Rising Asian American Stars
By wchung | 22 Feb, 2025

A fresh crop of Asian faces should add some interest to the upcoming TV season.

The highly-anticipated CW premier of “Melrose Place” aired last week, boasting a cast of young, budding talent including an actress with striking Asian features named Stephanie Jacobson. Stephanie was born in Hong Kong and began her acting career in Australia, starring in a number of TV series, even receiving a TV Week Logie nomination for most popular new talent. Her impressive resume crossed over to the states as she landed several crucial roles, including a part in Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles and the lead in the highly acclaimed Battlestar Galactica: Razor. Now with her scintillating portrayal of a prostituting medical school student in the greatly buzzed about new series, she seems destined to become America’s next TV darling. Or at least the next sexy TV vixen.

Although Stephanie is only a quarter Chinese, her Asian heritage is definitely not lost in her features. And from the standpoint of an Asian American television junkie, having another Asian face catapulted into mainstream media is an exciting sight to see. But she’s not the only one. Here’s a list of some other Asian American entertainers who may be making waves in the near future, even if these undulations are mere ripples at the moment.

1. First up is my new favorite comedian Henry Cho. This Korean-American Tennessee native, dubbed Mr. Clean for his family-friendly routines, has been a successful actor comedian for many years. Besides touring extensively, he has also appeared on several standup specials on networks such as MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central, as well as in notable sitcoms, talk shows and feature films. Most excitingly, he inked a deal with ABC & Touchstone Pictures to shoot a TV show based on his life as an Asian American growing in the south. Hmm. An Asian American not only starring in his own TV show but a TV show that deals with growing up Asian American? If that’s not progress people, I don’t know what is.

2. Next is the Asian-American Hip Hop group Fareast Movement who just released their sophomore album, in which they collaborated with several illustrious hip hop names such as Baby Bash and Lil Rob. Their single “Girls on the dance floor” not only hit number 27 on the Billboard charts, but has also gained consistent airtime with reputable stations such as LA’s Power 106. In addition, their songs have been featured in films like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and TV shows including the CSI shows and “Entourage.” With all this exposure and several soldout concerts under their belt, this groundbreaking group is sure to light up radio stations nationwide in no time.

3. Then there is Korean-American actress Jamie Chung, who began as a reality darling but have somehow transformed herself into a full-blown movie star. After a series of appearances in shows like CSI: NY, ER and Greek, she landed the lead in ABC family’s Samurai Girl. When the series closed, she moved on to the big screen, starring in films such as “Dragonball Evolution” and “Sorority Row.” With all that talent and those cheekbones, Lucy Liu better watch her back.

4. Lastly, we have singer songwriter Marie Digby, who started off as a popular youtube cover girl and has gone on to release three albums. Previously a UC Berkeley student, this half-Japanese musician dropped out after her second year to pursue her artistic passions and quickly gained recognition after winning a national song-writing competition for her song “Miss Invisible”. In addition to writing her own songs, Marie also plays the guitar and piano. With both talent and brains belying those ethereal Asian features, Marie has gained a loyal following both in Asia and the States. It is this almost fanatical loyalty that has allowed her to complete a recent tour through Asia and the Philippines, and given her enough exposure to receive airplay on alternative stations such as LA’s Star 98.7 and on TV shows such as “The Hills,” “Smallville,” and “ER.” She may never be the next Britney or Miley (nor do we want her to be), but her relatable lyrics and soulful melodies will get her far in the musical world.

There you have it. A couple of new faces to look out for in the upcoming years. These new starlets may come from different walks of life and shine in different arenas, but they all have one thing in common – a history of hard work and perseverance. In fact, these up-and-comers are really not newbies at all but veterans who have devoted countless years into developing their craft and building their fanbase to arrive to where they are just starting to get recognized by the rest of America. Let’s just hope that my predictions are correct and these trailblazing Asian Americans will soon reap the benefits of their laborious and courageous endeavors.