Why did Anna May Wong leave Hollywood?

Anna May Wong was Hollywood’s first Chinese American film star. In addition to her roles in silent films, television, and the stage, Wong was cast in one of the first Technicolor films.

Wong left Hollywood after many years of attempting to work in American films due to constant discrimination.

She relocated to Europe, where she appeared in numerous plays and films, including Schmutziges Geld in 1928, Piccadilly in 1929, and her first talking film, The Flame of Love, in 1930.

Anna May Wong faced intense racism in Hollywood, including anti-miscegenation laws that prevented her from being cast as a love interest opposite white actors.

This included Wong being passed over for a role in The Good Earth, an adaptation of Pearl S. Buck’s story set in China.

Anna May Wong was not allowed to play the lead because white actor Paul Muni was cast as the male lead, and Wong was not allowed to marry a white man in yellowface onscreen. Luise Rainer was cast in the role, and she won an Oscar for her performance.