Actress Brenda Song on Expanding the Idea of Representation On Screen and Behind the Scenes
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We grew up watching her. We laughed as she learned how to drive and what a PRNDL was. We learned important lessons about body image and breaking stereotypes. A ditzy, rich hotel heiress—played by an Asian American actress? At t he frontier of Asian American representation and steps toward diversity on the TV screen stood London Tipton, played by actress Brenda Song. From her decade-long start in Disney stardom to her most recent project, Hulu’s Dollface, Song takes a look back on the experiences in her career that celebrate friendships and diverse narratives.
Song played a large role on screen in the iconic era of 2000s Disney that defined many childhoods. From starring in iconic Disney Channel Original Movies like Stuck in the Suburbs and Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior to six years as London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and later on The Suite Life on Deck, Song fondly remembers her early Disney roles. “[Disney was] the one outlet that was so open to giving me my own TV shows and movies. Disney was really colorblind with their casting very early on. To be a part of a network that was doing that was amazing,” reflects Song. At a time when minority representation was limited, Song’s time on Disney set the foundation for inclusivity and diversity in future shows. Song reveals, “I don’t know if people know, but Ashley Tisdale originally tested for London and Disney originally had me read for Maddie, but they met us and were like ‘You know what, I think the roles should be reversed.’ And they were doing that at a time when people weren’t.”
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Throughout her career, Song hopes to break down stereotypes and to not let her future work be limited by her past roles. After her time as London Tipton on Disney, a character who was far from the Asian stereotype, everyone assumed she could only play “ditzy, crazy characters.” Song then played Wendy Wu, seeming to jump right into the stereotype of an Asian doing martial arts, and people had their comments and criticism. But for Song, she loved martial arts and had a black belt in martial arts that few people knew about, so for her, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior was “a fun way to express [a passion].” Song says of the projects she takes on, “I am in a place where I want to play characters that resonate with me, that I find fun and challenging. Regardless of what people think, you’re not going to be able to please everyone, and everyone has a different opinion.”
As youth explore their identities and look into the world for acceptance, representation through diverse, relatable characters on screen as well as female and minority creators, writers, producers, and directors off-screen are more necessary than ever. “I think people have to realize that it’s not just representation on camera, it’s also representation off-camera,” Song begins, “That was one thing that was amazing about working on Dollface was that not just on camera, but also behind the scenes—our creator, our directors, our executive producers, our camera operators, our sound engineers, our editors—[were dominated by] women. People went out of their way to give women of all ethnicities and nationalities an opportunity to show that, ‘Hell yeah, we can do it just as well as everyone else.’ And I think that’s the key, that we finally have an opportunity to expand on this idea of representation.”
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Noting the impact Hollywood’s movement towards inclusivity has had on her personal career, Song continues, “And for the first time, it feels really nice to know to read a script and not just automatically go to look for the smaller part in the script and think that maybe I could play it. For me, this happened to me when I got offered Secret Obsession for Netflix. When they sent it to me, I was like, ‘Oh, well who do they want me to play?’ And they were like, ‘The lead.’ And I was really disappointed in myself for having that reaction. But it’s been something that’s been beaten into me for the last, you know, 20 something years that I’ve been in this industry, so the fact that now people are so open, it’s absolutely incredible.”
In welcoming challenges and diverse roles, Song stresses the importance of true representation, both on and off-screen, particularly for the next generation. Song says, “It’s just hard growing up in [today’s world]. Figuring out who you are, what you want to do, who you want to be is difficult enough. And then when you add a layer of culture and religion and all of that, it can be so difficult. So for me, it’s just about saying that there’s only one you in this world because that’s all you can be. My mom has always said that to me.”
By watching Hulu’s Dollface, audiences can find aspects of their lives in the successes and failures of the characters. The show features the adventures of a group of four girlfriends, their ups and downs through life in Los Angeles, and their journeys in not only coming to love themselves but each other as well. “I felt it was super relatable to me when I read it. It felt like I was reading the misadventures of me and my girlfriends. At the end of the day, our show is, more than anything, about friendship. It’s about friendship, period. And it’s about being honest with yourself and with the people that you love.” In the show, Song stars as Madison Maxwell, who cautiously reconciles and reconnects with former best friend and college roommate, Jules. While on the surface Madison seems harsh and facetious and the opposite of Song, who embraces her silliness and positivity, Song broke down Madison’s layers to find an aspect of the character that she could relate to. Song shares, “With every character I play, I try to find a piece of myself so that it feels relatable, and hopefully, that translates. So I took the way I was in school and the way I am with work and tried to really build a character off that.”
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With over a decade spent under the spotlight, Song appreciates the opportunities she has gotten in an industry that is often glamorized and stereotyped as superficial but also notes how the world, in general, has become more hyper-focused on fame and popularity. Over the years, with the rise of social media, Song says, “People feel like they need to look a certain way, act a certain way, you know all of these things, and it’s really hard to keep up with it all. It’s one of the things about social media that to me is quite dangerous, that there is such a standard now for beauty and for success and all of these things. And you know how many likes, how many followers? It’s so detrimental to mental health because it’s so easy to get caught up in it because it’s so convenient. It’s right there in front of you.” Taking lessons from what she has learned from being under the public eye as an actress, Song says, “For me, [my advice is to] remember to keep your circle small and what’s important. [The haters and trolls] who you’ve never talked to and who probably will never talk to you [in person], their opinion, honestly, it doesn’t matter. The people you love and the people who care about you, that’s the opinion that you should listen to. I mean, I say that, but I have to listen to my own advice because I still get caught up and I still have those struggles every day.”
“You have to figure out what you love to do, what you feel like your strengths are and sort of steer into that and be the best version of you.”
For those struggling with self-acceptance and self-love, Song circles back to her mother’s words: “You have to figure out what you love to do, what you feel like your strengths are and sort of steer into that and be the best version of you.” She continues, “And to me that was key... I did a lot of mirror work. That sounds funny. But like I really sat in front of the mirror, and I was like, what do I like about me? What are the things that I feel like I’m good at? What can I improve on? It’s really just looking within yourself and figuring that out because that’s the only thing you control. You can’t control anyone else or any situation in this world, you can only control you. I felt like growing up, I was a competitive person, but I was only competitive with myself because I knew that I could only do my best. I was only trying to figure out ways that I could be better because I can’t change what that other person who’s walking into the audition is. All I can control is what I’m doing and how I perceive things.”
As Song takes on more roles normalizing minority actors as leads and exploring new characters like Madison Maxwell, she feels excited for what’s in store for 2020: “The sky is sort of the limit. I have no idea and I’m kind of excited about that for once in my life.”
STORY JANICE KIM
PHOTOS DERRICK FRESKE
HAIR PRESTON WADA
MAKEUP AMY STROZZI
STYLIST BECKY THOMPSON
CREATIVE DIRECTION ANNA ZHANG
