Becoming the second Asian-American to earn a star on Hollywood Boulevard, the 'Elementary' actress also thanks her 'Charlie's Angels' co-stars, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Demi Moore.
- May 2, 2019
AceShowbiz - Lucy Liu honoured actress Anna May Wong for paving the way for Asian stars during her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Wednesday, May 01.
The "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" star unveiled her plaque on Hollywood Boulevard and paid tribute to Wong, whose star appears next to hers, in her acceptance speech.
"A hundred years ago, she was pioneer while enduring racism, marginalisation and exclusion," she said. "Sometimes people talk about my mainstream successes as groundbreaking for an Asian, but Asians have been making movies for a long time."
"They just weren't making them here (in Hollywood) because we weren't yet invited to the table. I was lucky that trailblazers like Bruce Lee and Anna May Wong came before me. If my body of work somehow helped bridge the gap between stereotypical roles first given to Anna May, I am thrilled to be part of that process."
Wong, who died in 1961, rose to fame as a screen star during the silent film era in the 1920s, and she was the first Chinese-American actress to gain international recognition, becoming the first Asian-American to earn a star on the Walk of Fame.
"When we place Walk of Fame stars, we love to juxtapose Hollywood's Golden Age icons with the role models who represent the exciting shifts taking place in the film industry whenever we can," Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said on the landmark's website.
During the event, Liu received support from her "Charlie's Angels" castmates Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Demi Moore.
"Twenty years ago we were an elite crime fighting team, and now look at us," Liu joked.
Moore took the podium to salute her pal, praising her intelligence and sense of humour.
"The better I got to know (Liu), I realised that she wasn't just a bada** with brains," she said. "She was a bada** with brains, a beautiful heart, with a deep, loving soul, and a damn good sense of humour."
