Lea Salonga Recalls 1991 Broadway Audition Rejections Over Her Asian Heritage

Lea Salonga had already won a Tony Award for her lead role in Miss Saigon in 1991, but she still struggled to land other parts.

"My agent would be submitting me for auditions, but people were still like 'No, we won't see her because she's Asian. They were unable to imagine someone like me playing those roles," Salonga told the BBC.

That situation now seems outdated amid K-pop acts like BTS and Blackpink topping Billboard charts, Emmy sweeps by shows like Shogun and Squid Game, and Asian-led musicals succeeding on Broadway.

Salonga has become a global Broadway icon and a national treasure in the Philippines. She provided the singing voices for Disney's Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and the lead in Mulan.

Her breakthrough came with the role of Eponine in Les Misérables, which she joined without auditioning. "Because the producers of Miss Saigon also produced Les Mis, I received an invitation to join… so I do appreciate that I had advocates in the office… people who were like 'we gotta get her in,'" she said.

As the first Asian actress in a principal role in the musical, Salonga called her casting an experiment. "When I was cast in it, the show had already been running for five years. When they cast me, it was in January, which is usually a slow time. So I think the producers felt there was minimal risk," she said.

"I think I was the only person of colour in that entire company at the time... so it was like, is this a stunt? Is this trying to prove a point? Let's see if this is going to work. And if it works, the reward would be great."

Taking on the traditionally white role proved incredibly stressful. "I stressed out over Les Mis more than I ever did for Miss Saigon…with that it was an Asian actor in an Asian role - there's really no controversy there. But with Les Mis, it's like, we're going to cast this Asian chick in this show - and there's never been an Asian in this show."

She recognized its importance. "It meant that anyone who had their sights on Eponine could play it. Because if I could do it - then anyone else could, regardless of ethnic background."

More than 30 years later, that change appears beside her. In the current Singapore run of Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular, Salonga performs with Nathania Ong, 28, who plays Eponine.

"I get to watch Nathania playing Eponine... and as I'm sitting in this dressing room getting ready to do the show, it makes me think that the experiment worked. And it's something I'm very proud to have participated in. And now it's time for the next generation of actors to step up... the ones with strength in their knees," Salonga said.

Ong, who became the first Singaporean to play Eponine on the West End, grew up watching performers like Salonga in the role. She did not immediately grasp the milestone. "I think it took a few months before I was like... I've made it. I've actually done something with this," she said.

Ong credits Salonga as a trailblazer for people of colour but notes representation remains an uphill battle. The challenge has evolved from gaining entry to proving value through talent. "The thing with going for parts as an East Asian is that sometimes we struggle with the idea of: 'Have we been hired to meet a diversity quota, or are we actually being hired because we're good at our jobs?' she says.

Salonga sees Asian artists now creating their own stories, not just fitting into Western ones. She cites the Broadway hit Maybe Happy Ending, a South Korean musical co-written by a South Korean that earned South Korea its first Tony Award.

"Seeing a show like that…winning so many awards… tells me that if something is just so good that it cannot be ignored, it will be seen," she said. She could not have pictured such an intrinsically Asian show gaining traction, as she lacked Asian role models growing up.

"I think for a lot of young people to be able to see somebody that looks like them up on that stage… is incredible. I think there was a generation of Asians who wanted to do this but didn't have that representation upon which they could reflect themselves. I'm so glad that I am now getting to see it because now my son gets to see it."

Salonga, a huge fan of BTS, draws parallels to their rise. She remembers the pressure of representing the Philippines' 75 million people on the West End. "When you head to the West End and you have to be excellent or you will let 75 million people down, that's a lot to put on your shoulders. The responsibility is heavy," she said.

"That's also why I appreciate BTS so much because it's like, here you go, the weight of all of Asia is now on your shoulders," she laughed. She once delayed a vocal warm-up by 15 minutes to watch a BTS concert livestream.

The momentum spans media, including an upcoming DreamWorks animated film based on Philippine folklore that Salonga is voicing. "Incredibly shocked, but I think also inspired to know… that there is a space for me," she said.

"You know, you can push us to the margins - but we're just going to centre ourselves."