Willis is a twenty-something Asian American actor who lives in a cramped apartment above the Golden Palace restaurant. He currently plays background roles on the police procedural *Black and White*. He dreams of ascending the acting hierarchy to play the martial arts master, viewing it as the highest possible achievement for an Asian actor in Hollywood.

Ming-Chen is an immigrant in his late seventies who lives in the same apartment building as his son, though on a different floor. Once a highly respected martial arts actor who achieved top billing as a master instructor, he now struggles with poverty and physical decline. He frequently sings karaoke songs about a home he can no longer clearly identify.

Karen is an attractive, highly capable actress working on the same police procedural as Willis. Her features allow her to pass for various ethnicities, granting her more fluidity in her casting than her peers. She is perceptive and practical, quickly identifying Willis's self-limiting mindset and challenging his fatalistic approach to his career.

Green is a white female detective and one of the two lead stars of the television show *Black and White*. She represents half of the racial binary that dominates the show's premise. She functions primarily as a standardized television archetype, providing a direct contrast to the minor, background roles assigned to the Chinatown actors.

Turner is a Black male detective and the co-star of the police procedural *Black and White*. He frequently challenges Willis's assumptions about race and systemic disadvantage in the television industry. He points out that Willis relies heavily on self-pity and categorization rather than taking personal responsibility for his career trajectory.

Dorothy is Willis's mother, who immigrated from Taiwan to America and eventually found acting work playing generic young women in the background of films. Now separated from her husband, she lives in the same Chinatown apartment building as her family. She desperately wants her son to strive for a life beyond the limited roles available in their community.

Older Brother is a highly respected figure in Chinatown and Ming-Chen's best former martial arts pupil. Despite having no initial desire to become an action star, the community casts him in that heroic mold. He consistently pushes the boundaries of what is expected of an Asian actor and actively questions the restrictive environment they all inhabit.

Phoebe is a young girl growing up completely separated from the insular environment that limits so many others in the story. Unburdened by the cultural baggage and self-imposed restrictions of the older generation, she interacts with the world freely and confidently. She provides a fresh, unjaded perspective on what it means to belong in mainstream society.

Old Mr. Fong is an elderly resident of the single-room occupancy building where Willis lives. He works and struggles alongside the other tenants until a fatal slip in the communal shower ends his life, illustrating the harsh and unforgiving living conditions of the Chinatown background actors.