It’s no secret that Asian-Americans are underrepresented in films and television, but let’s explore exactly how bad the issue is. We only make up about 5.1% of all speaking or named characters, and half of today’s films have none of these characters at all (Annenberg). In a sample done by Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, only 1.4% of the films released in 2014 had Asian leads (The New York Times). Where are all of the roles for Asian-Americans? Many remakes are reimagined with white characters in place of previously Asian ones. In The Martian, a white actor named Mackenzie Davis will play Mindy Park, who was Korean in the novel. Meanwhile, “Absolutely Fabulous” has Janette Tough dressed as a stereotypical Asian woman (The New York Times). Emma Stone played a partly Asian woman in “Aloha”, which did not ask any Asian or partly Asian actors to audition for the role (The Hollywood Reporter). A Tibetan monk in the “Doctor Strange” comics is remade as a white Celtic mystic played by Tilda Swinton (ThinkProgress). A live-action version of “Death Note”, a prominent anime, will star a primarily white cast. So will “Ghost in the Shell”, featuring Scarlett Johansson playing a Japanese character (The New York Times). In fact, the movie only has one Japanese actor: Takeshi Kitano (ThinkProgress). Studios often make excuses for their decisions. Sometimes, they claim that they hire white actors to play Asian parts because fictional characters shouldn’t be limited by race. The labels behind Ghost in the Shell, Paramount and DreamWorks, say their movie represents more cultures than just Japanese (The New York Times). Marvel has tried a similar tactic but also adds that they did not want to interfere with the politics of whether Tibet was a part of China and thought avoiding a Tibetan character was the best option (ThinkProgress). However, these are only excuses. Marvel could have made a different substitution that did not result in a previously Asian character become white. When characters are written as white or racially ambiguous, Asian actors are rarely hired to play them. Though the casting agents insist they are only trying to hire the best actor for the part (The Hollywood Reporter), we rarely receive roles outside of the stereotypical Asian part. The people behind the making of movies seem to think that the experiences of white men are universal and in contrast, the stories of minorities are more niche (The New York Times). Another common excuse to hire white actors for Asian parts is the perceived dearth of well-known Asian-American actors. Max Landis, the screenwriter for Ghost in the Shell, told the public that he couldn’t find an Asian actress good enough to play the protagonist because he didn’t want to hire someone without a track record of parts in money-making movies. I’m not sure how he expects Asian-American actors to have a track record if no one gives them a chance. Plus, many white actors aren’t held up to the same impossible standard. Chris Hemsworth has starred in many flops, yet he is still considered a wise investment (The New York Times). Many white actors are hired for large roles without being famous first, such as Chris Pratt (The Hollywood Reporter). If it’s simply about money, a study done by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African-American Studies shows that diverse films often make more money and films featuring whitewashed characters often fail at the box office (The New York Times). The real reason most movies only feature white people is because most writers and producers are white, and the stories they create reflect their own narratives (The Hollywood Reporter). Who is portrayed in films and television matters because children often learn lessons from watching the characters on screen, and they need to be able to identify with and look up to them. They need representation. When they see their race shoved into limited roles, children can believe less in their own abilities to accomplish more (IU News). Main characters are especially important because they get to have the loudest voice in a story (The Hollywood Reporter). The best way to achieve a difference is to start from the top: having more Asian-American writers, directors, and producers. Originally written 22 March 2017
Edited for publication 28 January 2018
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