Lea Salonga on fighting Asian stereotypes and paving the way on Broadway

Lea Salonga, the first Asian actress to win a Tony for Miss Saigon in 1991, faced rejection because of her ethnicity, with agents told 'We won't see her because she's Asian.' She landed the role of Eponine in Les Misérables only after an invitation from producers, bypassing auditions. Salonga was the first Asian actress in a principal role in the musical, describing it as an 'experiment' and 'incredibly stressful.' Today, she performs alongside Nathania Ong, the first Singaporean to play Eponine on the West End, in the Singapore run of Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular. Salonga sees progress in Asian representation, citing the success of South Korean musical Maybe Happy Ending, which won South Korea its first Tony, and K-pop band BTS. She is working on a DreamWorks animated film based on Philippine folklore. Ong notes that the fight for representation now includes being valued for talent, not just diversity quotas.