“...everyone had a perfect family, the children were perfect, the parents were just sweet as could be, and everyone was white. I just could not relate whatsoever, and so I really take my hat off to Disney for keeping up with the times and changing with the times, because I think that’s how we’re going to keep an audience – when they feel like they can really relate to the characters and see themselves up on screen.”
-Lauren Tom on representation in children’s entertainment.
I’m sure you’ve heard Lauren Tom even if you’ve never heard of her name. This Asian-American actress has been in an incredible number of T.V. shows, playing popular characters like Amy Wong in “Futurama,” Numbah 3 in “Codename Kids Next Door,” and Mrs. Linda Tran in “Supernatural.”
I was able to interview Lauren Tom about one of her latest roles – Celia in the new series “Andi Mack,” which is already making waves as a new kind of Disney Channel show, according to a The New York Times. As a children’s show veteran and a mother, Tom was eager to answer some of my burning questions about this new series.
An interview with Lauren Tom: diversity, fandom, and hopes for “Andi Mack”