Lana Condor Believes a Change Is Coming: "We Have to Stay Strong and Be Hopeful"

When it comes to issues that are important to her, like stopping violence against the Asian community, To All the Boys I've Loved Before actress Lana Condor will not stay silent. "Speaking up is important," the 24-year-old told Shape. "It's easy to be a bystander, but you could save a life if you stand up for someone." She added: "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."

Despite a difficult year that saw a rise in anti-Asian hate, Lana is still hopeful about the future. "It's been a traumatizing and emotionally challenging year," she explained. "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."

Lana is actively working toward this change by using her platform to spread awareness about the hate she and others in her community have experienced. "I think many people are in denial or believe violence against Asians isn't a real thing," she said. "Even some of my close friends weren't aware of what was going on. I needed to let people know what was happening."

She credits To All the Boys I've Loved Before with giving her a platform and allowing her to feel seen. "It was something I'd never seen come across my desk — a rom-com with an Asian American actress as the lead. . . . The greatest blessing is that it made [Asian] people feel represented," she shared. "They come up to me and tell me how watching the movie made them feel seen and not alone." Aware of the struggle for representation in Hollywood, Lana is more careful about the roles she takes on. "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."