Doua Moua ( RPA: ''Duas Muas'',

Pahawh Pahawh Hmong (Romanized Popular Alphabet, RPA: Phaj hauj Hmoob , Pahawh: ; known also as ''Ntawv Pahawh, Ntawv Keeb, Ntawv Caub Fab, Ntawv Soob Lwj'') is an indigenous Semi-syllabary, semi-syllabic writing system, script, invented in 1959 by Sh ...

: '; born February 7, 1987) is an American actor and writer best known for his roles as

Spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...

in the 2008 film ''

Gran Torino ''Gran Torino'' is a 2008 American drama film directed, produced by and starring Clint Eastwood. It features a significant Hmong American cast, a first for mainstream American films. The score was composed by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Steve ...

'' and Po in Disney's live-action ''

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...

''.

Background

Doua Moua was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to Laos-born parents of Hmong descent who had fled their homeland because of the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was a covert Theatre (warfare), theater during the Vietnam War with both sides receiving heavy ...

. Six months after his birth, his family entered

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

as refugees, and he was raised in the city of St. Paul. While in middle school, Doua joined the choir and theater classes at a teacher's suggestion; he also participated in community theater. He was graduated from the International School of Minnesota, in

Eden Prairie Eden Prairie is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It had a population of 64,198 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-largest city in Minnesota. The city is adjacent to the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from ...

.Yuen, Laura.
Hmong get a mixed debut in new Eastwood film
" ''

Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, KNOW-FM, News & Information, KSJN, YourClassical MPR and KCMP, The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper ...

''. December 18, 2008. Retrieved on March 18, 2012. Amongst Doua Moua's cousins are former state senator Mee Moua and dancer-actor Aidan Prince.

Career

Moua moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting and booked his first acting job as an extra on Law and Order: SVU. Moua worked in an Italian restaurant to finance his career. He continued auditioning for minor roles until he decided to audition for ''

''. While most roles took about a week for call backs, Doua had to wait three months until he finally got a response. The film's casting was considered "a catalyst for more Hmong to get into filmmaking". Moua said that he had no regrets in playing as a gang member, since, in the words of Laura Yuen of ''

'', "gangs consumed his brother's life while they were growing up in St. Paul." Moua added that many first generation Hmong are affected by gangs and drift into gangs due to a lack of father figures. After the release of ''Gran Torino'', Doua continued to appear in film and television, noticeably as villains. When his parents asked why he continued to play "mean" people, he jokingly stated that his parents had given him "mean eyebrows" due to his heritage. He decided to create a movie based on his own personal life as a Hmong American in Minnesota due to the lack of Hmong representation. The film, ''The Harvest'', was written by Doua and was to be directed by Dan Ireland starring Doua alongside Russell Wong and Ellen Wong. Ireland has since died with Li Lu reportedly directing. The movie is still in development. Doua was cast in the live action

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

adaptation of ''

'' as Po. He is also a writer and was a semi-finalist for the Academy's Nicholl's Fellowship for his coming-of-age script "The Harvest."

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moua, Doua Living people 1987 births American writers of Hmong descent American people of Laotian descent Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota Marymount Manhattan College alumni Hmong American people from Minneapolis–Saint Paul