*By Max Godnick*
Asian and Asian-American actors find themselves on the front lines in the fight for more inclusion and diversity in Hollywood.
[Whitewashing](https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/hollywood-whitewashing-25-roles-emma-stone-jake-gyllenhaal-scarlett-johansson/) scandals continue to emerge as producers cast actors of other races in roles written for Asian people. According to one [study,] (https://deadline.com/2017/09/asian-americans-in-television-study-diversity-representation-inclusion-master-of-none-fresh-off-the-boat-1202165584/) people of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage made up just 4.3 percent of TV series regulars in 2017. While the success of shows such as "Fresh Off the Boat" and "Master of None" prove progress is possible, there is still a lot of work to be done.
"I think it has to come from top down," said Chin Han, the Singaporean actor of Chinese descent, in an interview with Cheddar on Tuesday.
"If we had more producers, more Asian financiers, more writers, more Asian directors, then we'd be able to tell a story that's authentic to the Asian experience," he said.
Han stars alongside Dwayne Johnson in the new action movie, "Skyscraper." The film focuses on a terrorist attack in the fictional world's tallest building in Hong Kong. It's the latest in a series of movies including "Pacific Rim," "The Martian," and "The Great Wall," to take place in and/or prominently feature China in its plot.
"There's no denying that \[China\] is a very very huge market that can be tapped," Han said about the country's role in American storytelling.
Hollywood's powers-that-be are beginning to take notice of the shifting international entertainment landscape. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the governing body of the Oscars, just invited a record 928 new members to its ranks in an effort to increase diversity.
Han is one of those new invitees.
"It's a huge honor," he said. "To be now in a community of actors who I respect and adore, from Meryl Streep to Al Pacino, it's still very surreal to me."
Han quoted the character he plays in "Skyscraper" when offering advice to the next generation of Asian artists hoping to follow in his footsteps.
"You're only limited by the scope of your imagination."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/chin-han-on-asian-representation-in-hollywood)
A recent study has found that young people's mental health worsens as they go through their teenage years, with the wellbeing of adolescent girls the most severely impacted. Simone Alicia, creator of The Self Esteem Doctor Academy, joins Cheddar News to discuss how to raise self esteem among this age group.
Cristyl Kimbrough, real estate attorney and star of 'Ladies Who List: Atlanta,' joins Cheddar News to discuss her new show on OWN and breaking into Atlanta's luxury real estate space.
Carl Tobias, professor of law at the University of Richmond, joins Cheddar News to talk about how Johnson & Johnson funded experiments on mostly Black men comparing the effects of talc and asbestos on their skin.
Amazon unveiled its new mobile app called Amp as a direct competitor to Clubhouse, allowing people to host live radio shows. Although it is still in beta, users can join the waitlist from the iOS store.
The war in Ukraine continues to reveal heartbreaking gut-wrenching stories. The war in itself is not only devastating but also expensive. Experts estimate that Russia is draining nearly $20 million dollars each day to continue occupying and invading Ukraine. All this could force the country to turn to cryptocurrencies. It's a major turn for the country that briefly considered outlined digital assets entirely, but it could also have serious implications for cryptos. Managing Director at Quantum Fintech Group, Harry Yeh, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
On International Women's Day, we should not only focus on the women who came before us but but also the women doing the work today for a better tomorrow. Ms. James, also known as @iamthatenglishteacher on TikTok, is an Arkansas teacher who took her talents to the video-sharing app to expand her classroom from four walls to the world! She joins Cheddar News to discuss her love for teaching.
