By Samantha Ofole-Prince
From Charlie’s Angels,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” to “Kill Bill, Vol. 1 & 2,” Lucy Liu soared to fame in the 90s as Ling Woo in the hit series “Ally McBeal.” In 2019, she made history as only the second Asian American woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame cementing her legacy as a trailblazer in entertainment.
With credits that include “Payback” and “Shanghai Noon,” the actress, producer and director was recognized for her cinematic achievements with the Trailblazer Award at the 5th annual Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television, which honors standout performances from the Asian Pacific entertainment community.
The award was presented to her by Dwayne Johnson, whom she played alongside in the movie “Red One.”
Liu can be seen in the drama ”Rosemead,” which follows a woman who takes drastic measures to protect her troubled teenage son.
Held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, other recipients included director and writer Maggie Kang who was recognized with the Animation Award for Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” the breakout hit that captivated audiences worldwide reaching over 300 million views and dominated Spotify Charts with its original soundtrack.
Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao received the Vanguard Award for her outstanding work on Focus Features’ ”Hamnet,” which won the People’s Choice Award for Best Film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Japanese director Hikari was given the Director Award in recognition of her work on Searchlight Pictures’ ”Rental Family” which stars Brendan Fraser. Her past credits include the feature film 37 Seconds as well as acclaimed Netflix series ”Beef.”
Photos: Emma McIntyre & Rodin Eckenroth