Brenda Song speaks at Graham Chapel | Ginger Schulte, Student Life

Actress Brenda Song spoke about her life and career in the entertainment industry during a conversation in Graham Chapel sponsored by the Student Union’s Social Programming Board in collaboration with the Asian Multicultural Council, April 10.

Growing up in a Thai-Hmong family near Sacramento, Calif., Song began her acting career at 5 years-old in a variety of television commercials. She had her breakthrough after being cast as London Tipton, a popular character on Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody.” 

Song went on to appear in a variety of children’s programming, including “Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior” and “College Road Trip,” before getting a degree in psychology from the University of California Berkeley and then continuing acting into adulthood, with roles in films such as “The Social Network” and “Changeland.”   

Before the event, a long line of students formed outside of Graham Chapel.

Song began the conversation by talking about her childhood, describing that she was grateful for her tight-knit Asian community and supportive family who encouraged her to pursue her dream from a young age.

She extended that same encouragement to the students in the audience 

“If you really have passion for it and you have worked really hard to pursue those goals,” Song said. “Do it — it doesn’t matter what it is or who you are or where you are.Just go for it.”

Song recalled growing up in an era when stereotypes about Asian Americans were common, acknowledging that Disney Channel looked beyond conventional casting when they hired her to play Tipton, a wealthy heiress known for her ditzy demeanor and constant jokes.

“I was just very lucky to deal with a company that was doing colorblind casting at the time,” Song said. “They were way ahead of the curve; they were trying to send a message out to children to show that media should reflect what the world actually looks like.”

When the moderators brought up the critically acclaimed movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a comedy-drama that made waves after being released in 2022, Song reflected positively on the Asian-led cast. 

“It’s absolutely wonderful because growing up I didn’t get to see myself represented in TV and in film,” Song said. “The thing that is great about [Everything Everywhere All at Once] is not that it has an Asian-lead cast — it was just a good f*ckin’ movie, period.”

She said Asian representation in the entertainment industry is crucial in building the presence of Asian Americans in media and the country. 

“We are the source of all our stories that should be represented in the media,” Song said. “For me, it’s just to keep pushing to be fighting for our stories — to be told to not just be behind the camera, but behind the scenes.”

Song reflected on being asked whether she would feel comfortable playing a Chinese American role, which implicitly supports the underlying belief that people of certain descent can only play roles of that specific descent.

Song said that there is no discrimination against overseas white actors to play a white American role, but there are often double standards against Asian actors, such as a Thai-Hmong actress playing a Chinese character. 

As a woman of color, Song said she is pleased to see the progress in terms of the gender dynamics between women and men.

“For a long time, [Asian women] weren’t even regarded as romantic … we were the girlfriend’s best friend’s friend,” Song said. 

According to Song, seeing women of color assuming important roles on the screen is a step in the right direction. In addition to recounting the story of her life, Song also offered words of support to the student body.

“Sometimes things don’t happen the way you expect them to, but they always happen in the way they should,” she said. “If you’re the first person to do [anything], be the first person to break that barrier — be a tomahawk — because if you don’t do it, the person next to you will.”

She went on to say that it was okay to not have everything planned out, encouraging her audience to be open to anything. 

“That’s my big advice — it is all going to be okay,” Song said.

First-year Ashton Lee said that he enjoyed listening to Song’s story and that it was a contrast to the University’s usual competitive nature. 

“We’re a very competitive school — we worry about school all the time, and as she said, sometimes you just have to chill out, and enjoy life, and I think that’s very important,” Lee said.

First-year Eden Patterson said she appreciates that the University gives students opportunities to see celebrities from their childhood. 

“She’s definitely the first Asian I’ve seen on TV — and seeing someone from your childhood in real life, there are no words to describe it — it’s really cool,” Patterson said.

Editor’s Note: A quote from a Student Life staff member was removed from this article after online publication. Student Life typically avoids internal interviews to mitigate conflicts of interest.