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Abstract
The current study explored Asian American perspectives of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and racial representation in Hollywood. Using Critical Race Theory and Encoding/Decoding Theory as theoretical frameworks, this study involved in-depth interviews with Asian Americans in order to understand their experiences with racial representations of them in the media. Participants were asked questions regarding the extent to which they related to the stories and characters depicted in the film. Thematic analysis was used to identify 10 themes that emerged as being central to the meanings embedded within Crazy Rich Asians. A major finding was how the film’s depiction of culture clash resonated with participants’ feelings of identity negotiation. One theme regarding communication approaches revealed that participants mostly experienced apprehension when communicating interracially about racial representation; however, some participants did use interracial conversations specifically to educate others about race in media and their Asian American identity.