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The representation of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community in media has historically been marked by invisibility or, when API characters are on screen, reductive stereotypes. A 2021 report released by the Geena Davis Institute, in partnership with CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) and Gold House, titled “I am not a Fetish or A Model Minority: Redefining What it Means to Be API in the Entertainment Industry,” found that from 2010 to 2019, just 4.5% of leads/co-leads in domestic top-grossing films were API. With the knowledge that film and television play a core role in creating culture across the globe, and that culture is an integral part of creating empathy, recognition, and equal respect for marginalized communities, this report presents an analysis of API representation on screen in top-grossing films from 2010 through 2024, and a survey of API professionals in the entertainment industry recruited by CAPE, administered in 2021 and in 2025, to assess personal experiences and perceptions about representation in Hollywood, and whether there have been significant changes.

Content Analysis Key Findings

From 2010 to 2024, API representation in top-grossing films grew modestly. More films included some API characters over this time frame, and there was an increase in the overall share of all characters who were API. While API characters remained a small share of leads, supporting, and minor roles (7.4% of all characters were API), their share of all characters slightly increased over time. And intersectional analysis reveals that API characters were more often women, more likely to be LGBTQIA+, and younger, compared with white characters.

  • Across 150 top films from 2010 to 2024, 7.4% of all characters were API.
  • Over the past 15 years, more films have included some API representation.
  • Among all API characters on screen, most were identified as East Asian (67.7%). Additionally, 18.4% were South Asian, 10.4% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 3.5% were Southeast Asian.
  • API characters accounted for 5.1% of leads and co-leads, 7.8% of supporting roles, and 7.1% of minor roles across all years.
  • Of all API leads from 2010 to 2024, 50.0% were Pacific Islander, 37.5% were East Asian, 12.5% were South Asian, and 0.0% were Southeast Asian.
  • From 2010 to 2024, there was a statistically significant — though modest — increase in API characters across all types of character (leads, supporting, and minor roles).
  • API characters were more likely than white characters and non-API characters of color to be female (40.8% compared with 28.5% and 35.7%, respectively).
  • API characters were more likely than white characters to be LGBTQIA+ (1.9% compared with 0.5%).
  • API characters were less likely than white characters to be ages 50 and older (16.9% compared with 25.3%) but more likely than non-API characters of color to be 50-plus (16.9% compared with 14.8%).

Survey Key Findings

API industry professionals see signs of progress, but challenges remain. More feel their voices are valued at work (62%, up from 43.5% in 2021), and fewer report experiencing microaggressions (although it is still high). Views on industry-wide efforts are mixed, with most saying representation has both improved and fallen short, especially behind the scenes. On-screen representation remains uneven across ethnic groups, though most API industruct professionals agree it is improving. Respondents cited characters from Beef, Pen15, Deli Boys, Never Have I Ever, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Mulan, Moana, and Star Trek as sources of inspiration.

  • Overall, 38.9% API industry professionals feel industry-wide efforts to support API representation on screen over the past five years have gotten better, while most (52.4%) feel efforts have gotten both better and worse; 4.3% say it’s gotten worse.
  • Attitudes about industry-wide efforts to support API representation behind the scenes are less optimistic: 24.5% say things have gotten better, and 12.5% say it’s gotten worse; 52.4% agree it’s gotten both better and worse.
  • About 62% of API industry professionals said they feel their voice is valued, a sharp increase from 2021 when only 43.5% surveyed said that they felt their voice was valued at work.
  • About 72% of API industry professionals say they’ve experienced microaggressions at work. However, this is a decline from 2021, when 80.9% said they experienced microaggressions at work.
  • Responses indicate that API representation on screen remains uneven for different ethnic groups. Only 35.9% of respondents say that Southeast Asian representation is “positive,” compared with 70.6% who say the same for Pacific Islander representation, 68.9% for East Asian representation, and 58.1% for South Asian representation.
  • A majority of respondents agree that the state of representation for all ethnic groups analyzed (Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders, East Asians, South Asians) is “improving.”
  • Respondents feel inspired by new and old API characters on screen, mentioning characters from productions like Beef, Pen15, Deli Boys, Never Have I Ever, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, Mulan, Moana, and Star Trek.
API Report images
Image of API characters mentioned in the survey. Left to right: Shang Chi (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Lilo (Lilo & Stitch), Jobu/Joy, Evelyn, & Waymond (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Mulan & Shifu (Mulan), Raj, Mir, & Naveeda (Deli Boys), Moana (Moana 2), and Maya (Pen15).

Interventions in Partnership with CAPE

  • Invest in Southeast Asian Stories and Talent.
    Prioritize funding, greenlighting, and marketing projects led by Southeast Asian creators since their representation is viewed as the least visible and least positive compared with other API groups.
  • Build Career Pathways Behind the Scenes.
    Expand mentorships, training, and promotion pipelines for API professionals in writing, directing, and executive roles, focusing where progress is lagging, and targeting individuals who lack industry connections, making it easier for emerging talent to break into and advance within the industry. Build out career pathway programs that support API professionals in less visible roles, such as for producers, below-the-line talent, and other major pain points identified in the study.
  • Center Nuanced API Characters Across Genres.
    Support projects that feature API characters in a wide range of stories—beyond trauma or identity narratives or monolithic portrayals—to match the breadth of audience inspiration seen with titles like Beef and Deli Boys.
  • Sustain Representation Momentum Across All Ethnic Groups.
    Ensure that Pacific Islander, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and East Asian representation are all being supported, not just the groups already seen as improving.
  • Embed API Voices in Decision-Making Roles.
    Create clear, measurable goals for hiring API professionals into positions where they can influence casting, storytelling, and greenlighting decisions. Furthermore, career sustainability is of utmost importance right now: API executives finally in decision-making roles may find themselves being laid off or otherwise forced to exit the industry in the midst of industry-wide instability and contractions. Supporting programs and networks that focus on both career advancement and sustainability are a two-pronged approach to supporting API voices in decision-making positions.

How to cite this study:

Conroy, M., Espinoza, C., Terán L., White, M. H., Romero Walker, A., Cassese, E., & Pérez, R. (2025). Rewriting the script: A new era for API voices in Hollywood. The Geena Davis Institute.

See our previous 2021 study on the state of API representation, I am not a Fetish or A Model Minority: Redefining What it Means to Be API in the Entertainment Industry, here.