LOS ANGELES - Chloe Bennet, the Asian-American star of the Marvel superhero show Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013 to now) made headlines in 2017 when she said she changed her last name from Wang because of racism in Hollywood. Sitting down with The Straits Times in Los Angeles recently to discuss her animated film Abominable - which opens in Singapore on Nov 7 - the 27-year-old explains why she spoke out. And she hopes the character she voices - a Shanghainese teenager who befriends a lost yeti - will help normalise Chinese culture.

The actress, whose father is Chinese and mother, Caucasian, was born Chloe Wang. But in her early 20s, she changed her professional name to Bennet after realising her Chinese surname put her at a disadvantage when auditioning for roles in Hollywood.