Asian Actors in Non-Traditional Roles

Jcomp said:

Hell, I cast myself as that role. I've catalogued what I believe his "sins" are above. At a time when "black" cinema happened to be making more and more movies that weren't overtly "black," just solid films that happened to have black people in them, he gave us what in my opinion is pretty close to just being evangelical blaxploitation.

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Thanks for the insights. I've heard Perry attacked, but it always seemed like the attacker was grinding their own axe and maybe not giving the guy his right to be an artist, regardless of the fact that art can be disagreeable and annoying but still ... the guy's self-expression, y'know?

Like they were attacking Perry's right to be "a successful black artist" -- How dare he! Well, he dare he because that's what he has within himself to say, and he has worked to have the ability to say it ... and THAT'S why I admire him especially, as an artist with the authority to succeed at his art (even though we can then fairly debate the quality or value or impact of his art, etc)

Anyway ... thanks for the time and insights!

I guess another question (put not just to you, but to all who might care to reply) would be:

Given his success, do we think Tyler Perry is creating the Art that is truely inside him and wants to be self-expressed?

Or did he just know a niche was there that he could fill and so he makes the movies he feels will fulfil his audiences' interests, and bring much success? But maybe isn't as enlightened or cutting-edge or controversial as he might make it? (Though he does inspire controversy, obviously!)

People rightfully protest when every black character is a crack gangsta ... I think that's eroding away and we're seeing a lot of "African American as Joe EveryMan" on TV and movies now.

Being Joe Everyman means they won't be the troubled, dramatic, LEAD CHARACTER though. Those are the supporting roles. Nothing to complain about, really.

I just think when you become the FOCUS of the story, it means they're going to heap alot of drama and conflict on you -- and it's EASY / LAZY to write it if gangsta be shootin' at you or the Man be on your back or ... well ... "be" was meant with affection, it's a purposeful affectation. I recall hearing an interview with a black actor where the white director kept harping on him because he said "is" instead of "be" and the actor says "Look, African Americans say "is" okay? Trust me, it'll be alright." like the white director was having a meltdown because his assumptions were being cross-wired.

My mind wandered, sorry. It's a tricky topic, is what I'm saying. Thanks for explaining!

maestrowork said:

What I want to see is an Asian in the lead of something that is not a Kung Fun/Martial Art movie or about some Asian country or culture. I honestly cannot think of anything.

African-Americans have come a long way, thanks to trailblazers and box office draws such as Will Smith or Danzel Washington.

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There's an Asian character on FlashForward, definitely not stereotyped, I think. Although, I've only seen two episodes. He seemed rather good.

I'd want to see a science fiction movie where most of the cast is not white.

One perfect chance for that would have been 'John Carter of Mars' (should come out 2012, filming will start January 2010) but so far all the already cast characters are white actors. Well, I think the lady playing the female lead may have some Native American blood, maybe (Lynn Collins?), but everyone else is white. And in the book the main group of human looking people of Barsoom (Mars) are a mixed race, with reddish, sort of light copper skin color and black hair, the end result of mixing the original yellow, white and black peoples during the time when the oceans started to dry, so it would have been in some ways a perfect chance to go for a racially diverse group of actors. Especially since when you do mix people of different racial origins while the coloring of the resulting mix may settle to something sort of uniform a bit earlier the different looks will keep on coming out a lot longer.

(At least that seems to be the case with my people. I'm Finnish, and judging by recent DNA studies we are of almost pure European descent, except that there is a very small percentage of East Asian genes in the mix. And mostly we look pure European, except sometimes you get an individual with some Asian features. My mother was one. Her parents, siblings and grandparents looked European, as do I, but with her cheekbones and eyes she could have passed for somebody who was half Asian. From what she told me she was called 'the Chinese' when young, and not always in a nice way - I'm nearly fifty years old, she was born 1922, at a time when my people were busy trying to prove to the rest of Europe that we were every bit as white as them in spite of speaking a language which has its origins somewhere beyond the Ural mountains...heh, in the old geography books, from the 19th century, Finns are actually often referred to as Mongols. Which seems to have been something like a national trauma during the early decades of the 20th century.)

Other, already done movie, which would have been perfect for a not mostly white cast would of course have been Starship Troopers, considering that the main character Johnny Rico in the book is a Filipino. But since the main point with the movie seems to have been something like 'lets make fun of Nazis and militarism' maybe the decision to cast a guy who looks like some sort of Aryan ideal does make some sense.

But yes, please give me a planet where most of the population is not white, or a starship where there are only a couple of token whites in the crew. Pretty please?

Sulu on the new Star Trek is still asian but his fighting experience is in fencing not martial arts. Does that count?

maestrowork said:

Can't we just have a big, dumb Asian jock who gets the hot, sexy Latino cheerleader?

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And I bet you know a guy who'd be perfect for that part....

Jcomp said:

And I bet you know a guy who'd be perfect for that part....

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I was gonna say...

Who should play the Latina cheerleader?

You know, that 'John Carter of Mars' movie - if the first one does well enough, Disney will presumably go on and film the whole trilogy (based on the first three books of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars -series) and while I suppose it's likely it will be all or mostly white actors with skin dyes, maybe there is some hope. In the second book of the series the main character starts finding remnants of the original Barsoomian races. One character belonging to the white people, Therns, has been cast (Mark Strong) but there are still the Black pirates and the Okarians (the latter have lemon colored skins and most of the men have thick beards). The Black pirates (sky pirates, they raid from flying ships) are highly decadent and use all the other people of the planet as their slaves, the Okarians are sort of rougher.

Since all these people are not supposed to be like Earth cultures, at one point there was some fan talk that it might be fun if, say, the actors for the Black pirates would be Asians, and the Okarians would be played by Black actors.

Well, as said, probably they will all be whites with skin dyes.

... Anna May Wong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_May_Wong

(Lock Thread.)
Actually, after reading the wikipedia article that has cast Anna in a new light to me, I'd have to say instead:

Carry on; sigh :-(

I want to see an Asian guy get the girl,complete with love scene and much showing of abs. The trend of portraying Asian men as totally asexual has to end. Now.


I have seen some serious hotties who would have NO problem getting women. I am quite put out as I am an equal opportunity lover of hotness. I am missing out on hot guys and this makes me cry. Yes,I am being shallow.

Asian actors/actresses can do so much more than martial arts movies. I would love to see them cast in other roles. I don't quite understand why Hollywood is so reluctant to cast POC's in movies. For example,with Native American roles,they cast white actors who may have had a Native American ancestor or two. Say what? Why not cast the role properly? This is very irritating.

As for Tyler Perry,the man is a genius. He took an underserved audience and catered to them. There is controversy concerning his movies,but I love him to bits. I see aspects of my life and growing up in his movies.

okay I know it's women but what about The Joy Luck Club? Maybe not so much for the mom roles but perhaps the daughters?

The big difference I see is between the films that come out of Asia, and the ones made in America. Being Asian is well... normal in Asia.

I rather liked the role of Agent Cho in "The Mentalist." He always just struck me as a cop--not an Asian cop.

Interesting, Ray. Is it the casting directors who refuse to think outside the box, or the lowest common denominators that they cater to?

Wouldn't it be interesting if companies that hire actors and models were held to the same anti-discrimination laws--with regard to age, appearance, sex, and race--as practically everywhere else?