NEW HOLLYWOOD is a photo series by Hapa Mag Creative Director, Lauren Nakao Winn.

“The idea for this photo series originated from two concepts - the lack of Asian representation in the Golden Age of Hollywood (save for Anna May Wong) and the still present difficulty my mixed Asian friends experience with casting in the entertainment industry.

I am a lover of pop culture and enjoy incorporating period-specific aesthetics within my work. Specifically, I love recreating, while adding a modern element. The result is almost an optical illusion: you end up looking at something uncanny– unquestionably of that time period– but there’s something new. It creates a sort of loop, with focus shifting from both ends of the cultural spectrum.

For this project, I recreated the style of portraiture for Hollywood icons like Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and more. It satisfies the 100-year-long deficit of portraits for Asian American actors in the classic Hollywood presentation. While our presence was scarcely an element in Old Hollywood, this is our way of announcing: This is NEW Hollywood.”

Creative Direction & Photography: Lauren Nakao Winn

(@laurennakaowinn, www.laurennakaowinn.com)

Hair & Makeup: Monique Rinard

(@monique_marquerite, www.moniquemarqueritemua.com)

Casting: Lauren Nakao Winn, Alex Chester, Sam Tanabe

NEW HOLLYWOOD will be an ongoing series.