It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! To celebrate, let’s take a walk down memory lane to see how these celebs got their start in Hollywood and what they look like now:
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Ross Butler in one of his early TV roles as Brett in K.C. Undercover. He was featured on the show from 2015 to 2017:
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Kal Penn in one of his early movie roles as Taj in 2002’s National Lampoon’s Van Wilder:
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Brenda Song in one of her early TV roles as Sariffa in 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. She was featured on the show from 1999 to 2002:
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Awkwafina in her first movie role as Christine in 2016’s Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising:
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KJ Apa in his first TV role as Kane in Shortland Street. He was featured on the show from 2014 to 2015:
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Shay Mitchell in her first TV role as Emily in Pretty Little Liars. She was featured on the show from 2010 to 2017:
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Steven Yeun in his first movie role as Chaz in 2009’s Jerry:
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Taika Waititi in his early movie directing days during 2007’s Eagle vs Shark. He also had a role in the film as Gordon:
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Lana Condor in her first movie role as Jubilee in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse:
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Henry Golding in one of his early movie roles as Nick in 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians:
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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in her first TV role as Devi in Never Have I Ever. She was featured on the show from 2020 to 2023:
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan now:
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Raymond Ablack in his first TV role as Sav in Degrassi. He was featured on the show from 2007 to 2011:
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Jimmy O. Yang in one of his early movie roles as Mike the Camerman in 2017’s El Camino Christmas:
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Dwayne Johnson in his first movie role as the Scorpion King in 2001’s The Mummy Returns:
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Anna Cathcart in one of her early movie roles as Kitty in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in 2018:
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Lucy Liu in her first TV role as Courtney in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1991:
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Janel Parrish in her first movie role as Jade in 2007’s Bratz:
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas in her first movie role as Priya in 2002’s Thamizhan:
Priyanka Chopra Jonas now:
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Darren Barnet in his first TV role as the young version of Jack in This Is Us in 2017:
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Dev Patel in his first TV role as Anwar in Skins. He was featured on the show from 2007 to 2008:
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Cliff Curtis in one of his early movie roles as Bully in 1994’s Once Were Warriors:
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Charles Melton in one his early TV roles as Mr. Wu in American Horror Story. He was featured on the show from 2015 to 2016:
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Michelle Yeoh in her first movie role as Miss Yeung in 1984’s The Owl vs. Bumbo:
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Finally, Jason Momoa in his first TV role as Jason in Baywatch. He was featured on the show from 1999 to 2001:
Check out more API-centered content by exploring how BuzzFeed celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Of course, the content doesn’t end after May. Follow BuzzFeed’s A*Pop on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to keep up with our latest API content year-round.