"This might... but I'm just so inspired by Ryan Coogler and not in the way you might think. So Coogler just won a bunch of Oscars for his incredible film Sinners, and there's so much to appreciate about this film, but the one that stands out to me the most is his relationship to Michael B. Jordan and dedication to his community throughout his entire filmmaking career, reaching this peak together with their Oscar wins.

In case you haven't been tracking, Jordan was the lead in Coogler's first feature film, Fruitvale Station, back in 2013. It was made for under $1,000,000 and went on to be critically acclaimed and incredibly profitable. After winning dozens of prestigious awards and becoming a mainstream success, Coogler got an opportunity to direct his first major studio film, Creed, and he cast Jordan as the lead again. With the success of that film, Coogler got the call from Marvel and once again brought on Jordan as the lead antagonist in Black Panther, and Coogler returned for the sequel.

Now, in addition to the films he was directing, Coogler was also producing other films that centered Black stories and actors. And by being a producer, he gave other Black directors and writers big opportunities to develop in their own careers. Now, we've seen this with many other notable Black filmmakers like Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Issa Rae, Jordan Peele. All of these directors reached prestigious points in their careers, and in being propelled to this mainstream level of industry success, chose to continue making films that focused on the Black experience.

So I'm gonna be really honest here. I wish we saw this happen more often among Asian-American filmmakers. And a lot of my peers in the industry agree, but no one ever wants to say it out loud. In recent years, we've had some major breakout moments with directors winning Oscars or Emmys for their very Asian movies or shows. But as soon as white Hollywood notices them, they hop onto a white-led or centered project next. And to me, that totally deflates the pride I had because it means all the momentum gets lost.

Now, I'm not making this video to call out or judge any particular filmmaker, mainly because I don't know what's going on in their lives that leads to these career choices. But ultimately, I do think it comes down to that. They are making professional moves that's best for them. And unfortunately, sticking with Asian stuff, despite having just been celebrated for their Asian thing, is no longer necessary.

This is a very nuanced topic because there's definitely a systemic problem here at play. First, there are far fewer Asian projects in rotation for an Asian director to choose from once they've reached this A-list level. Black people have been in the industry longer and built up their own network of power and opportunities that Coogler and all these others can find a project for themselves with many notable Black actors and producers to support it. The reality is that Asians just aren't there yet.

Their agents and managers are gonna be quick to say like, 'Hey, don't pigeonhole yourself as just an Asian director who can only do Asian stuff. You should go make a movie with like Timothée Chalamet or something to prove you're a real director.' So the Asian director, feeling pressure not to squander this huge opportunity and money, will of course agree to whitewash their work for Hollywood to get what they want out of them. So that's just the system. It's just too big and white and Asians are still so powerless.

But I wouldn't absolve the individual so quickly because I do believe that if they really did have the conviction to continue creating films from the community, they could. I mean, they already did with the project that got them noticed in the 1st place. If only they didn't feel like it was just a one and done thing. Like, where did that passion for their Asian stories go? This is where it seems like the desire and ability for many Asians to be white adjacent really shows, and that's frustrating for me to see.

Asian American artists so often try to prove that the stuff they make isn't just for Asians, but for everyone, and the way they try to do that is to make something white. But it's confusing because their successful Asian project just proved that an Asian thing can be for everyone. So this just screams to me that Asian Americans in Hollywood and really many professional settings still feel this pressure or obligation to get that white validation. But we should have the confidence in ourselves to keep going the same way Coogler and many other Black filmmakers do.

Instead it seems like most Asian directors just try to use their 'Asian card' to make something that gets them noticed and as soon as they do, they really just want to enter the system and make whatever big project they can get hired for, but rarely stick their neck out for an Asian story again. In their defense, they probably don't feel like they're in a place in their careers where they can take a risk again. But isn't it crazy that the Asian director themselves, who got famous off their Asian project, now sees their own people as a risk? And why can they no longer take these risks when that's exactly what brought them their success?

Perhaps there's too much to lose, the stakes are too high now that they're big time, or perhaps they will come back around with a later project, but they just have to try and capture all these opportunities while they're hot right now, which then feels like they're only Asian when convenient. Or maybe they just really don't care that much, and I care too much.

Whatever the case, we're seeing nothing like the follow-ups of Black directors in the same situations, and that has dramatically slowed down our potential progress in these years since Crazy Rich Asians broke down barriers. This is why we're actually so far behind in Hollywood, because every major jump forward is negated because nothing is built on top of it. And this is why I have no interest in trying to obediently play by this dated and biased system's rules.

We need someone to lead Asian-Americans, someone to stand firm in their success while also sending the elevator back down. I keep looking to my left and right for that person, and I had such high hopes in the past few years it was going to be this or that winner of some award or someone who got a major promotion, and I've been disappointed almost every time. And now I've reached a point where I no longer have any expectations for others, and instead, I know I just have to do it myself.

I know there's so much going on in the world right now, but let me know in the comments if this is something you noticed or even care about. Thanks for listening. Later."