Christine Chiu teases why she turned down 'Real Housewives' and why 'Bling Empire' is a better opportunity to represent her community

• Christine Chiu is a producer and cast member of the Netflix series "Bling Empire."
• Insider spoke to Chiu amid Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
• Chiu discussed the importance of telling Asian stories and why she's not sure she'd do "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" now.

You might know Christine Chiu as a cast member on the Netflix reality show Bling Empire, a seemingly real-life version of "Crazy Rich Asians." The show features a group of successful Asians and Asian Americans living in Los Angeles, including DJ Kim Lee, film producer Kelly Mi Li, influencer Kevin Krieder, and fashion influencer Jaime Xie, among others.

But beyond the bling, the show tackles real issues, from abortion to grief and betrayal. And talking to Chiu, a Taiwanese philanthropist, haute couture collector and co-founder Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery with her husband Dr. Gabriel Chiu, is not always what you expect.

Chiu was largely portrayed as the onscreen villain, thanks to her spats with her co-star rival Anna Shay. But Chiu is thoughtful and far more humble than what we see onscreen.

While the show's draw is obvious - money, glitz, power - for Chiu, it's more than just a flashy vehicle for fame. It's also an opportunity to break stereotypes about the Asian community and amplify of Asian voices.

In fact, Chiu told Insider that, "spoiler alert," fans should expect to see "a new face or two, [who] are huge advocates of the AAPI community" next season.

Amid Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Insider spoke to Chiu about anti-Asian violence, season two spoilers of "Bling Empire," and what she's learned during lockdown.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Insider: How is shooting season two of "Bling Empire"?

Christine Chiu: For season one, we filmed eight episodes in two years, for season two, we're shooting eight episodes in eight weeks. It has been a full-time, overtime endeavor.

As a producer on the show, what has the process of shooting been like?

Incredibly enlightening. The most gratifying component is having a global platform to raise awareness of AAPI contributions. It's important to carve out more spaces for Asian voices.

"Bling Empire" has over-the-top fluff and bling, but it's balanced out with heartwarming, authentic and deep stories that have a great Asian perspective. They're issues that are universally relatable.

Some of the topics from season one [are] adoption, infertility, identity, marriage, betrayal and mental health. It could have been dark, but they were weaved in beautifully with lighter moments. I am humbled to have been a part of it.

Why is cultural diversity so important for you to show on "Bling Empire?"

It's grossly underrepresented. AAPI faces, voices and stories are disproportionately underrepresented in both big and small screens in the media, altogether. But I wouldn't fault the entertainment industry.

As a population, we're less self-promotional. We're quieter and more reserved. My parents taught me growing up to stay silent on your accolades and never talk about your problems.

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

I am grateful for it. Altogether, we're better people when we're more aware. We need to appreciate and celebrate the contributions that make up the fabric of America who are coming from different origins and cultures.

AAPI month gives us a chance to slow down, reflect, and grow. I'm grateful for AAPI Heritage Month, for it highlights the contributions of leaders [in] the AAPI community; looking back on how we got here.

It was always culturally ingrained in me, at least, that when people treat you poorly because of your skin color or where you come from, your vengeance to that, or how you deal with that, is just to persist - to be resilient, keep quiet, and work harder, to become more successful financially, in life, and career-wise. That's how you show them.

It really took this time, these past few months, to wake me up to say: "No, that's not enough." Just taking it and letting racism, those micro-aggressions, roll off my shoulders, is not enough. We let it grow by not speaking up.

Do you worry about the world your 2-year-old son, Baby G, is growing up in?

As a new mom, I want to break this cycle for my son and his generation and the generations after that. I'm proud of the AAPI community for speaking up and saying: "This is not OK."

We are an essential part of this country and contributed significantly. The violence is not OK. The lack of recognition and the discrimination is also not OK.

It's an important time and I'm grateful for it.

Have you become friends with the cast of "House of Ho"? It's another Asian-focused reality TV show that came out at roughly the same time. It felt uncanny.

I'm so glad we connected. "House of Ho" cast member, Washington Ho, reached out to me through social media. Cast members from both shows have become acquainted. The general feeling is support and encouragement because we just need more AAPI faces, voices, and perspectives out there.

They're similar in that the shows both lead with over-the-top lifestyles, then digs into familial issues, but they are a Vietnamese family and reveal different idiosyncrasies than our show.

What are you most proud of about "Bling Empire"?

A lot of times when people think of "Asians," they think it's a monolithic community, but no. There are many types of Asians coming from different countries.

In our cast, I don't think we couldn't have asked for a more diverse all-Asian ensemble of Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Singaporean - and we're all based in LA. That's another reminder of the cultural diversity we have and should be celebrating.

What's it like shooting during the pandemic?

Netflix is so strict adhering to their Covid-19 guidelines in relation to production and filming. We had a little situation yesterday; it was a grey zone situation [where we thought someone working on set may have had COVID-19]. The delay was seven hours, just to make sure everything was safe. Shooting during the pandemic, we're very lucky...it keeps hundreds of people employed.

What was the biggest lesson you learned from the pandemic?

The biggest lesson is family: family first, family everything. Without family and health, none of it matters. Cars and clothes don't matter. Nothing.

During the pandemic, you decide who your real friends are. One day, we'll look back and remember how we all got through this.

My mother passed away last year, not due to COVID-19. But in January, she found out she had breast cancer. I was so stressed during lockdown, my mom didn't tell me that she had breast cancer.

Last July, I got a call from a Taiwanese hospital's Intensive Care Unit, they told me my mom had a few days to live. I immediately flew to Taiwan and was in a quarantine hotel for 15 days, then a soft quarantine for seven days and my mom held out for me. I got to spend three days with her in the hospital before she passed away.

[During] the pandemic, so many people have lost family and friends. It's a time of reevaluating what's most important. My mom's passing, it made me think what kind of mom I would want to be in my life, and what lessons I'd want to pass onto my son. How can I honor our heritage and culture?

You were previously offered a role on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Would you do it now?

I can't speak on behalf of the producers of the "Real Housewives" franchise, but I don't think I would have had the same opportunity to tell a story in the same way as "Bling Empire."

That was one of my biggest objectives: participating in the art of storytelling. That franchise doesn't have that opportunity for the cast. Aside from entertaining homes in America, I needed to do something that was far greater for generations to come.

What can you tell us about your untitled forthcoming children's book series and how will it teach lessons of inclusivity and acceptance?

The books will explore cultural diversity and the Asian American identity, in a fun way through the adventures of Baby G and friends, celebrating the uniqueness of different cultures.

It follows Baby G and who he is, through his heritage and cultural background, owning his heritage and using it to troubleshoot in his day-to-day life.

Why is telling stories from an Asian perspective so crucial?

Participating in "Bling Empire" gave me the opportunity to make a positive shift for Asian representation and my son Baby G's generation to come. With "Bling Empire," I wanted the greater opportunity to do good.

My mother would constantly remind me growing up: "To whom much is given, much is expected."

I've always had this instinct in my heart to do more with the time I have. Sometimes it comes out in my philanthropic contributions, but sometimes it's not as exciting as "Bling Empire" on Netflix. It was a risk, being in the reality TV space, but I was willing to take a gamble to push the messaging and storylines forward.

Nadja Sayej is a freelance journalist based in New York City, who writes for The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes and Vanity Fair London, and loves the art of the celebrity Q&A. She's also a red-carpet photographer who shoots for photo agencies Alamy and Backgrid, as well as publications like Interview Germany and V Magazine.