It's no secret that Asian actors make up a very small percentage of Hollywood (only 1% of leading roles to be exact), but there are trailblazers leading the way in the quest for equal representation. Even if the industry still has a long way to go — for instance, the major issue of whitewashing or casting white actors in Asian roles — it's comforting to watch these young stars kill it on the big screen.

From Fresh Off the Boat's modern Asian family to this year's majority-Asian cast in Crazy Rich Asians, the importance of appealing to all audiences is finally starting to become a priority for producers. And it's about time. Representation matters and it's up to more than just the creators of the hashtags like #StarringJohnCho and #StarringConstanceWu to make a difference. Hollywood, are you listening? We have a few suggestions for you.

Ross Butler

Ross (aka “the Original Reggie” on Riverdale) was born in Singapore to a Chinese-Malaysian mother. He’s since left Riverdale High to continue his role in 13 Reasons Why for its second season.

Awkwafina

The half-Chinese, half-Korean American entertainer does it all - she’s a rapper, comedian, actress, and television host. You may know her from Girl Code or Future Man, and if you don’t then you definitely will by the end of 2018 after seeing her in the female-led reboot of Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians.

Lyrica Okano

The Japanese-American actress has a lead role in the Hulu superhero teen show Marvel’s Runaways as Nico Minoru, a teenager who found out she has magical powers (and also the most killer goth aesthetic).

Charles Melton

When the half-Korean actor took over the role of Reggie Mantle from Ross Butler, it seemed like he immediately clicked with the cast. You can read about how he felt about being an Asian actor portraying a traditionally white character in his interview with Teen Vogue.

Claudia Kim

The South Korean actress has already been seen in the blockbuster Marvel film Avengers: Age of Ultron. Next, she will star in a currently unspecified role in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel (although, SPOILER, we may have an idea of who she might be playing).

Vincent Rodriguez III

The Filipino-American actor is best known for playing the lead love interest, Josh Chan, in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where he shows off that he’s a triple threat who can act, dance, and sing (it also looks like he can hold his own in a fight).

Hayley Kiyoko

Hayley started off 2018 by releasing her debut album Expectations. She's also the star behind your childhood favorites, including voicing Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster. The half-Japanese actress has also been in Disney productions, starring in Lemonade Mouth and Wizards of Waverly Place. Hayley also played a main character on CSI: Cyber.

Hailee Steinfeld

The part-Filipina actress/singer first made headlines for her role in the 2010 film True Grit — which earned her an Oscar nomination. NBD. She later went on to star in Romeo & Juliet, the Pitch Perfect film series, and The Edge of Seventeen. With all of her film roles, she even had time to release her debut EP Haiz, featuring the summer banger "Love Myself."

Ki Hong Lee

Aside from his starring role in the Maze Runner series alongside Dylan O'Brien, you may recognize the Korean-American actor from the hit Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Whether he's freaking you out or making you laugh, there's nothing better than an actor who can take on a range of different roles.

Shay Mitchell

Like a few of the Canadian greats, Shay got her start on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The half-Filipina Canadian actress went on to be one of your favorite liars on Pretty Little Liars and developed her name by becoming a spokesperson for major brands that include Pantene, Nike, and American Eagle. This year, she starred alongside Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts in Mother's Day.

Auli'l Cravalho

She might still be best known as the voice of Moana (and just in case you forgot, please revisit her life-changing Oscars performance), but the Hawaiian actress and singer is further showing off her chops in the musical drama Rise.

Dev Patel

The British-Indian actor made a smash on the big screen with his award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Dev strongly followed up with his starring roles in The Last Airbender, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Lion, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Manny Jacinto

The Philippines-born actor started off with small roles in shows such as Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, and iZombie but now stars in the NBC comedy The Good Place as lovable airhead Jason Mendoza.

Arden Cho

The Korean-American star started out as a model and landed her role in Teen Wolf. She's an advocate for Asian-American representation in Hollywood, which she made clear with her comments on the 2016 Academy Awards on Twitter. Aside from her notable character as Kira Yukimura, she's also made appearances on Pretty Little Liars, Castle, and CSI: NY.

Kelsey Chow

You may remember the half-Chinese actress from her roles in Pair of Kings, One Tree Hill, or Teen Wolf. She is now starring in the ABC comedy Splitting Up Together and Yellowstone on The Paramount Network.

Jenna Ushkowitz

The Korean-American actress's very first role was on Broadway in The King and I; she then went on to be a part of Spring Awakening and most recently to star as Dawn in Waitress. The theater gave Jenna major practice for arguably her most notable role: playing Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee. Her success on the show led her to get the starring role in a special production of The Wedding Singer, which was actually one of the first times one of the lead characters was played by an Asian woman.

Harry Shum Jr.

Though his parents come from Hong Kong and China, Harry was born in Costa Rica. His blend of cultures is similar to the range of skills he's acquired. It's safe to ask: What can't Harry do? He's an actor, singer, and dancer, after all. Harry's proven he's got moves with his roles on Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets, and Step Up 3D. He's also taking over the world of television, first with his role on Glee and now on Shadowhunters.

Janel Parrish

Most of you may know half-Chinese American actress Janel as Mona Vanderwaal on Pretty Little Liars, but the star also made her debut in Bratz: The Movie. She also competed and took home third place on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars. Janel will be reprising her role as Mona in the upcoming PLL-spin-off series The Perfectionists.

Hudson Yang

Hudson is the Huangs' honorary eldest child in Fresh Off the Boat. This is the 14-year-old Chinese-American's first major acting role. The success of the show is rightfully becoming a platform for Hudson to land more roles, including a guest appearance on Disney's Liv and Maddie.

Chloe Bennet

The part-Chinese actress actually pursued a career in singing at a young age in China. Today, Chloe is best known for her starring role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She also had a recurring role on Nashville.

Lana Condor

The Vietnamese-American actress may have just had one of the biggest Hollywood breakthroughs of the year with her debut as Jubilation Lee/Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse. Lana also played the girlfriend of Officer Sean Collier in the Boston Marathon bombing–inspired movie Patriots Day.

Forrest Wheeler

Like his TV brother Hudson, this is Forrest's first major acting role. He plays the Huang family's middle child, and the Chinese-American actor has appeared in Zooey Deschanel's New Girl.

Nikki SooHoo

The Chinese-American actress has a starring role in the Heathers TV show as Betty Finn (who has been reimagined as an Asian "mean girl" from the original 1988 film). Nikki is definitely a familiar face at the House of Mouse. Nikki has starred on Disney Channel shows Phil of the Future and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and has also appeared on Drake & Josh and Pretty Little Liars. In terms of the big screen, she's landed roles in Stick It, Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, and The Lovely Bones.

Ian Chen

The adorable 11-year-old Taiwanese-American actor has been in the business since he was 5. From Modern Family to Grey's Anatomy to Dr. Ken, the child star is making his way around the ABC lineup. It'll be interesting to see where he appears next.

Freida Pinto

The Indian actress, born and raised in Mumbai, killed it with her groundbreaking performance alongside Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, she's starred in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Mindy Project. She's also become quite the style icon and is often seen frequenting designer shows.

Karan Brar

Karan is best known for his role in the Wimpy Kid franchise, and the Indian actor is also a Disney Channel alum with his role in Jessie and spin-off Bunk'd. At only 19 years old, he's certainly got a bright future ahead of him.

Vanessa Hudgens

The half-Filipina High School Musical star has built an extensive acting career. On top of releasing two albums, Vanessa has starred in Grease: Live, Spring Breakers, and Bandslam. She's also hit the stage on Broadway in the musical Gigi.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka is arguably one of the most popular and successful Bollywood actresses out there. Her latest project includes ABC series Quantico — which made her the first South Asian woman to headline her own American network series.

Brenda Song

Brenda has an extensive Disney Channel career; the Chinese-American actress did it all and made appearances inThat's So Raven, Phil of the Future, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Phineas and Ferb, and Wizards of Waverly Place. She went on to play more intense roles in The Social Network, Scandal, and New Girl. No one will ever forget Brenda's ultimate starring role in her very own movie, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, early on in her career.

Prirmarily Published at : Teenvogue