It’s also exciting to think of what young talent could flourish in a potential sequel. The Joy Luck Club boosted the careers of Chao, Tomita, Tom, and Wen, who remain four of the most recognizable Asian American actors of their generation. In a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Wen described the film as her “green card to Hollywood,” but in that same interview, her co-stars noted that the success of The Joy Luck Club was not enough to even get them auditions for other lead roles. A sequel would not only allow them the opportunity to lead a Hollywood film once again (a rarity for an Asian American actor), but also give a platform to younger Asian American actors. And yet the very prospect of a Joy Luck Club sequel also reflects a bittersweet truth about Hollywood: There simply are not enough Asian American stories being told on the big screen.
