Why Michelle Yeoh, Daniel Wu, and other Asian film actors are hitting small screens

Daniel Wu was hesitant at first about playing the lead in the action-packed AMC drama Into the Badlands. This wasn’t only because of the intense physical training he would be required to do to prepare for his role as Sunny, but also because it would be his first foray into television. As the popular show moves into its third season, the actor is glad that he didn’t sit out on this opportunity.

“Being able to experience a character over a longer period of time is quite an interesting process. It’s very different from a movie, where you need to show your character within an hour and a half,” Wu says.

“I’ve had 16 episodes so far, solely developing Sunny and figuring out who he is. It’s been an interesting process.”

It’s not news that more Asian stars are joining Hollywood film productions, thanks to lucrative Chinese box offices that are too big to ignore. But it’s still rare for Asian talents, especially male actors who began their career in Hong Kong or mainland China, to take on prominent roles in American prime television on such a level.

The last notable instance was perhaps the CBS kung-fu satire Martial Law starring action veteran Sammo Hung, which ran for two seasons from 1998 to 2000. In addition to Wu’s breakthrough, other Asian actors have also been making headway in American television. For example, Daniel Dae Kim starred in Hawaii Five-O and Daniel Henney recently landed a role in the CBS long-running Criminal Minds.

“It has changed a lot obviously,” Wu agrees. “When I grew up in the States, I never [saw] Asians on TV. [It was] more white men pretending to be Chinese, and they got away with it. Nowadays, if someone tried to do that, [they’d] never get away with it.”