Born to Chinese immigrants in Minneapolis, Hong endured the aggressive anti-Asian racism of the 1930s, served in the army during Korean War, and - somewhere in the mix - was bitten by the performance bug that would eventually lead to a seventy-year long career in showbiz (and counting).
From his iconic role as Chi-Fu in Disney’s "Mulan" to the hilariously terrifying Lo Pan in "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Kung Fu Panda"’s beloved Mr. Ping, James has been capturing viewers hearts for years. And who could forget his powerful, viral speech as he accepted the Best Ensemble Cast honors on behalf of Everything Everywhere All at Once at the Actor Awards?
Drawing on never-before-seen archival materials and hours of interviews, this is a powerful first-person journey through James’s incredible life and unique family history: a quintessential Asian American post-immigrant story, filled with new anecdotes and wisdom drawn from an unprecedented career, threaded through with an incisive look at nearly a century of Hollywood history.
When I first saw this book, the only role of his that stood out for me of James Hong's is his role as the host in Seinfeld. But I like reading memoirs and at age 97, I figured he would have an interesting story to tell ... and he did.
In this memoir, Hong looks back at the people, experiences, challenges and turning points that shaped his journey. He shares stories from his childhood and early life, his decision to pursue acting and the years he spent building a career in Hollywood at a time when opportunities for Asian American actors were often limited. This is a book about Hong the person as well as Hong the actor, the experiences he had, the relationships he formed and the lives and characters he encountered during more than 70 years in Hollywood.
Hong was born in Minneapolis, MN, in 1929 to Chinese emigrant parents. The family relocated to Hong Kong when he was young and then moved back to the States when he was ten. He talks about how hard it was being the only Asian kid in school and experienced bullying and racism.
Hong writes about the many different jobs and roles he took on throughout his career and the people he met along the way. His memories include working on television shows and movies, meeting major Hollywood stars (the good and bad experiences), attending auditions, dealing with rejection and finding ways to keep working in an industry that could be difficult.
He also discusses his experiences as an Asian American performer. Many of his early roles were shaped by the stereotypes and limited opportunities available to Asian actors and he describes what it was like to work within those limitations while continuing to pursue his career. As Hollywood changed, so did the kinds of opportunities available to him. His stories also touch on family, friendships, colleagues, perseverance and the importance of staying active and engaged throughout a long life.
I liked the writing style and found it more intersting than I thought I would. It was interesting but not surprising to read how Asian (and other minorities) were treated back in the day in Hollywood. He would audition for an Asian role only to find it had been given to an obvious non-Asian and he would be awarded a stereotypical lesser Asian role. Thankfully things have changed and a lot of that is thanks to Hong. What would have made this book better would be including photographs.
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