In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, “Bling Empire” star Leah Qin said the show “perpetuated Asian stereotypes.”
The 26-year-old real investor agent starred in the Los Angeles version of the show. She told the Daily Mail that she wasn’t surprised to hear the show had been canceled, believing that the “fake made-up drama” was the cause.
“Recently, there are a good amount of successful Asian movies in Hollywood. Asian Americans are amazing. Instead of the glamour and fake made-up drama, I think audiences would love to see a show about how we got to there,” she said in the interview.
Qin said her family had to work hard to achieve the status they enjoy today.
“Because I grew up without money, we put a lot of sweat and effort to get where we are today. I would have loved to see a part of this. To me it is unfortunate because there were a lot of meaningful conversations that we had when we filmed,” she said.
The star said she enjoyed filming for the show but was disappointed when she watched because of how it was edited.
In April, Deadline reported that the show and its New York spin-off would not be returning. Netflix has not provided a comment on the cancellations since they were announced.
The cast has been mourning the loss of Anna Shay, one of the show’s other stars, who recently passed away at 62 after suffering a stroke. Her father founded defense contractor Pacific Architects and Engineers. Qin also paid tribute to Shay in her interview with the Daily Mail.
“Anna passing made me realize that your health and your happiness are the most important things ever,” she said. “It is heart-breaking for the friends and family, but everyone is responsible for their own life. I think that Bling needed to showcase the struggle too.”
“Anna was a caring lady who cared about others, but she was struggling herself and had her own stuff to deal with.”
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