At 94 years old, legendary actor and U.S. Army veteran James Hong shows no signs of slowing down
In an interview with The Guardian, legendary actor and U.S. Army veteran James Hong talks about seizing the moment now that he’s finally getting recognition. “It’s almost a miracle that I would be in a picture after all these years that’s recognised by the industry. I never dreamed that would happen.”
Hong recently went viral for his SAG Award acceptance speech where he said, “The producers said the Asians were not good enough and they are not box office… but LOOK AT US NOW!!!”
“We were not important people in the United States as far as the film industry was concerned,” Hong continued in his interview with The Guardian. “Until about 10 years ago when we started to win awards. So it’s been a journey from ground zero to what it is now. But there’s still a long way to go.”
Hong also recounted his experience as an actor cast in the TV show, “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan” in 1957. J Carrol Naish, an American actor of Irish descent, was cast in the lead role and he would tape his eyes back to look Asian. “It sickened me to watch somebody glue their eyes so that they would look Chinese,” Hong said. “That upset me inside, but I did my role.”
“One day I was off stage, just giving him the lines, and he’s on camera. I happened to miss one line. He just charged up to me and said: ‘What do you think this is? A school for Chinese actors?’ I was shocked; I didn’t know what to do. He came at me and I was ready to fight. But he didn’t swing – he just went to his dressing room.” Naish reportedly told the producers it was either him or Hong. “He had me fired. That shows you the deep prejudice he had inside. That hurt a lot. It took me years to recover from that. I had to go see a psychiatrist.”
At 94-years-old, Hong shows no signs of slowing down. He hopes to keep making movies, and he’s currently working on a documentary about his career and the contributions Asian Americans have made in Hollywood.
Click here to read the full story from The Guardian.
