By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
From Simu Liu’s eye-popping red tuxedo to Minari’s Youn Yuh-Jung’s instant connection to Coda’s Troy Kotsur, Asians in Hollywood played a prominent role at the 94th Academy Awards.
Hollywood had everyone seeing red on the red carpet with Ariana DeBose, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Garner, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Rosie Perez also making red the color of the year at the Oscars.
Liu also joined Tiffany Haddish to present the Oscar for the best international feature to Japan’s Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Car.
According to Kyodo, it is the first time in 13 years that Japan won the prestigious honor, but the fifth overall.
“I think this story about loss and then also about how to live on after this loss, I think this story somehow resonated with a lot of people here,” he said after the ceremony.
The Academy honored Drive My Car with several nominations, but it failed to take the statuette for the best motion picture of the year, achievement in directing, and adapted screenplay.
Liu and Haddish opened their presentation with the actress razzing Liu about his Canadian roots.
“I come from a country, that for many Americans, may seem exotic and different… Canada,” Liu joked.
Haddish said she had a thing for Canada.
“I like that circle bacon they’ve got, the men with the jackets that ride on moose with the hats, that Molson beer, the accents…” she said.
Liu seemed to take it all in stride, although he did make a remark that the two would have to chat backstage.
Last year’s winner in the best supporting actress category, Youn had one of the heartfelt moments of the night.
She got to present the Oscar for best supporting actor and seemed genuinely touched that a hearing-impaired actor won the award.
She even signed the announcement in Kotsur’s honor. He is the first male deaf actor to ever win an Oscar. The only other was Marlee Matlin in 1986 for Children of a Lesser God.
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