In a recent cover story for People, Ashley Park shared how she has dealt with racism in Hollywood over the years—and why the set of the new film Joy Ride was different in that regard. Joy Ride is a comedic film about four friends who travel across Asia together. It debuted in the number six spot at the domestic box office this past weekend, bringing in $5.85 million.
Park, who is the daughter of Korean immigrants, said that she relates to her character Audrey, who is a successful lawyer working with mostly white men. “That's actually why I understand Audrey so well,” she told the outlet, sharing that this comes from her time in Hollywood. “I want to acknowledge that I'm complicit and completely figuring out a way to be a part of that world. I am Audrey in that way.” She explained that she has used “code-switching” as “an accommodating thing.”
“It's what people do on a basic level and I did times a thousand to be everybody's safe place,” Park continued. “Because I always had a chip on my shoulder of 'Oh well, if that role wasn't supposed to be Asian, I probably would never have gotten it because I wasn't good enough.”
The Emily in Paris star added that she felt a sense of relief on the set of Joy Ride. “We talked about it a lot, me and and Adele Lim and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao. I didn't have to code switch for anyone, and I could just be there as myself. I can be me,” she said.