The writers didn’t have to think about how to create authenticity, they took parts of their lives and integrated it into the details (Picture: Netflix)

I fell in love with Netflix‘s Always Be My Maybe within two minutes, closely watching as a young Sasha Tran mundanely slid off her shoes at the door and sprinkled furikake on her rice in the first scene.

In those minor acts are vivid memories of my childhood and why for the first time I felt like I was truly seeing myself on screen.

While I have been holding on tightly to the trailblazing work of Joy Luck Club, Margaret Cho’s career and more recently Crazy Rich Asians, I have been waiting to see this – quiet representation and characters that aren’t dictated by their identity as Asian Americans, it’s just a part of them.



We see it in the nuances of their actions throughout the movie and the fact that how they were raised influences them as they grow into adulthood. It’s all done so effortlessly and feels natural because it is.


Always Be My Maybe is a triumph because it came directly from writers Ali Wong, Randall Park and Michael Golamco, all of whom are Asian-American. They didn’t have to think about how to create authenticity, they took parts of their lives and integrated it into the details.

They welcomed us home in their world as director Nahnatchka Khan brought to life a hilariously charming movie around us, bringing out the best in the Wong and Park, who also star in the film.

But a particularly specific reason that makes me love this movie a whole lot more is the character of Harry Kim, who is played by the great James Saito – a man I’m lucky enough to call my Uncle Jimmy.

He’s been in the acting game for 40 years on stage and screen, keeping even his most exciting projects to himself. Usually, someone in our family will find him in a trailer before he tells us that he’s going to be in a movie or TV show, which was exactly the case for me when I watched the Always Be My Maybe trailer.

As if it wasn’t already exciting to know my uncle is in a movie with a bunch of actors I love, one of them being Keanu Reeves, he was going to be playing Park’s onscreen father.

I shared the news on Twitter, hoping for some recognition from my friends but instead, I was met with overwhelming support from thousands of people. I couldn’t believe so many were just as ecstatic as I was and asking if he could be their uncle too.

also I CANT TELL YOU HOW EXCITING IT IS TO SEE MY UNCLE BEING HIMSELF ON SCREEN! he always plays stoic characters/villains but to me he's always been larger than life prankster with a kind&giving heart. now everyone can see what we love about him in Harry Kim ❤️ #AlwaysBeMyMaybe pic.twitter.com/goEQMtvpLG — akemi (@akemicorinne) May 31, 2019

I love watching what my uncle is in no matter the role, but this one is different. Over the years I had grown accustomed to seeing him play serious and stoic characters or villains. I would marvel at his ability to transform into his roles but I saw him as a stranger. In real life, he’s lively with tricks up his sleeves and treats too.



He is always instantly adored and everyone wants to be around him. And now, finally, everyone can see and know this side of him too. It’s surreal to see that the audience loved him because of how much he reminded them of their fathers, unabashedly eccentric rather than reserved and distant like typically portrayed Asian fathers.

He gets to be the change in representation and be the reason that people find a connection to this movie.

I am so thankful for Always Be My Maybe for proving how much representation matters. It’s not just faces on screens, it’s who is telling our stories and the way that they are told.

I’m thankful to every single person that liked my tweet and sent their kind words about my uncle to me so I could share them with him.

I love this movie for how I feel connected to it, but I love it even more for being the reason I could connect with so many wonderful people. I can’t wait for more movies to give us moments like this.

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