I’ve since been to the Philippines a mates of times…It’s truthful fantastic to beryllium successful a spot wherever you stock immoderate of the aforesaid DNA with the radical that you’re surrounded by,” she told Kelly Clarkson successful 2020 arsenic she reflected connected discovering much astir her background.
As good arsenic being part-Hawaiian, Nicole is of Filipino descent — thing that came arsenic a astonishment to TikTok users past twelvemonth erstwhile she posted a video astir her Filipino heritage. She shared successful 2017, “Filipino pride! ... I’m conscionable truly arrogant to beryllium capable to correspond my radical successful Hawaii and the Philippines. ... I consciousness similar immoderate of the champion voices successful the satellite are Filipino voices. I got my dependable from my Hawaiian side, excessively — my grandmother.”
Vanessa is Filipino connected her mother’s side. She has antecedently talked astir facing assumptions that she’s Latine, peculiarly owed to the information that she has portrayed Latine characters on-screen, contempt being of Filipino heritage.
Olivia — who is partially of Chinese descent — has talked openly astir rejecting stereotypical roles. She said successful 2021: “Typically, arsenic an Asian American, arsenic an Asian American woman, the rules are: to beryllium the submissive wife, oregon to beryllium the retired of power wife, to conscionable constantly, beryllium supporting different people's storylines, but creating this and perpetuating the stereotype that we are either submissive oregon crazy. For me, it has meant that I don't enactment arsenic overmuch arsenic I would privation to, because, successful bid to work, I'd person to instrumentality a batch much of those offers. So it takes a agelong clip of conscionable saying nary to a batch of stuff.”
Another personage who has turned down roles to debar feeling “defined” by her ethnicity is Jessica Henwick, who has Chinese, Singaporean, and Zambian heritage. She told Interview magazine successful 2017, “I privation to proceed to broaden expectations of what an Asian tin beryllium but besides prosecute ones that would person spoken to maine arsenic a young Asian.”
Olivia, who is fractional Filipino and fractional white, has been unfastened astir however grateful she is to beryllium capable to represent her Filipino heritage. She shared successful a 2018 interview of her background, “My great-grandfather immigrated present from the Philippines erstwhile helium was conscionable a teenager. He’s my grandma’s dad, and my grandpa is besides Filipino arsenic well. My dada grew up successful a location wherever they were ever making Filipino food, his grandpa ever spoke Tagalog. All of those traditions person trickled down to our generation. Every Thanksgiving we person lumpia, and things similar that.”
Jhené's paternal gramps was of Japanese American descent. She has agelong talked astir her mixed-race heritage, writing of her gramps successful 2021: "i can't assistance but deliberation astir the favoritism helium faced regular having a achromatic woman and 6 bi radical children (and 20+ mixed contention expansive and large grandchildren)...i beryllium it to him to proceed to combat for justness and equality for my communities arsenic well."
Former Fifth Harmony vocalist Dinah, who is of Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, and Danish descent, told Teen Vogue successful 2023: “I consciousness similar I've ever been successful this contention trying to fig it retired by myself arsenic a Polynesian pistillate successful the mainstream world...I'm not shying distant from who I americium anymore. And I privation it to beryllium known that I'm coming retired strong. This is who I am. I'm a Polynesian girl, and I'm not acrophobic to fell it, and I'm not acrophobic to talk my voice.”
H.E.R. is of Filipino descent connected her mom’s side, and Black connected her dad’s side. She has talked openly astir embracing some cultures, having been raised successful a household that proudly championed each.
Keanu, who has Chinese, English, Irish, Native Hawaiian, and Portuguese heritage, antecedently told NBC News: “My narration to my Asian identity, it's ever been bully and healthy. And I emotion it.” When asked astir being labeled a idiosyncratic of color, helium replied, “I don't cognize if I hold with that statement. But I don't not agree.”
12. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne is of Samoan and Black heritage. Of his mixed-race identity, helium erstwhile tweeted, “I place arsenic precisely what I americium - both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan.”
Chloe, who is fractional Chinese and fractional white, erstwhile revealed that she’d changed her name from Wang successful bid to publication roles successful Hollywood. “Changing my past sanction doesn't alteration the information that my BLOOD is fractional Chinese, that I lived successful China, talk Mandarin oregon that I was culturally raised some American and Chinese. It means I had to wage my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn't formed maine with a past sanction that made them uncomfortable,” she wrote successful a now-deleted Instagram remark successful 2017.
Jason's Native Hawaiian inheritance has not lone been proudly discussed by the prima successful interviews, but it has besides influenced immoderate of his acting roles, similar Aquaman.
Janel is fractional Chinese and fractional Caucasian, and was calved successful Hawaii. She antecedently said, “I retrieve increasing up and wanting to beryllium an histrion and watching these movies and asking my ma if I had to look similar each those different girls successful bid to beryllium an actress. ‘Cause determination were nary movies with beardown Asian American leads that I could ticker and say, ‘Oh, I place with this person. You know, I could subordinate to her. I wanna beryllium her’ … Now it’s like, ‘This is the household that we’re looking for. We’re looking for a multi-ethnic family.’ And that's amazing.”
Karreuche, who is fractional Vietnamese and fractional Black, has been unfastened astir somewhat struggling with her mixed-race individuality during her childhood. “I was ever determination successful the middle. In simple school, I identified much with my Asian side. I had a batch of Korean friends and past erstwhile mediate schoolhouse hit, it was a small much diverse. It was inactive a weird spot to be, due to the fact that astir the Asians, I was brown-skinned. Around Black girls, I wasn’t Black enough, you know?” she shared successful a 2018 interview.
Rapper Saweetie, who is of Filipino and Black descent, antecedently said of her upbringing: “I decidedly felt retired of spot astatine times due to the fact that the cultures that I was raised astir were wholly nighttime and day. But I consciousness similar those types of interior struggles assistance maine recognize radical better, and I present cognize that not 1 acceptable of radical is the same. Like, my ma is of Filipino descent and my dada is of Black descent, truthful it allows maine to beryllium delicate to different people’s cultures.”
Mitski, who is fractional Japanese and fractional Caucasian American, antecedently opened up astir "discovering" that she was an Asian American erstwhile she moved to the US during childhood. “I didn't place arsenic that earlier I came here. People started calling maine that, and I started being treated successful a circumstantial way,” she said successful 2017.
KJ, who is of Samoan and European descent, antecedently said of his mixed heritage: "I’m fractional Samoan, but cipher knows it due to the fact that I’m achromatic and I person [dyed] reddish hair. My dada is simply a main successful Samoa. I astir place much arsenic a Samoan than I bash arsenic a New Zealander, conscionable due to the fact that I grew up with truthful overmuch Samoan family, and the Samoan civilization is truly adjacent to me. I consciousness ashamed of myself for not pursuing it more."
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