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Why Cassandra from ‘Wayne’s World’ is the OG Asian-American cool girl

April 15, 2017

One of the few Asian faces I saw on screen as a kid was Tia Carrere’s. She played Cassandra Wong, the female protagonist in 1992 comedy Wayne’s World—something rare now but virtually unheard of at the time.

Growing up, her character strongly resonated with me. That, combined with the fact that creator Mike Myers is a hometown hero (we’re both from Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto), inspired me to write my very first piece for New York Magazine‘s The Cut: an ode to Cassandra.

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Media Film Television Beyond

Searching for yourself on screen

Growing up in North America as a person of color, I rarely saw myself reflected on screen. The times I did manage to catch a glimpse of someone who looked like me, they were inevitably caricatures of human beings, full of stereotypes and devoid…

May 26, 2015
Film

‘Love in the Buff’ film review: Bare in Beijing

Romantic comedy Directed by Ho-Cheung Pang 2012 While it’s not a game-changer, writer-director Ho-Cheung Pang’s sharp rom-com, Love in the Buff, is a realistic portrayal of modern love in all its complexity and pain.…

March 30, 2012
Film

‘Starry Starry Night’ film review: Living a dream

Drama Directed by Tom Lin 2011 Starry Starry Night is a whimsical coming-of-age tale that takes a common theme — growing pains — and transforms it through exquisitely rendered CG effects and a heartfelt storyline.…

March 22, 2012
Film

‘Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness’ film review

Documentary Directed by Joseph Dorman 2011 Rich in historical context, Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness charts the life of the leading Yiddish author and playwright whose stories inspired the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof.…

February 23, 2012