Rising actress Kelly Marie Tran has landed a starring role in the 2017 blockbuster Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Over the past decade, Tran had struggled to land a role in a major Hollywood film. In Hollywood, it seemed like the odds were stacked against her. What made playing a major character in a blockbuster film more difficult, besides being a woman, was her Asian heritage. To date, less than 6% of Asian actresses have had significant roles in big-budget Hollywood films. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Tran landed her role in the latest Star Wars movie against all the odds stacked against her. Unfortunately, racist comments criticizing her role appeared online in the weeks following the film's premiere. Predominately male commenters on various internet platforms posted provocative tweets and misogynistic messages about her body and Asian heritage. A Star Wars fansite has had to close its doors due to contrary edits made by some members of the site. According to statistics, American male internet commenters are primarily responsible for the backlash against Tran. The largely male audiences of action films, like Star Wars, expect women to be hypersexualized and barely dressed, according to online questionnaires. Another criticism concerns the representation of Asian women in Hollywood films. Male audiences expect Asian women to be submissive and seductive, rather than independent and strong. Some internet commenters would forgive Tran's casting choice if she was "at least hot." Tran's character in Star Wars breaks both of these stereotypes, which caused the resulting negative reaction. Asian Americans make up 4.8% of the U.S. population and are experiencing the largest population increase of any racial demographic group. However, Asians make up just 3.9% of speaking roles in top-grossing films, and only a fraction of those are Asian women. Studies have shown that women experience more harassment and abuse when they deviate from traditional gender roles than when they stay in their own lane. Asian women have mostly been stereotyped as straight nerds or submissive sex dolls, but never as respectable equals to a white person. A social movement created by Asian American women, called "Sad Asian Girls," felt it was time to tell their own personal experiences by creating printed statements beginning with "Asian Women Don't Do It." All of the statements were submissions that the creators collected online to raise awareness about these stereotypes. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although Tran has had to endure several waves of racist abuse online , many others have come to her defense. It's sad to say that racist comments like these demonstrate why Hollywood may be hesitant to cast more diverse characters like Tran's. Tran is the first Asian woman to play a leading role in the Star Wars franchise and breaks the glass ceiling of Hollywood blockbuster films for non-Caucasian actors. This is a major step forward for all underrepresented characters of color in the..