'Insecure' star Alexander Hodge on the importance of representation

Back when Alexander Hodge was growing up in Sydney, Australia, he saw Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee on the big screen, "and that was about it" in terms of Asian representation.

Though many might find that inspiration enough, there was one big problem.

"Unfortunately, I stopped kickboxing when I was like 17, so I don't really have the same chops that they do," Hodge, who is now 28 and stars on HBO's "Insecure," told "Good Morning America" on Zoom during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

After moving to the United States at the age of 22 and attending acting school, he said he didn't have an answer to the all-important question they ask students: "What is your type?"

"When you're taught to become very specific, there's a kind of security in knowing, 'This is something that I know I can do,'" Hodge explained, then acknowledging the "inherent flaw" in this method of thinking -- specifically in regards to nonwhite actors.

The crux of the representation issue is as follows: those who haven't seen someone who looks like them do something may not think it's possible for them to be able to do it.

"So it works for a lot of people who have seen themselves represented before, but it doesn't work for a lot of people who haven't," Hodge continued. "And so, I guess, there is room for improvement then, when it comes to educating the next generation of actors and young people who might not see themselves reflected in their industry wherever they are. It might be a different kind of question that could be posed moving forward."

As for what representation means for him personally -- in media and life in general -- Hodge said it's his belief that it simply means "feeling like you're not alone."

"Feeling like you are meant to exist just the way you are, not that you're supposed to fit some other mold that's slightly adjacent to you or slightly outside of yourself," he noted. "That you, as who you are, is exactly who you're meant to be. And I think with representation that can emboldened us to believe that. Without representation, we can be left feeling a little isolated."

Hodge mentioned films like "Crazy Rich Asians" and shows like "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off the Boat" as helping people realize "there might be a place coming into light for you."

The same goes for Issa Rae's "Insecure," which saw Hodge introduced as "Asian Bae" Andrew in season 3 before being upped to a main player -- and beau for Yvonne Orji's Molly -- for season 4. The series has been critically acclaimed since it first premiered and lauded for being fresh, diverse, and representative of the black experience.

"Seeing shows like 'Insecure' is so beautiful because it's a revelation for people who have never really seen themselves on screen before," he gushed. "Even if I didn't see myself in 'Insecure,' I saw something new and that was enough to go, 'Oh, wow, I wonder what else is there that we can do. I wonder what else we can bring up.'"

"So, to land on a show like 'Insecure,' being able to portray somebody who is quite similar to me as a person, is really amazing," Hodge added. "I feel really lucky to do so."

The Aussie actor also said he knows he is "very lucky" to be in the entertainment business at this time and knows he stands on the shoulders of Hollywood legends of Asian descent who "paved the way." For icons like Chan and Lee, he simply wants to "do them justice."

"I want to know that there is more room for the long-haired, tattooed Asians," Hodge joked, referencing his own look.

Kidding aside, he is thankful the conversation has moved from getting Asians as leads on screen to getting Asians in a position of having creative control over their own work. He called Awkwafina's "Nora From Queens" as a prime example of that progress and a "really, really beautiful sight to see."

"We can control our stories … and we can represent the people who look like us," Hodge said. "And that's not saying that there's no room for people who don't look like us because, you know, we've had to follow stories from people who don't look like us forever."

"So it's kind of a chance to turn around and do the same and say our work and our stories are just as accessible as everybody else's," he concluded. "And giving us the space and giving us the room to do that is hopefully going to empower us to tell more authentic stories."