Singapore-born actor Ross Butler busting racial stereotypes in Hollywood

Singapore-born actor Ross Butler is done with playing Asian geeks or martial artists and wants to engineer change

Ross Butler (above), on expanding his acting repertoire PHOTOGRAPHED BY YU TSAI; STYLED BY JEFFREY YAN
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

It has been quite a journey for Ross Butler, who dropped out of his engineering degree course and made the bold decision to move to Los Angeles 10 years ago, when he was 20.

Exuding a quiet confidence throughout our telephone conversation, the Singapore-born, Virginia-raised actor says: "I didn't know I wanted to be an actor. I just wanted to change the environment I was in because I felt stuck and just really unhappy."

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 27, 2020, with the headline Singapore-born actor Ross Butler busting racial stereotypes in Hollywood. Subscribe