Sandra Oh, Bowen Yang, Kumail Nanjiani and Others Reflect on the Asian Experience in New Documentary (Exclusive)

Lizzie HymanWed, April 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC

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From left: Bowen Yang on March 8, Sandra Oh in October 2025 and Kumail Nanjiani on Feb. 15.Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty; Emma McIntyre/Getty -

Well-known celebrities and unsung heroes have come together to share their experiences being Asian in America in a new documentary

“If you do not look at where you came from, you can never reach your destination,” nurse Madelyn Yu, who appears alongside Sandra Oh, Bowen Yang, Kumail Nanjiani and others, says in the trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE

The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas premieres on May 13 on HBO Max

Well-known celebrities and activists alongside unsung members of the Asian community are sharing their experiences, offering stories of tragedy and triumph, and revealing the joy and the pain at the roots of their identity.

In the upcoming HBO Max documentary The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas, debuting May 13, Sandra Oh, Bowen Yang, Kumail Nanjiani and 12 others from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities across the United States deliver first-person accounts, reflecting on their childhoods, life experiences and what it means to be Asian in America.

The trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, opens with questions from Oh: “Who are you? What is your identity?”

It continues with clips from each of the 15 interviews. “I think identity is like a slippery slope,” musician DJ Rekha says. Cliff Kapono, a surfer, scientist and Native Hawaiian, adds, “I don’t understand why ‘Asian Pacific Islander’ is a thing.” Alongside a childhood photo, Nanjiani, who is Pakistani-American, reflects, “A lot of America is never going to see me as American.”

Chef Yia Vang, who is Hmong-American, describes how his experience navigating identity was shaped by family: “My father didn’t want us to have that Hmong or Asian accent,” he says. Japanese-American activist Kathy Masaoka adds, “All of us were going through trying to be American.” For U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-senator Tammy Duckworth, her progression to self-acceptance was rooted in location: “Hawaii, that’s really the first place where I sort of grew into my identity.”

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Many featured in the documentary speak about the effort it took to reach where they are today. “When I moved to reduced lunch, I was like, ‘Ooh, we are arriving,’ ” Haroon Mokhtarzada, a former child refugee who became a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, says about his childhood. Astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, who was raised in Pakistan, adds, “There’s a piece of me that thrives on being the underdog.”

Others reflect on how their identities have become sources of strength. “My trans identity— I see it as a bit of a superpower,” says Schuyler Bailar, an author and the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer. Yang, meanwhile, says he “took that comfort and confidence” from his Asian background “into [his] last audition for SNL.”

'The A List', premiering on HBO on May 13.Credit: HBO Max

Resilience emerges as a unifying theme in the documentary trailer. “They throw something at me, I throw it right back,” journalist Connie Chung says. Activist Amanda Nguyen adds, “The most powerful tool we have is our voice.” Photojournalist Manny Crisostomo echoes the sentiment: “We are resilient.”

The trailer closes with nurse Madelyn Yu reflecting on how the past shapes the future: “If you do not look at where you came from, you can never reach your destination."

The film, available to stream on HBO Max starting May 13, is the latest installment in “The List” series—spanning documentary films, large-format photography portraits and books—that explores the rich cultures of underrepresented communities.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”