‘Partner Track’ Star Arden Cho Reflects on the Diversity in the Netflix Series

What we learned from the stories told at this year’s Asian film festival

“Almost half of all Asian roles serve as a punchline, study finds.”

You’re not the only ones disappointed by that headline. For us, “crushing the myth” means dismantling stereotypes and improving Asian representation across all industries, including Media & Entertainment. Because to truly “see” our community is to see us on screen.

So welcome to Entertainment Exclusive, Crushing the Myth’s new weekly newsletter that breaks down the latest Asian Entertainment news & newsmakers.

Get ready for new shows to binge, videos to keep you on the edge of your seat, and Asian celebs to stan. If that’s not enough, there are also job listings for the entertainment industry & open casting calls just a scroll down.

*Note: Our full weekly “Entertainment Exclusive” newsletter is available for paid subscribers only — subscribe below. But our separate weekly general headlines newsletter will be free.*

---

🏆 The Headlines

‘Partner Track’ Star Arden Cho Reflects on the Diversity in the Netflix Series: ‘We Just Dive In and We Get to Tell Our Stories’ — And it’s something that I’m so excited that the world finally sees the need for,” the actress tells TheWrap.

• Netflix’s romantic dramedy series “Partner Track,” set at a Manhattan-based white-shoe law firm, has been described as “Sex and the City” meets “Suits,” but for star Arden Cho the series is unlike any other that she’s seen on television. That’s because the story centers on a first-generation Korean American merger and acquisitions lawyer, Ingrid Yun (Cho), as she navigates everything from forbidden romance to microaggressions at the male-dominated company — something Cho said is hard to come by in shows about single 20-something women in New York City.

• “Ingrid just sticks out to begin with,” Cho told TheWrap. “She is an Asian American woman, and there is some diversity at the firm but it’s very clearly noted. You’ve just got, ‘Oh, we’ve got a couple of people of color. Let’s stick them together, and that’s your diversity,‘ which is something we see happening in the world. We’re sort of sprinkled in here and there, but I love that with ‘Partner Track,’ we just dive in and we get to tell our stories — our complex stories from our point of view — and it’s something that I’m so excited that the world finally sees the need for.”

• What stands out for Cho is the show’s focus on an Asian American woman, touching on both issues of sexism and racism in the workplace.“A lot of these stories we’ve seen have been told from a perspective that only touches on sexist issues or something different, and I think for Ingrid and her friends and these characters, we really touch on so many different issues in our patriarchal society or in this world of Parsons Valentine,” Cho explained. “We get a little bit of the racism, the sexism, the microaggressions — really just the buffet of it all. And so, watching Ingrid navigate through all of this with her friends and make these choices, mistakes and wins is really fun and a journey.”

Turning anger into activism: What we learned from the stories told at this year’s Asian film festival — While spikes in hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans have emboldened activism in recent years, filmmakers and creatives have long been working to amplify Asian stories for decades.

• In 1978, a group of grassroots activists organized the very first iteration of the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), the oldest and longest-running cinematic showcase of its kind. Throughout the years, the festival has debuted some of the most acclaimed directors of Asian descent, from Wayne Wang to Ang Lee, and showcased films from over 40 countries.

• This year’s festival celebrated the collective Asian diasporic identity by paying tribute to the diverse range of traditions and cultures that exist within it. Read here for the films that were seen by NextShark at the 45th annual AAIFF.

See below for more entertainment headlines, casting calls, and entertainment-related job opportunities from Meta, Amazon and more ⬇️