Being able to buy a washer/dryer, refusing to play into stereotypes for roles, the ability to say “no” — that’s how a few of Hollywood’s most prominent Asian Americans have defined success over the course of their careers.

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, Variety gathered prominent Aapi creatives Kumail Nanjiani (Marvel’s “The Eternals”), Hasan Minhaj (“Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”), Jon M. Chu, Ally Maki (“Toy Story 4”) and Lulu Wang for a lively discussion about what it means to be successful in the entertainment industry, how their parents and family regard their careers, who their industry role models were as they came up and what what being successful means for AAPIs in the industry going forward.

The virtual roundtable is the inaugural installment of Variety’s “#Represent” series, dedicated to the intersection of race, culture and Hollywood.

Nanjiani candidly reveals that...