Greta Lee Refuses to Be Put in a Box

Thank you Nina [Garcia] for this, and thank you ELLE for including me in this ridiculously inspiring lineup of women. My parents are here. My dad has been asking me for the last two decades, “Are you medium-famous yet?” I had to bring them here just to prove that this is real. I’m finally medium-famous.

It has been a wild ride to get here—to medium-famous. I want to take a minute to thank some of the people who made it possible for me: Lena Dunham; Amy Schumer; Tina Fey; Amy Poehler; Natasha Lyonne; Leslye Headland; Mimi Leder; Jennifer Aniston; Reese Witherspoon; Jodie Foster, who directed me in a movie, and she’s here tonight; among some others. If you notice, these people, these beautiful humans who all gave me a shot, they all have one thing in common: They are all women. It has always been women for me. And most recently, I have to thank Celine Song, the writer and director of our movie “Past Lives.” Just when I had finally made peace with the fact that I would maybe never get the opportunity to take on a role like this, then SHE comes along with her script and her stupid genius. She basically reminded me daily to just show everyone what you have always been able to do, and I had no idea how much I needed to hear that. So thank you, Celine.

And so there is one other person that I would really like to thank, someone I know very well, who has been with me this whole time. I would like to thank myself.

I know that’s kind of cringe and “are you allowed to do that,” but let me explain. When I started college and I was studying theater, my first assignment was to go to the student center and buy a makeup box...a personalized box of stage makeup. When I got there, I realized there were only three boxes available. There was a Black box, a Latino box, and a Caucasian box. I know what you’re thinking: “Where is the box for sassy Asians full of moxie and big dreams?” I remember standing there for a long time, holding these boxes, just trying to figure out what to do. I had to buy a box for class. And I want to point out this 18-year-old girl, she didn’t burst into tears. She didn’t see herself as some sort of victim. She sprang into action, and she was making all kinds of crazy calculations like, “As a dark-skinned Korean, could I mix the Black box and the Latino box?” It was totally crazy and ultimately pretty lonely and upsetting.

But tonight, here with all of you, in terrific company, I want to thank her, that girl. Thank you for not giving up even after finding out that your dreams literally do not exist anywhere on those shelves. And I’d like to also acknowledge anyone else who understands what this is like. Sometimes you have to invent the path where one didn’t previously exist. Sometimes it may take longer than you think. But oh my god, it’s worth it. Because sometimes it can end up even better than you ever dreamed.