Remembering Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s First Asian-American Star
If the old Ernest Hemingway adage holds true, that courage equals grace under pressure, then Anna May Wong (1905-1961) had it in spades. Wong embodied a model of how to reinvent oneself in the face of the most daunting societal
Anna May Wong's life exemplified the epitome of courage under pressure. An American-born Chinese woman, she navigated the daunting societal obstacles of her era with remarkable poise. Despite being an American citizen, Wong faced stringent travel restrictions due to the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943). To leave the country, she had to complete extensive paperwork, including a "Application of Alleged American Citizen of the Chinese Race for Preinvestigation of Status," and pass a rigorous in-person interview—penalties for inaccuracy or non-compliance included imprisonment and deportation.
Throughout her life, Wong encountered numerous pressures. Despite her fame and wealth, laws in California barred her from marrying a white person, a fact she criticized in press interviews. Even in her pursuit of a new Los Angeles home, Wong was thwarted by housing covenants that prohibited sales to "Orientals." Her illustrious career was marked by several instances where she encountered obstacles due to her race.
At the center of The Good Earth (1937), a wildly popular novel by Pearl S. Buck, Wong was offered the role of O-lan. However, her initial declaration that she would refuse the role if it was deemed "unsympathetic" proved to be inaccurate; Wong auditioned twice for the part, yet MGM deemed her unsuitable for the role, casting instead Tilly Loesch.
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