Elle USA - 11.2019

This Is

the Last

Time I’ll

Answer

This

Question

By Ali Wong

omething I always get asked is: “What is it like be-

ing an Asian American woman in Hollywood?” I

hate this question almost as much as I hate, “What

is it like being a female in comedy?” Nobody wants his or

her identity and defining characteristics reduced to just

race and gender, and I resent that white men never get

asked, “What is it like being a white man in movies?” What

disappoints me even more is that the people asking are

always Asian American. It’s like they want to hear a titillat-

ing story about how a high-powered Hollywood executive

sat me down in his office and said, “Look, we love you, Ali.

In fact...we love you long time!” And then this same exec

proceeded to throw rice on my face while forcing me to

watch Mickey Rooney’s scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s

on a loop, before kicking me out of his office, screaming,

“You’ll never make it in the white man’s world, you chinky

ho!” (That, unfortunately, has never happened to me.)

I rarely get asked what I think is a more interesting

question: How do you overcome failure? (My answer, if

you’re curious, centers on having a tolerance for delayed

gratification, a passion for the craft, and a willingness to

S

BOOKS

WONG: ROZETTE RAGO/

THE NEW YORK TIMES

/REDUX.