Ashley Park has alleged that her former Mean Girls castmate made a racist remark to her when she booked her breakout role in Emily in Paris.
For nearly a year and a half, the Korean American actor starred as Gretchen Wieners in Broadway’s Tony-nominated adaptation of the 2004 film classic.
In 2019, Park announced she would be leaving the musical after landing the role of Mindy Chen in Netflix’s hit drama series.
Speaking to Vulture in a new interview, the 32-year-old remembered her Mean Girls castmate allegedly telling her: “Oh yeah, it’s a good time for you to leave because this is a good time for ethnic people to be trying to do TV.”
The Independent has contacted the Mean Girls director for comment.
The alleged remark comes amid a pivotal moment for Asian actors in the entertainment industry, who after decades of being cast aside, are finally leading Oscar-winning films (Parasite and Everything Everywhere All At Once) and being welcomed into big film franchises, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
During his acceptance speech at this year’s SAG Awards, EEAAO star James Hong, 94, spoke candidly about his experience as an Asian actor “back in those days”, saying producers thought “Asians were not good enough and they are not box office”.
Ashley Park— (Getty Images for Lionsgate)
“The leading role was played by these guys with their eyes taped up like this and they talk like this,” he said pulling the corner of his eyes up with his fingers and mimicking an overdramatic Chinese accent. “But look at us now, huh?!”
Park can next be seen co-leading the raunchy, R-rated comedy Joy Ride, alongside Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola and nonbinary actor Sabrina Wu.
Joy Ride is out in the US on 5 July and 4 August in the UK.
She will also be joining the forthcoming Mean Girls movie musical currently in development. Renée Rapp (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), and Angourie Rice (The Last Thing He Told Me) have also been cast.
