Ashley Park Gets Ready for the Gold Gala in a Cut-Out Dress Adorned With Pineapples

Ashley Park is everywhere these days. She’s in the stylish Netflix sensation Emily in Paris; she appeared in the streamer’s new hit series, Beef; she’s starring in the upcoming Asian women-led comedy Joy Ride; she just joined the third season of Only Murders in the Building; and she nabbed a cameo in the movie adaptation of the Mean Girls musical, which she originally performed in on Broadway. (Still with us?) This past weekend, however, the rising superstar was spotted at the second annual Gold Gala in Los Angeles.

Hosted by Gold House, the organization that promotes Asian Pacific creators and companies across industries from media to tech, the prestigious event honors the A100 honorees—a hundred Asian Pacific changemakers and inspiring figures who made waves in the past year. The 2023 set includes Park herself, Ke Huy Quan, Sandra Oh, Iman Vellani, and many more. During the ceremony, Park and her Joy Ride co-stars (Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu) took a moment to honor the cast and creators of Joy Luck Club, as the film will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.

“It’s a beautiful reminder of all the progress and action that AAPI leaders are making in culture, but also all the work that we are making to continue on,” Park tells ELLE.com of the event. “It’s AAPI Heritage Month, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate it than at the Gold Gala. I am so grateful to Gold House for genuinely supporting AAPI voices to be loud and proud in a way that they have never been before.” Heading into the function, the actress looked forward to “reuniting with and celebrating so many of my favorite fierce Asians friends, collaborators, and role models,” including her cast mates from Joy Ride and Beef.

Park brought her fashion A-game to the occasion, wearing a daring cut-out dress by Roberto Cavalli adorned with little golden pineapples. The embellishments served a dual purpose: visually, they reminded her of bridges, reflecting the Gold Bridge theme of this year’s gala, and, on a sweeter note, pineapples are her mom’s favorite food, so the dress “felt like a fun homage to her.” Sure enough, Park even brought her parents as her dates for the night (“this is their first time coming to a gala with me!”).

She added of her party-ready black and gold look: “It’s elegant and chic with an edge, and makes me feel elevated while being super comfortable—just in case it gets fun on the dance floor!”

Joy Ride, which was co-written by Adele Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, and Theresa Hsiao, and directed by Lim, hits theaters July 7. For Park, the best part of filming was that “it was the first time I was surrounded, led by, and collaborating with Asians all the time,” she says. “It felt like such an intimate family, while being the biggest opportunity any of us had ever gotten.”

But before you watch Park in that long-awaited comedy, follow along as she gets ready for the Gold Gala, below.