Why some of Hollywood’s biggest stars like Daniel Dae Kim believe awards for AAPI community are important

“Awards recognition is one kind of important recognition,” Daniel Dae Kim told TODAY.com at the 21st annual Unforgettable Gala.

The awards show honors the entertainment industry’s Asian Pacific Islander community, putting the spotlight on AAPI excellence and representation in Hollywood, the arts and culture. This year, it was held at the Beverly Hilton on Dec. 16, kicking off what is set to be another exciting awards season.

Whether its being part of an Oscar or Emmy-nominated and winning project, box office hit or cultural phenomenon, a number of actors expressed why awards recognition is important — but also it's not the end all be all.

"There's awards recognition, there's popular recognition, there's box office recognition, there's a lot that goes into what the definition of success might be," Kim continued telling TODAY.com on the red carpet. "And it's nice to have awards, (but) it's not the only thing we should be shooting for because we want to be able to portray the entire Asian diaspora, right... We don't want to be pigeonholed into one area, but to be recognized for our work is positive."

Additionally, "Never Have I Ever" star Poorna Jagannathan shared her opinion on the subject, explaining how oftentimes many shows with valuable lessons get overlooked.

“It’s kind of amazing that Greta (Lee) from ‘Past Lives’ and shows like ‘Beef’ are getting awards in the mainstream and they’re so deserving. But there are so many shows, like ours, that get sidelined by the mainstream for a lot of different reasons and they are important stories,” she said. “They are valuable stories, they move the needle on diverse storytelling. And so when it gets unacknowledged by some sections and yet acknowledged by other sections, you still know you’re making an impact, you still know your stories count.

“I’ve been in this long enough to know (awards) don’t really reflect how much people are moved by shows,” she added. “But I do know ‘Never Have I Ever’ had a very special place in so many people’s hearts, especially in our age and our community.”

Read what more stars shared about awards recognition for the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

Jon M. Chu

“The work is the most important thing. The craft, that we’re all getting better at the craft. The only thing that stays around are artists who have mastered the craft, who take risks, who fail sometimes, who win other times. So I think in the long-term it’s all about the work that we all get to be,” he says. “But celebration is important. Celebration, to recognize the work, we never get that. When you’re working this hard, when you’re working those hours, you don’t get the time to sort of pat each other on the back. So I think awards are really helpful to do that.”

The “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Wicked” director added, “And if it helps visibility for a kid who’s thinking about coming into this business and doesn’t think it’s possible, their parents see that there are successful actors and directors out there, they’re gonna let them go to college to study it or just quit their job and do it. I think that’s a win for everybody.”

Auli’i Cravalho

"It’s everything," the "Moana" and "Mean Girls" star said. "Every year, we get closer and closer, right? We see more representation, obviously more of what our world actually looks like, which feels amazing. And yet we still have so much more to go, so much further to go."

"Growing up in Hawaii, that’s such a melting pot," she continued. "So seeing them on screen is everything. It makes our viewers more empathetic and it just brings a whole new color and a whole new light to the screen."

Janel Parrish

"I think we have been ... overlooked for a while. Representation matters and especially, speaking for myself, growing up I didn't see a lot of representation in the Asian American community," the "Pretty Little Liars" and "To All the Boys" star said. "So this is so special and powerful to see us being recognized for how powerful and talented and wonderful our community is. And so to be in a room full of our community feels so wonderful."

Richa Moorjani

"It's extremely important because we have so much talent in the community that needs to be recognized — not just obviously, you know, my show and my cast," the "Never Have I Ever" star said. "We are one of the most diverse, talented, beautiful communities in this, not just industry, but in the world. It's about time that we start being recognized for the incredible contributions that we make, not just to entertainment, but to so many different industries, tech, politics, arts, everything."

Derek Luh

"I think it's so important for the community, just for the sense of bringing all of us together," the “Gen V” actor shared. "I'm in here and I'm looking at a ton of people that look like me, and it's just so important for us to be recognized in that capacity."

Anna Cathcart

"I think it's a chance to highlight so much amazing work. I know recently, we've had such incredible representation within those awards and last year in the Oscar season was so amazing for the community," the "XO, Kitty" star said. "It says so much and it brings up so many conversations for so many people as well, and that's so important."

Sherry Cola

"Award season is obviously something that is a big part of Hollywood. I think at the end of the day, whether you get the shiny thing or not, being able to do the work as performers already goes a long way and it's already so fulfilling for me," the "Good Trouble" and "Joyride" star said. "Of course, the trophies are a bonus. Absolutely. We'll never say no to that. But the fact that we get to do what we love, that is already so rewarding."

Justin Chien

"I think it's wonderful that artists from our community are getting recognized, not just for being artists from our community, but for just producing genuinely good work," the "Brothers Sun" star said, adding, "Good quality work that moves an audience. So I think that's why it's important because it recognizes that we're here to stay and we're here to keep creating things that move people."

During the 21st annual Unforgettable Gala, “Past Lives” star Greta Lee received the breakout in film award, Charles Melton got the actor in film award for “May December,” “Beef” star Young Mazino received the breakout in TV award, and the late Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee accepted the Lexus Legacy Award on behalf of her father.

Additionally, the cast of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” was awarded the Vanguard Award, Adele Lim accepted the director award for “Joy Ride” and Lee Sung Jin took home the writer award for “Beef,” while Buzzfeed’s Steven Lim got the digital influencer award and actor Mackenyu received the global groundbreaker award.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com