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Brenda Song lists the actors who "really inspired me"

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 2:29 PM ET

Brenda Song was recently presented with Variety’s Virtuoso Award at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas and used the opportunity to reflect on her career.

The actress's breakout role was as London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which ran from 2005 to 2008, followed by The Suite Life on Deck, and 2011's The Suite Life Movie.

"That was the tricky thing growing up, being an Asian-American actress in Hollywood," she said, referring to the lack of representation at that point. "Like if you weren’t Jackie Chan or Jet Li — I’m not an Asian man — it was really hard. But I was fortunate to have actors like Ming-Na Wen, Michelle Yeoh and Lucy Liu, who really inspired me."

She actually worked with Wen in a project when she was younger. When talking about the experience, she expressed, "I’m so grateful because she was so encouraging, so kind and just so supportive."

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However, when she was given the chance to be part of David Fincher's The Social Network, Song found herself having to fight for the more mature role since she was still on the Disney Channel series. This came after she wasn't allowed to move forward with Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino because "the character had an intended sexual assault scene, so Disney nixed it." The actress commented, "I was very upset but I was like, 'Okay, I guess it didn’t work out.'"

For The Social Network, she decided to go straight to the President and Chief Creative Officer of Disney Branded Television, Gary Marsh. "I was just like, 'I am an actor. When you hired me, I was not a hotel heiress. If I have ever done anything in my personal life to ever draw bad attention to your company, I understand. But this is the last season of the show, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime.' And I was so fortunate, they were so supportive. They allowed me to do this film that truly changed my life," she recalled.

Song's latest projects include The Last Showgirl and Netflix's Running Point, which has been renewed for a second season.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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