Awkwafina has made a name for herself as a rapper and comedian, cracking jokes on Girl Code and popping up in series such as Hulu’s Future Man, but she’s just getting started. There’s plenty more in store for the performer in 2018, including roles in Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. And it’s reassuring to know that when it comes to paving the way for other women and Asian-Americans in Hollywood, it’s no laughing matter — she’s been on the front lines of an industry reluctant to change.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun while chipping away at the way things used to be.

“If we're going to be telling stories about women, with female leads, why can't we have a female director?” she tells Teen Vogue at the Young Hollywood shoot while discussing the Time’s Up initiative. “There are female directors; these people exist. So you can't say limited availability.”

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Beyond calling for more equality both in front of the camera and behind it, Awkwafina stands staunchly against stereotypical roles for Asians. She won’t do auditions that call for accents, and she’s turned down roles for big franchise movies because she knows the depictions are not good for her community. For her, it’s a responsibility that comes with being a creator. But she also acknowledges that not every aspiring actor has the luxury of making this kind of call.

“Turning down roles, I think, is a thing of privilege, in the same way as speaking up against violence that you've experienced in the industry,” she says. “A lot of people who don't speak up on it, or waited, it's because they have too much to lose.”

And while she’s still getting used to being in the spotlight, Awkwafina is able to reflect on her journey and take responsibility for decisions that maybe don’t sit well with her now. As she began to act more, she took a step back and looked at how she fit into the landscape of music. She became deliberate about not perpetuating cultural appropriation — specifically of hip-hop artists — in her work and decided to stop making music until she found a more authentic voice.

While discussing identity politics, she opens up about what it’s like to navigate through a world that’s created by how others see you. Born to a first-generation Chinese-American father and a South Korean immigrant mother, she says her Asian identity is nuanced.