Where East meets West: see these superstars on Showmax

Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh are Asian superstars who have become famous in just about any language around the world. Smashing the divide between East and West, these humble and immensely talented actors have helped work towards greater representation in Hollywood.

While the beauty and majesty of martial arts has been a key to unlocking Hollywood, movies like Parasite and Crazy Rich Asians are showing an overwhelmingly positive change when it comes to diversity casting with a wealth of new talent hailing from all corners of the planet. Inspiring more nuanced, progressive and substantial roles that move beyond stereotyping, here are nine stars who are making waves in movies now streaming on Showmax.

A Shot Through the Wall (Kenny Leu)

Kenny Leu shot to fame for his role as Gohan when a live-action adaptation of Dragon Ball Z went viral on YouTube. Taking his natural charisma and indie spirit into his film career, Leu played in Roland Emmerich’s war epic Midway and action thriller Yakuza Princess. Using his martial arts skills and universal appeal, he’s a rising star with a leading role in A Shot Through the Wall.

This gripping, provocative and timely indie drama finds Leu taking on the role of Mike Tan, a Chinese-American rookie New York cop, who innocently shoots a man. Struggling to come to terms with the ordeal and onslaught of the media, justice and race politics, Leu delivers a nuanced and critically acclaimed performance.

The Karate Kid (Jackie Chan)

Jackie Chan’s 60-year film career has made him a household name, a legendary filmmaker, actor and martial artist who has made it his business to entertain with kung fu, action stunts and slapstick comedy. When The Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith reawakened everyone’s love for the magic of the original, it seemed like a slam dunk decision to cast the lovable Rumble in the Bronx superstar.

Filling in for the late Noriyuko “Pat” Morita, who garnered an Oscar nomination for his career-defining role as Mr Miyagi in 1985, Chan brings his superstardom into play as a martial arts master schooling a new kid on the block in China.

Searching (John Cho)

Born in Seoul, John Cho moved to Los Angeles as a child, the son of a preacher-man. Best known for his recurring role as Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar series, and Sulu in the new Star Trek, it seems his best is still to come based on his emphatic lead performance in Searching, a riveting mystery thriller by writer-director Aneesh Chaganty (Run).

Playing a father, every parent’s worst fear comes true when David Kim discovers his teenage daughter is missing. After phone calls, texts and social media messaging fail to reconnect him with Margot, the desperate man switches to follow a trail of clues on her laptop.

Romeo Must Die (Jet Li)

Li Lianjie may not ring a bell, but his stage name lands a gut punch. The Beijing-born former Wushu champion turned action movie star’s Hollywood breakthrough started playing a villain in Lethal Weapon 4, before landing a career-defining lead role in Romeo Must Die.

Blistering kung fu action rules in this intense modern day Romeo & Juliet as vicious betrayals and bloody rivalries play out in a city ruled by criminals. Seeking revenge against the people responsible for his brother’s death, Jet Li (Cradle 2 the Grave) plays an ex-cop named Han who falls for the daughter of a businessman brokering a mob deal with his father.

Snake Eyes (Henry Golding)

Henry Golding is a rising Hollywood star who started his film career in Kuala Lampur after a stint as a Sloane Street hairdresser in London. A charming and svelte actor, best known for his role as Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians, the handsome Golding was even tipped to become the next James Bond.

Golding stars as Snake Eyes in the self-titled and action-packed GI Joe origins superhero film about a boy who narrowly escapes after his father rolls double ones to seal his fate. Discovered by the Yakuza, Snake Eyes joins the ancient Arashikage ninja clan in order to steal the powerful “Jewel of the Sun”.

The Protégé

Maggie Q started her modeling career in Japan before becoming an actor in Hong Kong. Born Margaret Denise Qualley in Hawaii after her parents met during the Vietnam war, she shortened her stage name to Maggie Q. The action superstar performs her own stunts and has trained in Chinese Wushu, Qi Gong, and Wing Chun.

The perfect fit to play a highly skilled contract killer in The Protégé, Q stars opposite Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson. The entertaining, breathless and old school action thriller tracks Anna from her childhood where she is rescued and trained to become a legendary assassin. When her mentor’s murdered, she sets out on a quest of vengeance using her every skill.

All My Life (Harry Shum Jr)

Harry Shum Jr is best known as an actor with TV roles on Glee and Shadowhunters, appearing in movies such as Step Up 2: The Streets and Crazy Rich Asians. Before he broke into acting, Shum Jr was a dancer, who rose to prominence as Cable in the Step Up series – giving him an edge in physically demanding roles.

In sweet, sentimental romance All My Life, he plays opposite Jessica Rothe, and they share great on-screen chemistry. Based on real events, this touching film finds Solomon and Jenn’s wedding plans in shambles when Sol is diagnosed with liver cancer.

Yakuza Princess (MASUMI)

MASUMI is a singer-songwriter turned actor, who was inspired to pursue her dreams at all costs after surviving the 2011 earthquake trapped in an underground cafe in Tokyo. Living between Japan and the United States, she’s fluent in English and Japanese, landing the lead role in an action thriller after only three months of acting classes.

MASUMI makes her feature film debut as Akemi opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Yakuza Princess based on the graphic novel Shiro. The dark and moody actioner finds a young swordmaster and a stranger joining forces to wage war against Yakuza crime syndicate factions who want her head.

The Paper Tigers (Alain Uy)

Alain Uy relocated from the Phillipines to the United States at the age of six and started acting in 1998. Best known for his roles in True Detective, Father Stu and The Morning Show, The Paper Tigers finds him shaking off the dust to brandish his now middle-aged kung fu skills as Danny.

Playing alongside Ron Yuan and Mykel Shannon Jenkins, The Paper Tigers finds three former martial arts prodigies rescheduling their dead-end jobs and daddy duties to go on a mission to avenge their master when he’s murdered. An irresistible, lighthearted and charming treat, this action comedy drama serves as a promising feature film debut for director, Quoc Bao Tran.