Jamie Chung: COVID-19 pandemic made me 'hyper aware' of anti-Asian hate crimes

Jamie Chung is “hyper aware” of anti-Asian hate crimes following a spike in cases over the past year.

The 38-year-old actress has said it has been “really scary” to see the increase in anti-Asian attacks in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she is now “hypervigilant” when it comes to being aware of her surroundings and what the people around her might be thinking.

She said: “It was a really scary time and we’re still not really out of that. It makes you become hypervigilant and makes you become hyper aware.”

The ‘Misfits’ star also praised the “filmmakers of Asian descent” who are creating stories that help to prevent violence and create understanding.

She added: “We have filmmakers of Asian descent that are having their moment. But it feels like we’re just beginning.”

And Jamie now wants to use her platform to “make an impact”, after she began her career as a castmate on MTV’s ‘The Real World’ in 2004.

Speaking to the ‘PEOPLE Every Day’ podcast, she explained: “It’s amazing as someone like who’s been able to transition to go back and make an impact.”

Jamie has been outspoken about politics for some time, and in 2017 she said she would love to meet then-President Donald Trump so that she could grill him about some of his policies, including how his 2017 health bill would affect certain groups of women.

She said at the time: “If I could meet anyone, it would be President Donald Trump. I would ask him why his new health bill allows insurers the right to deny or exploit women who have ‘pre-existing conditions,’ such as C-sections and victims of rape.”