Actress Ashley Liao discussed Asian American representation in media at the Technological Institute to around 100 people Sunday evening as the Taiwanese American Students Association and the Hong Kong Student Association’s spring speaker. 

Liao shared that, at 13, she had guest appearances in shows like “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.” Later, Liao landed recurring roles in “Fuller House” and “The Kicks.” And, in 2023, Liao starred in the films “Love in Taipei” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”

Medill freshman and TASA’s education chair Sarah Lin, who moderated the talk, said she wanted to arrange a speaker event featuring an individual of Taiwanese, Hong Kongese or Cantonese descent as TASA’s education chair. Liao’s heritage, along with her eagerness to speak with students, was perfect, Lin said. 

Lin added that Liao’s arrival from California prompted TASA to order 100 servings of boba and sushi for the event.

“(Liao) was one of the people I was looking forward to reaching out to,” Lin said. “I’m a big fan of (hers). I watched her in ‘The Hunger Games.’ I also watched her growing up.”

Liao starred in “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” as Clemensia Dovecote, a mentor to the film’s main characters. When Liao was researching her “Hunger Games” role, she said she discovered that the original “Hunger Games” books and films did not have any Asian American characters. 

“I remember watching the Hunger Games growing up and being like ‘Why aren’t there any Asian people in the Capitol?’” Liao said. “(Clemensia) is the very first named Asian American representation. That was massive.”

Liao said she would only go to open ethnicity casting calls — meaning actors of any ethnicity can try out — until recently. She said she would often be the only Asian person on set during her earlier roles. 

This has since changed as more Asian American stories are told and more roles are opened to Asian Americans in the film industry, Liao said.

Liao also starred in the 2023 film “Love in Taipei,” a romantic comedy that follows Ever Wong, played by Liao, who is sent to a summer cultural immersion program in Taiwan. The film explores Wong’s relationship with her heritage during a journey of self-discovery. 

Liao said the movie was the first time a character was explicitly Taiwanese in her experience.

“It was probably the only time that I’ve ever auditioned for something where they were looking for someone who was Taiwanese,” she said.

McCormick freshman Kaitlyn Wang, who attended the event, said the talk with Liao was “life-changing” because she found Liao both impactful and down to earth. 

She said she also enjoyed hearing about Liao’s experiences and uncertainties within the acting industry.

“I feel you don’t always have to be completely knowledgeable about everything,” Wang said. “As long as you have the passion for it, then you can actually make change happen.”

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