Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson, Simu Liu and Mindy Kaling Among Honorees at Gold House’s Inaugural Gold Gala

It’s the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which means it’s time for Gold House to unveil this year’s A100, the API leadership coalition’s fifth annual list of the most influential Asians and Pacific Islanders in American society and culture.

The 2022 list sorts the A100 into five arenas — activism, advocacy and politics; business, technology and innovation; entertainment; lifestyle; and sports — with an overall A1 (maximum impact) topping each category. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu, as the first actor to portray a Marvel superhero of Asian descent in a titular role, is the A1 in entertainment, which also includes Bridgerton season 2 screen siblings Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran; Oscar winner Chloe Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) and fellow directors Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi); Domee Shi (Turning Red); Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) and Taika Waititi; Jason Momoa; Netflix chief marketing officer Marian Lee; Olivia Rodrigo; the creatives and stars of Apple TV+’s Pachinko (Soo Hugh, Justin Chon, Kogonada, Theresa Kang-Lowe, Minha Kim, Lee Minho and Jin Ha); Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation president Ramsey Naito; Oscar winner Riz Ahmed; 88Rising’s Sean Miyashiro and Derek Hsu; Silk Sonic (Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars); the creator and stars of Netflix’s Squid Game (Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jung-jae, Hoyeon, Oh Young-soo, Park Hae-soo); as well as Oscar winner Yuh-Jung Youn (who also stars in Pachinko).

In addition to the A100, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees — who must have appeared on at least two prior lists — include Kpop superstars Blackpink, Gemma Chan, H.E.R. and Kelly Marie Tran. Gold House is also recognizing three individuals from the world of entertainment as Legends (who need no introduction): Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson and Mindy Kaling.

Entertainment luminaries among the 2022 A100 selection committee include Tony winners David Henry Hwang and Lea Salonga; director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham); producer and Academy governor Janet Yang (The Joy Luck Club); Ankler Media CEO (and former The Hollywood Reporter editorial director) Janice Min; DC Comics publisher and chief creative officer Jim Lee; journalists Ben Fong Torres and Lisa Ling; and producer and former Disney Studios chair Rich Ross; as well as API entertainment organizations including the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), East West Players and Visual Communications.

“Though the news cycle may have moved on, it’s clear to anyone following that the challenges facing the AAPI community remain,” A100 judge Daniel Dae Kim said in a statement. “It’s vitally important that we continue to reclaim our narrative by celebrating and honoring the achievements of those of us making a positive impact on our world today.”

This year’s A100, A1s, Hall of Famers and Legends will be feted in person at Gold House’s inaugural Gold Gala on May 21 in downtown Los Angeles. Presented in collaboration with Meta, the event — themed “The New Gold Age” — will also mark the launch of a campaign with Procter & Gamble to expand public understanding of what it means to belong in America, starting with support for proper pronunciation of the honorees’ names in their respective API languages.

In turn, this year’s A100 announcement includes support for We Can Do This, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 public education campaign. Gold House is amplifying awareness of vaccines and boosters among API communities that have historically been underserved because of language barriers or lack of access to health care.