Brenda Song calls out Disney for shutting door on her dreams

Brenda Song, star who is known for her The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, recently revealed how Disney closed the door on her when she wanted to audition for Gran Torino.

She said the studio didn’t let her try out for the role because the film included a sexual assault scene. Brenda was shocked, especially since she had spent years working with them and felt ready to take on more serious roles.

Even after finding fame, Brenda said it wasn’t easy to move beyond her Disney past. One thing that stayed with her was being stopped from auditioning for Gran Torino, a role she really cared about.

While receiving Variety’s Virtuoso Award at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, she opened up about how that rejection still hit a nerve.

“The character had an intended sexual assault scene, so Disney nixed it. And I was very upset but I was like, ‘Okay, I guess it didn’t work out,'” she said.

The actress said she had to fight for her role in The Social Network and personally asked Disney exec Gary Marsh to let her do it despite the explicit scene.

She recalled: “I was just like, ‘I am an actor. When you hired me, I was not a hotel heiress. If I have ever done anything in my personal life to ever draw bad attention to your company, I understand. But this is the last season of the show, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime.’

“And I was so fortunate, they were so supportive. They allowed me to do this film that truly changed my life.”

Brenda, who shares two sons with fiancé Macaulay Culkin, also said that she felt lucky to start acting young because it was tough for Asian-American women to get roles.

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