News and Trends Interviews Lana Condor On Why She'll Never Stay Silent About the Violence Against the Asian Community Plus, how she's strategically choosing roles that show future generations what's possible. By Pamela O'Brien and Mary Anderson Mary Anderson Mary Christ Anderson is the former deputy editor for Shape magazine, where she oversaw the publication's front-of-book, beauty, and fitness sections. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, InStyle, Glamour, and more, and has won awards from MIN, Folio, and Meredith. Shape's editorial guidelines Published on August 12, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email When she read the script for To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Lana Condor knew the movie was made for her. "It was something I'd never seen come across my desk — a rom-com with an Asian American actress as the lead," she says. "I remember sitting in the car before my audition thinking, I have to get this." The role turned Lana, 24, into a household name, and the film was so successful that it became a franchise. "The greatest blessing is that it made [Asian] people feel represented. They come up to me and tell me how watching the movie made them feel seen and not alone," says Lana, who is starring in and executive producing the Netflix show Boo, Bitch and filming the movie Moonshot. "I'm very calculated about the projects I take on now. I want to continue to show people who look like me that they can do whatever they want to, regardless of what someone might have told them." Djeneba Aduayom This past year, Lana has also been passionate about speaking out against violent attacks on Asians. Here, she explains why she'll never stay silent. Awareness Is Everything "I think many people are in denial or believe violence against Asians isn't a real thing. Even some of my close friends weren't aware of what was going on. I needed to let people know what was happening. Speaking up is important. It's easy to be a bystander, but you could save a life if you stand up for someone." ( Anti-Asian Hate Isn't New, But the Pandemic Made It Much Worse "I want to continue to show people who look like me that they can do whatever they want to, regardless of what someone might have told them." We Share Our Strength "When I speak with other people [in the Asian community], we grieve together, then we pick each other up and tell each other to keep going because that's the only thing to do. You keep going or you stop. To me, stopping is not an option." Djeneba Aduayom Passion Brings Purpose "It's been a traumatizing and emotionally challenging year. But we have to stay strong and be hopeful about the future. Things are changing. My demographic is very loud, opinionated, and passionate. I feel a lot of positivity in that." Photography: Djeneba Aduayom, @djeneba.aduayom // Styling: Molly Dickson, @mollyddickson // Lettering: Samantha Hahn, @samanthajhahn // Hair: Kat Thompson/TMG-LA.com for GHD Hair, @kattthompson // Makeup: Melissa Hernandez/The Wall Group for Neutrogena, @melissa.hernandez // Manicure: Thuy Nguyen/A-Frame Agency for OPI, @thuybnguyen // Creative Director: Noah Dreier, @noahdreier // Photo Director: Toni Paciello Loggia, @toniloggia Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit