Kira Omans Talks About 'Him': Challenging the Reality You Know

“Him” (2024) is now streaming on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime. 

Tomorrow marks the close of another AAPI Heritage Month, and the conversation about Asian representation in media continues to evolve. While progress has been made, there remains a persistent need for nuanced portrayals, especially of Asian women, who are often still caught in a web of stereotypes. These tropes — from “Dragon Lady” to “China doll” — may be less ubiquitous than they once were, but they haven’t entirely disappeared.

This year, “Him” (2024), starring Kira Omans, Tess Higgins, Sydney Battle, Margaret Berkowitz, Lucie Solène Allouche, and Lisa Barnes, adds a fresh perspective to the ongoing discourse. The film follows five contestants on a reality dating show as they come to realize the true nature of their roles and collectively decide to strike back against those who seek to use them for their own gain. In a narrative that deftly blends critique with entertainment, the film examines not only the portrayal of Asian women in media but also the power dynamics that dictate which stories are told and how. It exposes the calculated manipulation of an industry infamous for distorting on-screen identities to serve hidden agendas.

For Omans, playing her character required confronting both societal narratives and personal biases. “Before delving into my character, I really didn’t have a lot of sympathy for people who went on reality TV. I thought they signed up for this, that they knew what they were getting into,” she says. “But my character, Jenna, she’s super accomplished. She’s a Stanford grad studying marine biology. She’s an avid swimmer. And so I really had to put my own judgements aside and reconcile how this woman would end up on a reality dating show.”

Through Jenna’s arc, the film highlights how societal expectations — particularly those tied to appearance and traditional gender roles — can shape women’s decisions. “The story delves into how our worth becomes intrinsically tied to our desirability and how we’re taught to aspire to marriage,” Omans continues. “I hope the audience goes on a similar journey to mine, rethinking their biases about reality TV and humanizing its participants. Viewing them as undeserving of empathy only reinforces the troubling nature of the reality TV industry. If no one cares, no one will ever push for change.”

The film doesn’t shy away from unpacking deeper issues, particularly the challenges faced by women of color. Omans notes, “We wanted to show how women, especially women of color, are treated off-camera — the exploitative contracts, microaggressions, and psychological tactics used to make them feel worthless and replaceable.” Jenna’s storyline becomes a platform to explore the difference between tokenism and true representation, revealing how surface-level diversity often masks the absence of real agency in narratives.

Photo: Renteria Photography

“Jenna is very overlooked in the narrative of the reality show she’s on,” Omans says. “She’s not framed as a real romantic prospect and faces racist microaggressions that stereotype Asian families. Her cultural background is seen as an obstacle, and there are subtle moments that demonstrate how she lacks power in her story.”

The film also confronts stereotypes of Asian femininity, a representation that Omans describes as historically polarized between passivity and hypersexuality. “Jenna is more of an everyman,” Omans explains. “She’s a mild personality amidst bolder characters, but she isn’t passive at all. She’s strong, funny, smart, and flawed.”

But the harm in a stereotype isn’t solely in depiction, it’s in isolation. When a character is reduced to that generalization, it truly becomes an issue. “The way to challenge stereotypes is to add depth and nuance,” Omans says. “Jenna isn’t immune to emulating model minority behavior at times, but she grows throughout the film, learning to challenge societal ideals and the systems that benefit from her complacency. She makes active choices, and she contains multitudes.”

With “Him,” the creative team has crafted a story that doesn’t just question how Asian women are portrayed but also critiques the systems that uphold these portrayals. It’s a reminder that representation isn’t just about being seen; it’s about who gets to tell their story, how it’s told, and the power to reclaim narratives.

Photo: Renteria Photography

Beyond its critique of representation, “Him” tackles themes like exploitation and agency, which resonate deeply with Omans’s personal experiences. “I’m a Chinese adoptee and I work in adoptee advocacy,” she shares. “International and transracial adoption is very romanticized, and mainstream narratives rarely touch on the fact that all adoption begins with loss. Adoption can be a very exploitative industry that robs adoptees of identity, removes agency, and our rights, in many cases. Film and media often feed us what is most comfortable for audiences to understand about adoption.”

Regarding how these themes have affected the larger Asian American community, Omans says, “I don’t think we need to look any further than how Jenn Tran, the first Asian Bachelorette, was treated during her season.”

The manipulative tactics of reality TV reflect a broader issue: how media shapes narratives to serve specific agendas beyond entertainment. News outlets, political campaigns, and even corporate messaging use similar techniques to guide public opinion. The result is a distortion of reality that perpetuates harmful stereotypes, fuels division, and obscures the truth. “Him” highlights the human cost of such manipulation, encouraging audiences to critically examine not only what they consume but also the motives driving its creation.

Ultimately, “Him” is a call to action — a jarring reminder that change begins with collective resistance. “I do believe that the unity of the women in ‘Him’ can be seen as a mirror for how marginalized groups can come together to dismantle the systems that attempt to hold them down,” Omans says. “We get a very comprehensive look at how each of these women are treated and manipulated in different ways that serve the desired narrative. And that absolutely extends beyond reality TV.”

As AAPI Heritage Month draws to a close, Omans hopes the film underscores the transformative power of solidarity, even in spaces designed to fracture it. “Unity doesn’t always mean we agree about every single thing. But in systems manufactured to keep us apart, unity comes from caring for one another, holding space for all experiences, especially those that challenge dominant narratives.” 

Simply put, “Him” calls on us to rewrite the story, together.

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About “Him” (2024):

The final five contestants on a reality dating show unite against a deceitful suitor and producers who manipulated them into falling in love. They revisit pivotal moments from their journeys as they struggle to come to a collective decision.

Director: Rebecca Wahls

Screenplay: Rebecca Wahls, Tess Higgins

Starring: Kira Omans, Tess Higgins, Sydney Battle, Margaret Berkowitz, Lucie Solène Allouche, Lisa Barnes

Director of Photography: Kevin Galloway