Asian actors have historically been one of the most underrepresented groups in Hollywood , with only 1% of nominees across categories in the show’s 92-year history (including four for Ben Kingsley, who is of Gujarati Indian descent). This year tipped the balance slightly, with nods to Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite , nominated for Best International Feature Film , Best Director, and Best Picture, among others. Still, had she been nominated, Awkwafina would have been the first American actress of East Asian descent ever to be so honored by the Academy, a statistic that is hard to stomach after years of lip service to inclusion and representation by an organization that fails to show results year after year.