With regards to Hollywood film making, if you look at startups, you can be any gender or race, but as long as you bring your A-game, people will take you seriously.

In Hollywood, you have to be a very specific type to make it as a performer, otherwise you are relegated to working in the background to help create the movie OR fitting a stereotype to be part of a movie. In the last few years, the only Asian actors I've ever seen lead a 'Hollywood' movie without being relegated to action heros is Harold and Kumar.