Thanks Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star BD Wong has said he “wants bigger parts in movies”.
In an interview with GQ, BD Wong said he wants more important roles in films. Despite winning a Tony Award and featuring in both Jurassic World franchises, Wong says Asian actors are still mainly considered for supporting roles.
“I want bigger parts in movies, and I don’t want to have to rely on a franchise to bring me back into the movie theater,” Wong said. “I always want more.”
The 57-year-old actor went on to say that both him and the interviewer were “underdogs” for being Asian. “We’ll always going to be the underdog,” Wong said. “The tables will never really be turned.” As the interviewer is also queer, she wondered whether Wong’s comment also referring to sexuality.
“Do we need to feel that there’s an end to white privilege in order to work against it?” Wong rhetorically asks.
The Gotham and Mr Robot star added that he puts effort in trying to avoid perpetuating Asian stereotypes.
“I spend so much energy trying to avoid all of that stuff,” Wong said. “That feels like the best way to make Dr. Wu [his character in Jurassic World] an individual, the best way to steer away from anything people are expecting.”
Wong added that Dr Wu’s research was moulded into a commercial project for corporate profits, explaining why the character is so intense. “The only way the character can continue to do this technology is through these people paying for his labs,” Wong said. “If he removed himself from the situation, if he quit, he would have nothing. He wouldn’t have the lab resources. He’d have to start all over.”
