It’s been seven years since the glitzy and glamorous romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” topped the box office, helping to break open a new era of Asian and Asian American representation in film, streaming and TV.

Some actors, like Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, experienced an exponential rise in work and popularity after “Crazy Rich Asians.”

“There are many of us who’ve been following Michelle Yeoh’s career for decades and decades, and it’s taken Hollywood this long to finally give her attention and give her the love that she deserves,” Elena Creef, professor of women’s and gender studies at Wellesley College, told GBH’s Under the Radar. “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ in 2018 was the game-changer, and I’m really happy to say, looking back, that was a watershed moment. Michelle Yeoh has had the best run since ‘Crazy Rich Asians.’ Her career has just been fascinating, both in television and movies. She’s probably the most employed Asian, Asian American actress in Hollywood right now.”

In 2023, Yeoh became the first Asian artist to win a best actress Academy Award for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” – a year in which 8% of all Oscar nominations were given to Asian and Asian American artists. She is currently playing Madame Morrible in the “Wicked” franchise, another box office smash by “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon Chu.

But at this year’s Oscars, no Asian or Asian American artists are nominated for the top awards, despite the global success of “Wicked” and critically acclaimed indies like “Monkey Man,” which was written, directed, produced and stars British and South Asian actor Dev Patel.

Still, Asian American representation can be found in other Oscar-nominated films. In the Disney-Pixar film “Inside Out 2,” Filipino American actress Liza Lapira plays Disgust and Chinese American actress Grace Lu plays Riley’s friend Grace. And in the short film categories, the live action “Anuja” was produced by Mindy Kaling with Priyanka Chopra Jonas as executive producer.

Jenny Korn, research affiliate and founder and coordinator of the Race, Tech and Media Working Group at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, said it’s not just about representation anymore; it’s also important to pay close attention to the roles Asian and Asian American artists are filling in film, television and streaming shows.

“Why does an Asian voice need to voice Disgust? We couldn’t be Joy?” Korn said. “We end up looking so hard to find Asians, and we do find Asians in this movie. But then, what roles are we allowed to voice? And Disgust? That’s an interesting one. I think that’s an interesting emotion.”

Streamers have taken the lead in Asian and Asian American representation in recent years, and with shows like “Interior Chinatown” and “The Brothers Sun,” fresh stories that are culturally nuanced are hitting small screens worldwide. But is that enough?

“I think that representation is not the only goal, but it is the first step,” Korn said. “The problem is that we don’t have enough movies that feature Asians and Asian Americans that continue. We might get one season, but are we going to get sequels? And until we have enough of a critical mass of current Asian American representation, we’re going to have these conversations.”

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