yellow face/white washing.

[GeneChing]

Asian Pop is an S.F. Chronicle column by Jeff Yang. I've posted links to his stuff before.

'Avatar' an Asian thing- why isn't the cast? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/29/DDMU15ICE4.DTL&hw=avatar&sn=001&sc=1000)
Jeff Yang
Thursday, January 29, 2009

When is an Asian cartoon not an Asian cartoon? The answer to this Zen dilemma is at the heart of the latest high-octane kerfuffle clogging the Intertubes - one that's pulled into its vortex two of the most celebrated Asian American creators in comics: Gene Yang, National Book Award finalist for his graphic novel, "American Born Chinese," and Derek Kirk Kim, whose work has won comics' most prestigious laurels, the Xeric, Ignatz, Eisner and Harvey awards.

That's because the two happen to be passionate devotees of Nickelodeon's animated TV series "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The show completed its third and final season last year only to have the cable network green-light a live-action, big-screen adaptation, which was greeted with both anticipation and anxiety by the show's burgeoning fan base.

Last month, with the unveiling of the film's principal cast, the fans' worst fears were realized, prompting self-proclaimed "Avatards" - chief among them 'toon titans Yang and Kim - to launch a protest that's generated torrents of both support and criticism.

The whole controversy might be trivial if it weren't for the fact that "Avatar" is a genuine pop-culture sensation, acclaimed by critics, adored by fans and, yes, wildly profitable.

One reason Asian Americans such as Yang and Kim have been drawn into the show's orbit is that it has hit it big despite - many would say because of - its richly Asian-inspired setting. The core ideas are drawn from Hindu, Taoist and Buddhist philosophy; its character names - Aang, Katara, Toph Bei Fong - incorporate Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian phonemes; and its visual identity is modeled on traditional Asian iconography.

So when the core cast of the "Avatar" movie was revealed, hard-core fans recoiled - not because the actors are mostly unknowns, drawn from open auditions across the country, but because, well, they're white.

This is far from the first controversy regarding the casting of Asian roles with Caucasian actors. Last year saw an outcry over the "whitewashing" of "21," the film about blackjack prodigies whose real-life counterparts were a group of Asian American MIT undergrads. But for fans of "Avatar," this casting is an even greater affront, not least because the show's primary target audience is 6- to 11-year-olds - kids who may not know the specifics of its references but are undoubtedly aware of and attracted to its cultural origins.

"These are kids growing up with manga," Kim says. "They're not only comfortable with Asian concepts, they're fascinated by them. To think that they won't come to a live-action version unless it's cast with white actors - that's really a shockingly ignorant viewpoint. These kids aren't watching Jackie Chan movies and thinking, 'Yikes! I wish he were a white guy!' "

But here's where the plot begins to snarl. "Avatar" isn't meant to mirror existing Asian history, imagined future or mythological canon. It's clearly set in an original fantasy world - invented by two white Americans, Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino. Many of the voice actors for the original series are white as well. And though the actors selected for the big-screen version are white, the director who chose those actors is one of the few top-tier Asian American filmmakers in Hollywood, M. Night Shyamalan.

It's an object lesson in how hard it is to maintain claims of authenticity and cultural ownership in a world where boundaries are rapidly beginning to blur. If it's all right for white guys to come up with an "Asian" story and even voice it behind the scenes, why is it not all right for white guys (and girls) to portray that story onscreen?

But there's more to the argument against the casting of "Avatar" than a claim to racial justification. In fact, it's arguably a more powerful case than the one against "21." The creators of the series have stated that the show was designed from the ground up as an elaborate homage to the culture, ideas and artists that they revered, an "epic, Asian, martial-arts fantasy/action/adventure/comedy/drama" celebrating the likes of anime legend Hayao Miyazaki.

The movie "21" was a reimagining of real life, not a documentary, and thus free to remake truth in the pursuit of what its producers thought was commercially viable. By contrast, the "Avatar" movie is being presented as a direct translation of its source material - which by definition demands adherence to the series' internal, spiritual truth.

It's hard to imagine the "Harry Potter" films working with characters that don't visually fit the books' British boarding school sensibility. "And I don't think it would've been true to the spirit of 'Lord of the Rings' if the movie hobbits had Asian features, given the strongly Anglo-Saxon tradition of those books," Yang notes.

In short, these casting decisions ring false to the show's spirit; the very spirit that has transfixed millions of young fans and brought legions of Avatards together into a passionate community.

"What frustrates us most is that you had this amazing opportunity - you've got a nation of fans who love this quintessentially Asian story," Kim says. "This could have broken down every barrier in the business, proving you can have an all-Asian cast and score three blockbuster successes. Instead, we just get three more chances to cringe."

[GeneChing]

In my defense, I'll say it's an east coast/west coast thing.

The movie races to try and cover the entire first season (Book One: Water) adding narration to try to pick up the slack, and sacrifices the humor and character development. M. Night Shyamalan has been struggling to produce a mcgguffin on the level of Sixth Sense, but Airbender has no mcgguffin really, so there's just nothing. It really suffers from not being called Avatar. It's budget is 280 million, but it will be devoured by vampires this weekend, and I predict it will join the ranks of unfinished attempts to make a new kid franchise, the Harry Potter wannabes, like Golden Compass, City of Ember and Narnia.

On the upside, the wushu looks good. Was that Li Jing giving the foot massage? Obviously I've been doing my forms all wrong as I can't bend nothing.

NOTE: I am not a fan of the cartoon series, mostly because I've just never had the time to watch it. Also, as for all the complaints about whitewashing, Avatar has always been western for me as the elements are western: air, water, earth, fire. If it was Asian, it would be water, wood, fire, earth, metal. The fact that the fire nation all looked middle eastern, well, that's another issue entirely.

We'll have an interview up on our e-zine tomorrow.

[sanjuro_ronin]

NOTE: I am not a fan of the cartoon series, mostly because I've just never had the time to watch it. Also, as for all the complaints about whitewashing, Avatar has always been western for me as the elements are western: air, water, earth, fire. If it was Asian, it would be water, wood, fire, earth, metal. The fact that the fire nation all looked middle eastern, well, that's another issue entirely.

If I recall, the elements being 4 is an indian thing, not western.
Earth covers all the earth elements like metal and wood.

[doug maverick]

a friend of mine, made this video about the current trend of white washing thats been happening recently in hollywood. decided to post it here especially after its been announce that the character of the shredder from tmnt will be played by a white actor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIP6YeTBh8

[Lucas]

shredder wont be played by a japanese actor? thats bullsh!t

[Jimbo]

I like this guy's vids. He speaks 100% truth, but is hilarious at the same time.

[Sima Rong]

a friend of mine, made this video about the current trend of white washing thats been happening recently in hollywood. decided to post it here especially after its been announce that the character of the shredder from tmnt will be played by a white actor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIP6YeTBh8

Now Shredder, I'm shocked, after watching the cartoons as a kid. that's little different from David Carradine in Kung Fu putting on a rubber hat. Has nothing changed? Well, now on TV black people can be partners to the white cop, and there can be a funny Asian guy who also works as a police officer but who is peripheral to the main story.

Great video, by the way. I love the yellow hulk going through all the stereotypes. Classic.

[Zenshiite]

Well, I called it.... that movie is going to be a total cluster eff.

[Kymus]

Oroku Saki = white dude?

yep, makes sense.

We should also make sure that Splinter doesn't have a Japanese accent either. Dun want to offend any nihonjin by making them think that we're calling them rats..... :(

[KungFubar]

dont worry, when the minorities become the majority (and it wont be long) then you will see more non white lead roles. Its all about the $$$, its not personal.

[mawali]

a friend of mine, made this video about the current trend of white washing thats been happening recently in hollywood. decided to post it here especially after its been announce that the character of the shredder from tmnt will be played by a white actor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIP6YeTBh8

It has been happening since the birth of Hollywood so nothing new!
I am sure it ian't personal but it beez like dat. It's the money! :eek: It seems that the white guy playing the "minority" fellow always get higher rewards and benefits than the actually minority would have gotten if he acted the part.

If a real Asian was playing Charley Chan would he have been so magnificent!
If the character of Robert Downey playing the 'black soldier' in that movie (don't recall the name') would the movie have been so celebrated!

It's just business!

[Jimbo]

It has been happening since the birth of Hollywood so nothing new!
If a real Asian was playing Charley Chan would he have been so magnificent!
If the character of Robert Downey playing the 'black soldier' in that movie (don't recall the name') would the movie have been so celebrated!

It's just business!

The Robert Downey role of a few years ago isn't even in the same category. A far more accurate comparison would be Al Jolson.

So are you saying that white actors are better at playing non-whites than non-whites can play themselves? Now is not the 1920s, 30s, 40s, etc. Our knowledge, awareness and views of other people are supposed to have evolved since then, but in many ways they haven't come very far at all.

[mawali]

I am saying just the opposite. The white actor playing the minorities always seem to get the awards for the role they played and they are always lauded for their superb acting! As to why it is as it is, only the Academy Awards know and they eat it up!
I could not make this up if I tried:D

Kwai Chang Caine was the best Asian display that one could imagine, don't ya think based on the magnanimous approval from all involved. Robert Downey was said to be playing in 'blackface' but what about Kwai Chang.. and Warner Oland? Just saying:cool:

[Zenshiite]

I am saying just the opposite. The white actor playing the minorities always seem to get the awards for the role they played and they are always lauded for their superb acting! As to why it is as it is, only the Academy Awards know and they eat it up!
I could not make this up if I tried:D

Kwai Chang Caine was the best Asian display that one could imagine, don't ya think based on the magnanimous approval from all involved. Robert Downey was said to be playing in 'blackface' but what about Kwai Chang.. and Warner Oland? Just saying:cool:

You're thinking of Tropic Thunder, and that movie was poking fun at the white washing going on in Hollywood. What better way to make fun of Hollywood's racism than lampoon it by taking it further into the shady racist history than having a white actor play a white actor who is shamelessly doing a role in blackface?

[bawang]

a friend of mine, made this video about the current trend of white washing thats been happening recently in hollywood. decided to post it here especially after its been announce that the character of the shredder from tmnt will be played by a white actor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIP6YeTBh8

this was actually done right if u think about it, my chocolate brother.

-white guy is not in yellow face, even has blond hair, this is done on purpose
- avoid Asian bad guy stereotype


if u wanna see some real fuked up sh1t, remember the last airbender?

[mickey]

Greetings,

Just don't let things get to this point: (in 6 parts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUDDPkcCfQE&list=PLXlOgNKmJdutDoDAJ5j9gB17lAqxTYSr9



mickey

[Scott R. Brown]

We will know Hollywood racism is dead when they are willing to cast a REAL Cimmerian as Conan and a REAL Vulcan as Spock!

[GeneChing]

How I Met Your Mother
Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment In Slapmarra (http://www.cbs.com/shows/how_i_met_your_mother/video/LQNCvkLAn_LQxlwBFgT3Y38Y3mWDN7iQ/how-i-met-your-mother-slapsgiving-3-slappointment-in-slapmarra/)


'How I Met Your Mother' Creators Respond to Kung Fu Controversy (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-i-met-your-mother-671349)
4:11 PM PST 1/15/2014 by Michael O'Connell

Two days after an episode in which stars Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan appeared in Asian garb and spoke in stereotypical accents, the showrunners take to Twitter to apologize.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2014/01/how_i_met_your_mother_colbie_smulders.jpg
"How I Met Your Mother"

How I Met Your Mother's final season is not without its share of controversy. The CBS sitcom aired an episode on Monday night that depicted Jason Segel's character, Marshall, traveling to China (and Cleveland) to meet with three characters out of a kung fu movie -- who happened to be played by Caucasian co-stars Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan.

The trio's outfits, accents and makeup -- the term "yellowface" has been used -- prompted suggestions of racist overtones and drew the ire of many a viewer on Twitter. Co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas responded on Wednesday afternoon, even adopting the controversy's chosen hashtag: #HowIMetYourRacism.

"Hey guys, sorry this took so long. [Craig Thomas] and I want to say a few words about ‪#HowIMetYourRacism‬," Bays wrote from his account. "With Monday's episode, we set out to make a silly and unabashedly immature homage to Kung Fu movies, a genre we’ve always loved. But along the way we offended people. We're deeply sorry, and we’re grateful to everyone who spoke up to make us aware of it. We try to make a show that's universal, that anyone can watch and enjoy. We fell short of that this week, and feel terrible about it. To everyone we offended, I hope we can regain your friendship, and end this series on a note of goodwill. Thanks."

The episode, "Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra," brought the pseudo conclusion to the long-running gag of Marshall owing Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) five slaps to the face. With eight episodes remaining until the Mar. 31 series finale, one slap remains.

CBS is still streaming the episode on the show's website.
I like Neil Patrick Harris but I've never been a fan of this show.

[SimonM]

How I Met Your Mother
Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment In Slapmarra (http://www.cbs.com/shows/how_i_met_your_mother/video/LQNCvkLAn_LQxlwBFgT3Y38Y3mWDN7iQ/how-i-met-your-mother-slapsgiving-3-slappointment-in-slapmarra/)


I like Neil Patrick Harris but I've never been a fan of this show.

That wasn't QUITE a "sorry you were offended" apology. But it was a pretty much a "sorry, but aren't we awesome" apology, which is nearly as bad.

[pazman]

I've never seen the show before. Watched the episode in question. Wasn't entertained but apparently never found the "racist" part. I don't get it.:confused:

[David Jamieson]

Still not worse than the new lone ranger movie.

I mean, Geez hollywood, wtf is wrong with you?

[SimonM]

Still not worse than the new lone ranger movie.


Was anything worse than the new Lone Ranger movie? Honestly? I think the plague was probably better.

[GeneChing]

Melissa McCarthy Monologue
S39 E14 | Highlight | Post Date: 02/01/14 | 3:45
(http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/melissa-mccarthy-monologue/n45813)

[GeneChing]

Time to start a thread devoted to this topic here. I'm merging both the SNL and HIMYM threads into this one (now above) and will post similar topics here from now on as they appear.


3:00 pm
Feb 3, 2014
TV
‘SNL,’ Diversity and Punchlines (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/02/03/an-open-letter-to-saturday-night-live/)

Commentary By Jeff Yang

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-BI658_snl_E_20140203133003.jpg
A scene from last weekend’s ‘Saturday Night Live’
NBC

Dear SNL:

You’ve had better days, I know. Critics and viewers have beaten you up this season, as you’ve done your best to fill the gaping holes left by the departures of multifaceted stalwarts like Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis, and before them, breakout stars like Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg. One of the gripes they’ve had has been about who you’ve filled the holes with: People who, well, look a lot like the fine comic talent that just left. Which is to say, not obviously black, Asian American or Hispanic.

(Yes, I know Fred Armisen is a quarter Japanese and a quarter Venezuelan. And one of newbie Noel Wells’s grandparents is Mexican. But I might be one of the only people who knows that, given how they’ve been represented on the show.)

In early January, you took a step — a big step — to address your lack of diversity by bringing aboard new castmember Sasheer Zamata, the first African American woman player for nearly six seasons, and two African American female writers, too: LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones. But last Saturday was a reminder that this big step is only the first one.

That’s because, in a show being hosted by the awesome Melissa McCarthy, you turned her opening monologue into a skit about her feud with castmember Bobby Moynihan — a feud that erupted into a high-flying, wire-swinging martial arts duel between the duo. Now, let’s set aside the fact that the humorous context of their fisticuffs seems to have been anchored in the comic sight of a pair of lovably large people pirouetting through the air; they were game and graceful, and I tip my hat to the midair somersault McCarthy managed to pull off.

But it was almost as if you knew there weren’t enough yuks in just having McCarthy and Moynihan punching it out, Shaw Brothers style (and you were right). So to underscore the joke, you put a little yellow icing on the cake, bringing in a squinting, eyebrow-quirking Taran Killam in a Nehru jacket to play the fight’s narrator, complete with stilted accent and gong. (Taran Killam — Cobie Smulders’s husband. You know, the actress on CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother” who was just slammed for doing yellowface two weeks ago?)

Whoa, SNL. That wasn’t cool, and it wasn’t particularly funny, either. It looked like a desperate move to save a skit that was going nowhere. It was embarrassing. And even Killam himself seemed to look vaguely uncomfortable, as if he was saying in his head, “I’m only doing this because I’m the closest thing this show has to an actual Asian dude.”

“SNL” and NBC declined to comment.

And assuming that’s what was knocking around his subconscious, well, it’s only because that’s true. There aren’t any Asian Americans on SNL now. There’s never been an Asian American featured player on SNL ever, at least not one who could conceivably have done a less cringeworthy job of playing Killam’s “random Chinese dude” than he did. (Rob Schneider’s quarter-Filipino heritage had even less of a role in the characters he took on during his SNL run than Armisen’s quarter-Japanese heritage. Armisen did play a spit-take Japanese schoolgirl on the retired sketch “J-Pop America Fun Time Now” — the ultra-kawaii love interest of none other than…Taran Killam.)

Why does diversity even matter? Well, a good example of why was in the biggest spotlight on Earth last night. You caught the Super Bowl, right, SNL? Okay, maybe not: Competing network. But if you had, you’d have seen what happens when you put a diverse team on the field — drawing talent from the best of a range of communities. It wasn’t always like that. Until 1952, most of the teams in the NFL had never signed a black player. After that year, every team but one integrated their lineups. The lone holdout? The Washington Redskins. Surprise, surprise, right? Team owner George Preston Marshall was quoted as saying “We’ll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites. It took a threat of eviction before they finally brought on Bobby Mitchell. (It might take the same to get the team to change its defiantly objectionable name.)

NFL is a better game for its diversity. Heck, it’s the most profitable sport in the world because of it. A hundred million people in the U.S. watched the Seahawks crush the Broncos last night (so much for the Year of the Horse), and the winning team was led by African American quarterback Russell Wilson, with the final touchdown scored by proudly quarter-Filipino wide receiver Doug Baldwin; the Hawks’ airtight pass defense was coordinated by Japanese American coach Rocky Seto, and the Bowl’s halftime show was headlined by half-Filipino crooner Bruno Mars. (And I should add, it was one of the best in recent history, at least until those half-naked senior citizens dodged security and bum-rushed the stage.)

Look, I know sports isn’t the same thing as comedy. (Although the Broncos were slapstick gold last night. Rimshot!) But the principle is the same. David Henry Hwang — a longtime advocate of diversity in entertainment, whose latest play, a dramatized version of Bruce Lee’s life called “Kung Fu,” opens at the Signature Theater tomorrow — says it best: “In failing to become more diverse, SNL and the entertainment industry in general are following a bad business model, because they’re pulling their performers and audiences from an increasingly shrinking demographic,” he says. “Do you really want to risk having an audience of just old white people?”

Inclusion opens up a greater pool of talent, which means a better product on the stage. It also means more eyeballs and more dollars from a broader segment of the population — a population whose fastest-growing groups, Hispanics and Asian Americans, are also the ones that you’ve historically done the worst job of representing, SNL.

And it means that you can tackle topics and situations from a wider array of contexts without slapping bad makeup or a terrible accent on an actor who’s going to be skewered after the fact for his or her “raceface” performance. As cliché as it sounds, it really is more okay for someone to satirize their own group. (And if you’re going to mock another one, it’s always a good idea to remember the guideline to punch up rather than punch down: “When we see blackface or yellowface, it’s almost always the more powerful lampooning the less powerful, because white people overwhelmingly dominate positions of power and access in American media,” notes Hwang.)

So inclusion doesn’t just mean better talent and bigger audiences: It means you can be harder, edgier, more relevant, because you’ll be able to address events on a global and multicultural basis without shame or regret.

You play an important — maybe unique — role, SNL. It’s not just the number of people who watch you that matters; it’s your ability to turn obscure comics into comedy stars, and comedy stars into cultural icons. That outsized role brings with it greater responsibility. It takes effort to find talent that looks like America, but it’s very possible. Hey, just look at the primetime series on your own network, which launched or accelerated the careers of Asian American comic standouts like Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Danny Pudi and Ken Jeong. You can make it happen.

I’ll be rooting for you, SNL. And if it makes you feel any better, I was rooting for the Seahawks, too.

Yours,

Jeff Yang

[GeneChing]

DreamWorks: Stop Whitewashing Asian Characters! (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/683/366/733/dreamworks-dont-whitewash-japanese-films/?z00m=22503826)

http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/petition_images/petition/733/683366-1421126884-wide.jpg

author: Julie Rodriguez
target: DreamWorks Studios
signatures: 28,629

28,629
29,000

we've got 28,629 signatures, help us get to 29,000

overview | petition

Fans of the iconic 1995 animated Japanese sci-fi film Ghost in the Shell have been anticipating a live-action remake for years -- but now, instead of casting an Asian actress, Dreamworks has selected Scarlett Johansson for the lead role! The film revolves around Major Motoko Kusanagi, a member of a futuristic security force tasked with tracking a mysterious hacker.

The original film is set in Japan, and the major cast members are Japanese. So why would the American remake star a white actress? The industry is already unfriendly to Asian actors without roles in major films being changed to exclude them. One recent survey found that in 2013, Asian characters made up only 4.4% of speaking roles in top-grossing Hollywood films.

Dreamworks could be using this film to help provide opportunities for Asian-American actors in a market with few opportunities for them to shine -- please sign the petition asking them to reconsider casting Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell and select actors who are truer to the cast of the original film!
you have the power to create change.

Start sharing and watch your impact grow



I'm now really curious if the opposite has ever happened - like is there an Asian-washing where Chinese actors were cast to play Charlie Brown or something? That must exist, right?

[GeneChing]

There's been plenty of backlash for sure. Here's just a taste for posterity's sake.

I don't really know the character very well so the white vs. Asian doesn't bum me out as much as the lack of martial arts background.



Marvel Commits To White Iron Fist Despite Racist Roots (http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/marvel-commits-to-white-iron-fist-despite-racist-roots)
We could've had it all, Marvel.
BY DONNA ****ENS @MILDLYAMUSED | THURSDAY, FEB 25, 2016 5:09 PM

Here we go again. Entertainment Weekly just announced that Marvel and Netflix have found their Iron Fist. Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) has been tapped to play Danny Rand in the upcoming series Iron Fist. I enjoy Jones’ take on Loras Tyrell but I’d be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by this choice.
Disappointed, but not surprised.
Marvel has made a stab at diversified casting when it comes to black characters — including changing Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Heimdall (Idris Elba), and Baron Mordo’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) race, adding Falcon to the line-up and the introduction of Luke Cage. They’ve even made attempts to include Latino culture with Luis (Michael Peña) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). But for some reason, they keep fumbling at the one-yard line when it comes to representation of Asian cultures. We have Skye (Chloe Bennet), Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) and Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho). But there have been several opportunities for Marvel to not only cast an Asian actor in a major role but to do so in a way that begins to repair some of the racist damage caused by the source materials 1960s and 1970s Yellow Peril.
I’ve talked at length before about how casting Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in Doctor Strange was the easy way out for Marvel. Casting an Asian actor in that role would mean having to find a way write the character without crossing over into a racist stereotype. Now the same thing has been done again by casting a white actor as Iron Fist. Yes, Iron Fist has always been a white character. But looking back at both his origin and history through a modern lens, Danny Rand becomes a poster child for appropriation.
Created in 1974, Iron Fist first appeared in MARVEL PREMIERE #15. Co-creator Roy Thomas even attributed watching Bruce Lee movies as inspiration for Iron Fist’s inception. So straight out of the gate, you have a white character standing on the shoulders of a person of color. Then in his origin story, Danny Rand is the son of a wealthy American named Wendell Rand and Rand’s socialite wife, Heather Duncan. During a vacation when Danny is a child, shenanigans happened, and Danny was left orphaned in the Himalayas. The mystical K’un-Lun found and trained Danny, eventually bestowing upon him the title of the Iron Fist. Danny was 66th Iron Fist…and the first white person to claim the title. To recap: an ostensibly Asian — and alien — culture gifts a white boy with power. That’s the Mighty Whitey trope all over. Other than the standard operating procedure of defaulting stories to being about straight white men, there is no reason for Danny Rand to be white. But lots of reasons for him NOT to be.
You could dedicate whole articles to dissecting Marvel’s Asian-Land amalgamation from the mid-20th century, and the racism underlying many Asian comic book characters and settings. The source material definitely puts Marvel in a tough spot. Cast an Asian actor and risk being seen as racist…or cast a white actor and risk being seen as racist.
One would hope Marvel would err on the side of progress and find a way to simply write Asian characters that aren’t inherently racist. This was the idea behind #AsianAmericanIronFist movement on social media. Yes, Danny Rand has always been a white character, so casting Finn Jones’ isn’t whitewashing. But it IS a missed opportunity. I’ve been helping beat the drum to cast an Asian character as Iron Fist, not because the character is a martial artist, but because the character is steeped in Asian culture.
From Daredevil to Shatterstar, Marvel has a history of white martial artists. Which is fine. But imagine how much more layered Iron Fist would be had, say, Alex Wong, had been cast. He could still be the son of a wealthy American. Exploring the dissonance between a 2nd or 3rd generation Asian-American and their cultural ancestry would’ve added both a narrative angle and finally given Marvel an Asian superhero. And it’s not like Disney hasn’t dabbled in this plot structure before. Just take American Dragon: Jake Long and turn it into an adult show. Boom! Iron Fist. But no. Instead, we get another white guy.
Boring.


DONNA ****ENS
Mom. Wife. Geek. Gamer. Feminist. Writer. Sarcastic. Succinct. Donna has been writing snark for the Internet in one form or another for almost a decade. She has a lot of opinions, mostly on science-fiction, fantasy, feminism, and Sailor Moon. Follow her on Twitter (@MildlyAmused) for more of all these things.

[GeneChing]

APRIL 15, 2016 3:57pm PT by Rebecca Sun, Graeme McMillan
Why Did 'Doctor Strange' and 'Ghost in the Shell' Whitewash Their Asian Characters? (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/doc-strange-whitewashing-shell-884385)

http://cdn5.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2016/04/doctor_strange_and_ghost_in_the_shell_split.jpg
Marvel's 'Doctor Strange'; Paramount and DreamWorks' 'Ghost in the Shell' Courtesy of Film Frame; Paramount Pictures

This week in cultural appropriation: Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and a conversation between two THR writers.

This week, Marvel dropped the first teaser trailer for Doctor Strange, based on its comic series about a critically injured neurosurgeon who travels to the Himalayas to learn mystic arts from a powerful sorcerer known as the Ancient One. Two days later, Paramount and DreamWorks released the first image from Ghost in the Shell, their live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga about an anti-cyberterror task force set in mid-21st century Japan and led by cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi.

On paper, it reads like a great week for Asian representation in Hollywood — but the Ancient One and the Major are played, respectively, by Tilda Swinton and Scarlett Johansson. And so these two projects — long-awaited by many fans of their source material — instead join Gods of Egypt, Aloha and Pan as recent inductees to Hollywood's Whitewashing Hall of Shame.

Below, The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blogger Graeme McMillan and senior reporter Rebecca Sun discuss the similar circumstances greeting the films so far.

Rebecca Sun: We braced ourselves when the castings were announced, but (just like that Nina trailer) the visual evidence still stung.

In flipping both race and gender to cast Swinton as a character who in the original comics is a Tibetan-born man, Marvel admirably went out of the box to correct one aspect of underrepresentation in its cinematic universe, but did so at the expense of another. Like its fellow Marvel franchise Iron Fist, it is steeped in cultural appropriation and centers around what Graeme previously noted as the "white man finds enlightenment in Asia" trope.

Give Hollywood partial credit for continuously trying to cleverly sidestep the Fu Manchu stereotype of characters like DC's Ra's al Ghul and Marvel's The Mandarin — but why is the solution consistently to reimagine those characters with white actors (Liam Neeson in Christopher Nolan's Batman films and Guy Pearce in Iron Man 3, respectively)? The Doctor Strange movie doesn't need its Ancient One to look like Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China, but there are creative ways to interpret the character without yet again erasing an Asian person from an inherently Asian narrative.

Graeme McMillan: The casting of Strange is a very frustrating thing; it's not just the Ancient One that's racebent — Baron Mordo, a white man in the comics, is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the movie; you see him for an instant in the teaser — but it all seems to be done with little thought about the implications of the changes. While I'm happy to see a "white role" played by a black man in the movie, Ejiofor's casting reinforces the implications of Thor, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the Iron Man movies that every white hero gets a black sidekick in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (see also Zoe Saldana in Guardians of the Galaxy, but there, she's painted green, because space).

Switching the Ancient One to Tilda Swinton feels similarly well-intentioned, but thoughtless. On the one hand, yes, you're trying to sidestep the stereotype present in the source material, but in the most lazy way short of making the character a white man. Wouldn't a younger Asian actor have offered enough of a play on the trope — not to mention a play on the character's name — while also avoiding the utter tone-deafness of having Strange head to Tibet in order to learn about enlightenment from another white English person.

Sun: Too many stories, from Lawrence of Arabia to Avatar, relegate natives of a culture to background players and, at best, mentor, antagonist, love interest or sidekick. In Doctor Strange, Swinton fills the mentor role, Mads Mikkelsen is the villain and Rachel McAdams seems to be the damsel, leaving British actor Benedict Wong to play Dr. Strange's personal valet.

Of the four, he's the only one not glimpsed in the two-minute trailer, which mostly features Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Strange wandering through streets in Nepal and Hong Kong and learning magical martial arts from Swinton in a temple beautifully appointed with traditional Asian architectural features. In other words, Doctor Strange is a movie that looks very Oriental, except for the people part.

McMillan: To make matters worse — or, at least, more frustrating — there's the fact that, in the casting of Cumberbatch, Marvel managed to sidestep the possibility of offering up a nonwhite, non-male lead in one of its movies for the first time. Unlike, say, Iron Man or Captain America, there's nothing inherently gendered or racially-specific in the lead character's main concept — while it's unlikely that anyone other than a white man would be chosen to be the figurehead for the U.S. Army in WWII, or the head of a multinational arms manufacturer built up by his genius father, all that's really required of Dr. Strange is that they're a successful surgeon who suffers a terrible accident that sets them on a new path afterward. That role, literally, could have gone to anyone.

That train of thought points me toward a theory put forward by comic writer Kurt Busiek on social media recently — namely, that Dr. Strange as a character is an early example of the comic book industry whitewashing itself. The idea, as Busiek lays it out, is that artist and co-creator Steve Ditko "conceived Doc Strange as a stock 'mysterious Asian mystic' type", and later actually changed his look after writer Stan Lee wrote an origin in which he was Caucasian.

It's a weird coincidence that offers a worrying excuse to those supporting Marvel's decision to whitewash the Ancient One for the movie: It has historical precedent! Perhaps Doctor Strange, for all its positioning as a project that opens up horizons to new realities and new possibilities, has an accidental metatextual purpose of demonstrating how tied to the safer, cowardly white "norms" entertainment can be. continued next post

[GeneChing]

Sun: Which brings us to Ghost in the Shell and that first-look image of Scarlett Johansson this week. Ghost in the Shell (at least all previous iterations of it) also is set in Asia, albeit a very different one from that of Doctor Strange. There is no indication that the name of Johansson's protagonist has changed from the source material — IMDb still lists the character as "Kusanagi," although the press copy released alongside Thursday's image refers to her simply by her police rank, "the Major." That photo continues to send an ambiguous message — Johansson appears in a short black bob and darkened eyebrows, hewing closely to how Kusanagi is depicted in the comics.

Traditionally, this is a fan's greatest hope — an adaptation as faithful to the source material as possible. But in this case, Paramount/DreamWorks seem to have retained all the markers of Kusanagi's Japanese identity — her name, her basic physical appearance — except for the actual ethnicity of her portrayer. Perhaps the whitewashing controversy wouldn't have gone quite as viral had the producers cleanly erased all traces of the material's origins, as Edge of Tomorrow did in adapting the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill and anglicizing protagonist Keiji Kiriya into William Cage, played by Tom Cruise.

McMillan: The comparison to the (lack of) outrage met with Edge of Tomorrow is an interesting one, but perhaps a more appropriate one is the response to the multiple attempts to make a live-action Akira with non-Asian actors — which is to say, any of the numerous American attempts to make a live-action Akira. Both Akira and Ghost in the Shell are better-known properties than All You Need Is Kill — which started life as a prose novel, which arguably also allowed for more visual/racial deviation as a result — and so any attempt to move away from the (to fans) iconic elements of the original are likely to be met with, at the very best, apathy or dismay. Add in the implied racism of casting only Caucasian actors, and you have something that seems utterly guaranteed to upset almost everyone.

By far the strongest response I've seen to the Ghost in the Shell casting comes from indie comic writer Jon Tsuei on Twitter, where he argued that the story is "inherently a Japanese story, not a universal one" because of the context in which it was created, specifically the cultural relationship the country had with technology, and how that feeds into the characters' relationships with tech in the story.

I'm not entirely sold on that line of thinking, I admit — in part because I think that the relationship with technology has become a universal thing in the decades since the original manga was published 27 years ago — but it touches on the degree to which the story is interconnected with the culture in which it first appeared. Watching filmmakers misunderstand that to such a degree as they appear to have in casting alone doesn't really offer much hope that they'll manage to handle the themes of the story with any greater sensitivity.

Sun: The reaction to Johansson's Ghost in the Shell look reminds me of the backlash when the Nina Simone biopic starring Zoe Saldana was released last month. In both cases, the filmmakers went to some lengths to alter the appearance of their leading ladies, rather than cast actresses who more naturally matched the subjects. What makes these two examples different from the countless instances of actors transforming themselves for a role — Steve Carell in Foxcatcher, Nicole Kidman in The Hours — is that Asian women and dark-skinned black women rarely get to be the leads in Hollywood movies. So whitewashing any Asian character is unfortunate, but keeping the character Asian-ish (but not actually Asian) is salt on the wound.

Many online commenters have trumpeted Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi as the ideal live-action Kusanagi — no one has come closer than her to doing it already, as robot pilot Mako Mori in Pacific Rim. Many other actresses of Asian descent have been mentioned as well, but the harsh truth is that their combined star wattage doesn't even come close to touching Johansson's.

And therein lies the problem: A Kikuchi (who is four years older than Johansson) — or a similar Asian-American actress — couldn't have debuted as the daughter of John Ritter and Sean Connery, as Johansson did in her early films. She likely wouldn't have gotten her big break as an equestrian-loving teen in Montana opposite Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer. (She might have made a good Rebecca in Ghost World.) She couldn't have effectively played an outsider in Tokyo in Lost in Transition, which catapulted her to stardom, or a Dutch painter's muse in Girl With a Pearl Earring, or Woody Allen's muse in Match Point, Scoop or Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She couldn't have played a London magician's assistant in The Prestige or Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl. And most of all, she never, ever would have been cast as the Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So how does an Asian actor become famous enough to play an Asian character? Judging by Speed Racer (starring Emile Hirsch), Dragonball Evolution (starring Shameless' Justin Chatwin), Ghost in the Shell and the upcoming Death Note (starring Nat Wolff), Hollywood has yet to answer the question.

You'd think with the trend towards China, getting some Asian actors in the cast would be good global marketing.

[Jimbo]

Don't even get me started on this...


It's a catch-22. There are no Asian (especially Asian-American) actors in Hollywood with any real star power, because they haven't been cast as leading characters in any 'important' movies; yet they haven't been cast as leading characters in 'important movies because they're Asian. You have no chance at winning a game you aren't allowed to play.

I really wouldn't mind it if Hollywood made a totally different movie based on Ghost in the Shell, changed to 'Euro-Americanized' names, places, etc. But to give white actors/actresses the names of Japanese characters from iconic Japanese cinema while actively excluding Japanese talent is a direct insult. It's certainly neither respectful nor a tribute to the original. In fact, it's such blatant disrespect any reasonable person has to wonder why, in this day and age of almost overwhelming political correctness and "inclusion", where EACH and EVERY group, subgroup and sub-subgroup (including LGBT) is actively recruited and cast, why East Asian actors are the only group actively and blatantly marginalized/excluded. The only Asians who are ubiquitously cast and actually allowed to play 'real human' characters in Hollywood are East Indians.

As far as global marketing for China, I'll bet that in general, even Chinese audiences watching American movies probably prefer seeing "American" (read white) actors in them over any Asian-American actors.

[GeneChing]

Ghost in the Shell Publisher 'Never Imagined' a Japanese Actress in the Lead Role (http://kotaku.com/ghost-in-the-shell-publisher-never-imagined-a-japanese-1771992584?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow)
Brian Ashcraft
Today 8:00am

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--9KPIUTfb--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/sbvso9t1wwztpzalwtip.jpg
Ghost in the Shell Publisher 'Never Imagined' a Japanese Actress in the Lead Role
[Image: Paramount/Dreamworks]

While Scarlett Johansson’s casting as Japanese cyborg Motoko Kusanagi has been controversial in the West, the original Tokyo-based publisher of the Ghost in the Shell manga seems totally cool with it.

Kodansha, one of Japan’s largest publishers, first put out the manga in 1989, and as AnimeNewsNetwork reports, began reprinting the manga after Production I.G successfully pitched the project to Hollywood on its behalf.

[Full disclosure: The now-defunct Kodansha International previously published two of my books.]

“Looking at her career so far, I think Scarlett Johansson is well-cast,” Sam Yoshiba, director of the international business division at Kodansha’s headquarters in Tokyo, told The Hollywood Reporter (via AnimeNewsNetwork and RocketNews). “She has the cyberpunk feel. And we never imagined it would be a Japanese actress in the first place.”

“This is a chance for a Japanese property to be seen around the world,” said Yoshiba.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this comes after Yoshiba recently came back from the movie’s New Zealand set and said, as The Hollywood Reporter writes, “he was impressed by the respect being shown for the source material.”

Well, save for the bit about the main character being white and all.

While the manga’s publisher might have never imagined a Japanese actress, there was a recent report that stated the filmmakers ran tests to see if Johansson could look Asian through CG.

In Japan, however, many people online don’t seem too upset or even surprised about the casting. Some said they didn’t care because they had no plans to see the film anyway.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Never mind the publisher's take. They sold the rights. What about the author?

[Cataphract]

I never felt that Kusanagi's cyborg body had a defined ethnicity. Many drawings show her with blue eyes. Maybe the author himself is to blame. Or the artist.
She reminds me of those Korean girls with plastic surgery for a western appearance. It fits the movie's central theme.

[GeneChing]

The complaint grows: first Ghost (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68356-Ghost-in-the-Shell&p=1293167), then Dr. Strange (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69097-Doctor-Strange), and now Power Rangers (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69253-Power-Rangers-reboot-movie). :o


OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Why Won’t Hollywood Cast Asian Actors?
(http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/opinion/why-wont-hollywood-cast-asian-actors.html?mwrsm=Facebook&_r=0&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F)
https://cdn1.nyt.com/images/2016/04/23/opinion/23chow/23chow-articleLarge.jpg
DADU SHIN
By KEITH CHOW
APRIL 22, 2016
HERE’S an understatement: It isn’t easy being an Asian-American actor in Hollywood. Despite some progress made on the small screen — thanks, “Fresh Off the Boat”! — a majority of roles that are offered to Asian-Americans are limited to stereotypes that wouldn’t look out of place in an ’80s John Hughes comedy.

This problem is even worse when roles that originated as Asian characters end up going to white actors. Unfortunately, these casting decisions are not a relic of Hollywood’s past, like Mickey Rooney’s portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but continue right up to the present.

Last week Disney and Marvel Studios released the trailer for “Doctor Strange,” an adaptation of the Marvel comic. After exhausting every “white man finds enlightenment in the Orient” trope in less than two minutes, the trailer presents Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, a Tibetan male mystic in the comics. Though her casting was no secret, there was something unsettling about the sight of Ms. Swinton’s clean-shaven head and “mystical” Asian garments. It recalled jarring memories of David Carradine from “Kung Fu,” the 1970s television series that, coincidentally, was itself a whitewashed version of a Bruce Lee concept.

A few days later, DreamWorks and Paramount provided a glimpse of Scarlett Johansson as the cyborg Motoko Kusanagi in their adaptation of the Japanese anime classic “Ghost in the Shell.” The image coincided with reports that producers considered using digital tools to make Ms. Johansson look more Asian — basically, yellowface for the digital age.

This one-two punch of white actors playing Asian characters showed how invisible Asian-Americans continue to be in Hollywood. (Not to be left out of the whitewashing news, Lionsgate also revealed the first images of Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, another originally Asian character, in its gritty “Power Rangers” reboot.)

https://cdn1.nyt.com/images/2016/04/22/opinion/chow-ss-slide-HTTQ/chow-ss-slide-HTTQ-jumbo.jpg
Slide Show | Whitewashing, a Long History White actors playing Asian characters demonstrate how invisible Asian-Americans continue to be in Hollywood.

Why is the erasure of Asians still an acceptable practice in Hollywood? It’s not that people don’t notice: Just last year, Emma Stone played a Chinese-Hawaiian character named Allison Ng in Cameron Crowe’s critically derided “Aloha.” While that film incited similar outrage (and tepid box office interest), no national conversation about racist casting policies took place.

Obviously, Asian-Americans are not the only victims of Hollywood’s continuing penchant for whitewashing. Films like “Pan” and “The Lone Ranger” featured white actors playing Native Americans, while “Gods of Egypt” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings” continue the long tradition of Caucasians playing Egyptians.

In all these cases, the filmmakers fall back on the same tired arguments. Often, they insist that movies with minorities in lead roles are gambles. When doing press for “Exodus,” the director Ridley Scott said: “I can’t mount a film of this budget" and announce that “my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such.”

When the screenwriter Max Landis took to YouTube to explain the “Ghost in the Shell” casting, he used a similar argument. “There are no A-list female Asian celebrities right now on an international level,” he said, admonishing viewers for “not understanding how the industry works.”

Mr. Landis’s argument closely tracks a statement by the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. In a leaked email exchange with studio heads, he complained about the difficulty of adapting “Flash Boys,” Michael Lewis’s book about the Wall Street executive Bradley Katsuyama, because “there aren’t any Asian movie stars.”

Hollywood seems untroubled by these arguments. It’s not about race, they say; the only color they see is green: The reason Asian-American actors are not cast to front these films is because not any of them have a box office track record.

But they’re wrong. If minorities are box office risks, what accounts for the success of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, which presented a broadly diverse team, behind and in front of the camera? Over seven movies it has grossed nearly $4 billion worldwide. In fact, a recent study by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that films with diverse leads not only resulted in higher box office numbers but also higher returns of investment for studios and producers.

And Hollywood’s argument is circular: If Asian-Americans — and other minority actors more broadly — are not even allowed to be in a movie, how can they build the necessary box office clout in the first place? To make matters worse, instead of trying to use their lofty positions in the industry to push for change, Hollywood players like Mr. Landis and Mr. Sorkin take the easy, cynical path.

[Jimbo]

Some of the exact same stuff I said in post #13.

Anyway, I won't be watching either this or the Dr. Strange movie.

Funny how the Smiths and all the African-Americans who boycotted the oscars for being "too white" and not giving enough opportunities to "people of color" are noticeably absent on this issue. I suppose Asian-American actors aren't people of ENOUGH color. :rolleyes:

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

"Funny how the Smiths and all the African-Americans who boycotted the oscars for being "too white" and not giving enough opportunities to "people of color" are noticeably absent on this issue. I suppose Asian-American actors aren't people of ENOUGH color."

I do not think that the many "people of color" in Hollywood, regardless of national origin, have taken themselves to the point where they can actually be an influence. Getting paid seems to be the drive now days. It is most unfortunate. Bridges of mutual support should be established.

The "Asian Card" is the most powerful card to play right now simply because of the money that can be made in the Asian market. One well placed funk over representation can tank a movie's draw in the Asian market.

I found the Asian response to Dr Strange to be painfully slow on the draw. Yet, I see the momentum building.


mickey

[GeneChing]

‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Explains Casting of Tilda Swinton as Tibetan (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/world/asia/china-doctor-strange-tibet.html?_r=0)
Sinosphere
By EDWARD WONG APRIL 26, 2016

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/04/27/world/27CHINASTRANGE/27CHINASTRANGE-master768.jpg
Tilda Swinton, at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 11. Some have questioned her casting as the Ancient One in “Doctor Strange.” Credit Michael Kappeler/European Pressphoto Agency

BEIJING — The trailer for “Doctor Strange” from Marvel Studios has ignited outrage against what some people call another example of Hollywood’s racist casting. It reveals that a Tibetan character from the comic book, the Ancient One, is played by Tilda Swinton, a white British actress.

It turns out that the filmmakers wanted to avoid the Tibetan origins of the character altogether, in large part over fears of offending the Chinese government and people — and of losing access to one of the world’s most lucrative film markets, according to one insider account.

In an interview last week, C. Robert Cargill, the main screenwriter, offered that as an explanation for why the Ancient One was no longer Tibetan.

The Tibetan issue is one of the thorniest involving China and other nations. The Chinese Communist Party and its army occupied Tibet in 1951, and Chinese leaders are well aware that many non-Chinese believe that Tibet should have independence or greater autonomy.

Marvel said in a statement that there was no problem with the casting of Ms. Swinton as the Ancient One since the character was written as a Celt in the film and is not Asian at all. Some critics have said that studio executives and filmmakers must have assumed Asian actors had less drawing power than white actors.

In an interview on the pop culture show “Double Toasted,” Mr. Cargill said the decision to rid the character of its Tibetan roots was made by others working on the project, including the director, Scott Derrickson. It came down to anxieties over losing the China market, he said, if the portrayal of the Ancient One ended up stirring political sensitivities in China.

In response to an angry viewer’s question about the casting of Ms. Swinton, Mr. Cargill said: “The Ancient One was a racist stereotype who comes from a region of the world that is in a very weird political place. He originates from Tibet, so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people.”

He added that there was the risk of “the Chinese government going, ‘Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world? We’re not going to show your movie because you decided to get political.’ ”

Earlier in the interview, Mr. Cargill had acknowledged that the origin story of Dr. Strange in old Marvel comics does involve Tibet, and that his mentor was Tibetan. “He goes to a place in Tibet, the Ancient One teaches him magic, he becomes a sorcerer, then later he becomes the Sorcerer Supreme,” Mr. Cargill said.

The Chinese box office is the world’s second biggest, behind the United States, and Hollywood executives often alter films to avoid offending Chinese officials and to help their movies get shown in China. The Chinese government sets a strict limit on the number of foreign films shown in cinemas each year.

Mr. Cargill’s take on how Chinese officials and moviegoers might react to a Tibetan character was overly simplistic, though. The government and many Chinese people do not deny the existence of the cultural idea of Tibet or Tibetans. They just assert that China should rule the territory.

Mr. Cargill also said that because the original character of the Ancient One was a racist stereotype, the role would be hard to pull off with modern sensibilities. He added that if a Tibetan had been cast, it would result in the stereotypical narrative of a white hero, Dr. Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, being indoctrinated into Eastern mysticism.

From the trailer, the film appears to retain some of the origin story’s Tibetan Buddhist flavor. There are shots of temples in what seems to be the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. At one point, Mr. Cumberbatch’s hand turns Tibetan prayer wheels. Ms. Swinton’s character, though Celtic, appears to be training Dr. Strange in Nepal.

Mr. Cargill said some critics had suggested the filmmakers could have cast Michelle Yeoh as the Ancient One. Ms. Yeoh is an ethnic Chinese actress from Malaysia who is a martial arts icon and starred in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

“If you are telling me you think it’s a good idea to cast a Chinese actress as a Tibetan character, you are out of your **** fool mind,” Mr. Cargill said.

Mr. Cargill also drew a parallel, saying that the only thornier situation he could envision was if Dr. Strange’s origin story had involved him going to Palestine in the 1930s and studying under a Palestinian mentor.

The Ancient One was a character who had “fallen into a weird place,” he said. “There’s a really, really ugly piece of history that we wish there was an easy solution to, and there wasn’t one.”

Mr. Cargill said Mr. Derrickson, the director, hoped that changing the gender would help offset bad choices that had to be made.

Mr. Derrickson, he said, reasoned that “there’s no real way to win this, so let’s use this as an opportunity to cast an amazing actress in a male role.”

“And sure enough, there’s not a lot of talk about, ‘Oh man, they took away the job from a guy and gave it to a woman.’ Everybody kind of decides to pat us on the back for that and then decides to scold us for her not being Tibetan.”

Ms. Swinton, in an interview with Den of Geek, confirmed that the change to the character had been made early in the process.

“The script that I was presented with did not feature an Asian man for me to play, so that was never a question when I was being asked to do it,” she said.

A Marvel press officer issued a statement defending the casting, saying that “Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material.”

“The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic,” the company said. “We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast.”

Mr. Cargill had a more sober take in the interview on “Double Toasted.” He likened the cultural issue involving the Ancient One to the Kobayashi Maru, a famous battle simulation game in the “Star Trek” universe that Starfleet Academy cadets must play during training. The game had been programmed so that all choices would lead to a loss.

“I could tell you why every single decision that involves the Ancient One is a bad one, and just like the Kobayashi Maru, it all comes down on which way you’re willing to lose,” Mr. Cargill said.

He neglected to mention the fact that James T. Kirk, one of the main heroes of “Star Trek,” famously did beat the game with an unorthodox gambit.

Actually, this is a reasonable argument. That China market is huge and the role of a Tibetan would make it difficult.

Then again, they could have just relocated the Ancient One to Wudang or Songshan or any number of Chinese mystic mountains....:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

The disregard of the China market is getting twisted up by the ignorant. Some critics are accusing Hollywood of bowing to PRC censors, but that demonstrates a basic misunderstanding of the global film market and how films get approved in China. Censorship is a knee-jerk word here in the U.S. where it freedom of speech is a thing. But in China, that's not a thing, not at all.

Here's feedback from a Tibetan:

Hollywood’s Latest Whitewash: What Doctor Strange's Casting of Tilda Swinton Means (http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/hollywoods-latest-whitewash-what-doctor-stranges-casting-of-tilda-swinton-means)
By Gelek Badheytsang
April 27, 2016

https://vice-images.vice.com/images/content-images/2016/04/27/hollywoods-latest-whitewash-what-doctor-stranges-casting-of-tilda-swinton-means-body-image-1461780864.jpeg
Still via 'Doctor Strange'

If you're not white, chances are when you're watching a movie or a TV series, you'll catch yourself on the lookout for anyone who's not white.

It's a very minor event, this trying to find someone who looks like you onscreen, and most of us probably do it unconsciously.

That Hollywood has blind spots when it comes to race and race-based issues is not a groundbreaking revelation. Its audience, increasingly non-white and vocal, are challenging the films and their filmmakers about this gap when it comes to who is shown on-screen and who isn't.

It's in this context that we find Doctor Strange. Screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, in a fit of exasperation and indignation, responded to criticisms recently that his movie committed the age-old Hollywood tradition of whitewashing by casting Tilda Swinton in the role of the Ancient One. In the Marvel comic book lore, the Ancient One was based on a Tibetan mystical master. He guides the titular hero (portrayed onscreen by Benedict Cumberbatch) in his journey from a brilliant but ordinary surgeon, to a brilliant and powerful superhero; cloaked and ready to join the pantheon of Marvel characters, and the next instalment of the money-printing enterprise that is the Avengers series.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-U_t2pUHI

As Cargill explains it, the decision to cast Swinton was not done lightly. "The Ancient One was a racist stereotype who comes from a region of the world that is in a very weird political place," he says in a video interview posted on YouTube. "He originates from Tibet, so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he's Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that's bull****."
The one billion people that Cargill is referring to are the Chinese people. He continues:

"[You] risk the Chinese government going, 'Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world? We're not going to show your movie because you decided to get political.'"

He ends this matter by saying that anyone who proposes casting a Chinese actor in this role as a workaround is "out of [their] **** fool mind and have no idea what the **** [they're] talking about."

Cargill is referring to some comments online that suggested the movie could have cast Michelle Yeoh, who is Chinese-Malaysian, instead of Tilda Swinton.

https://vice-images.vice.com/images/content-images-crops/2016/04/27/hollywoods-latest-whitewash-what-doctor-stranges-casting-of-tilda-swinton-means-body-image-1461780456-size_1000.jpg
Tilda Swinton as "the Ancient One"—bald, but still not Tibetan.

Many Tibetans, like myself, remember the time when Kundun, a film by Martin Scorsese about the Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet to India, first came out. Scorsese and many of his colleagues were subsequently banned from entering China. That was almost 20 years ago. Disney at the time stood by its project, even in the face of harsh retribution from the Chinese government. In the intervening years, the Chinese market for Hollywood films has grown exponentially.

The demands of "one billion people" outstrip those who number far fewer than 10 million. This is basic economics.

But let me tell you how thrilling it was to see Kundun as a Tibetan. When the movie was screened in theatres in Nepal and India (where there is historically, and still remains, the largest influx of Tibetan refugees) grown men wept and old women prostrated to the image of their spiritual leader on aisles between the seats.

I was around 12 years old at the time in Nepal, and even though I was mostly preoccupied by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and WWE (WWF then), I remember vividly how big of a deal it was that this movie was coming out. Scorsese became a kind of a hero, even though I knew next to nothing at the time about one of the greatest living filmmakers.

There was that undeniable magic of cinema—when a character looms larger than life onscreen, against the backdrop of the expansive Tibetan landscape (by way of Morocco)—that swells your heart and transposes you from inside that packed auditorium to the mountains of Tibet, alongside the Dalai Lama, kicking ass, being kind, crying over the loss of loved ones, and just being human.

https://vice-images.vice.com/images/content-images-crops/2016/04/27/hollywoods-latest-whitewash-what-doctor-stranges-casting-of-tilda-swinton-means-body-image-1461780354-size_1000.jpg
Still from the movie 'Kundun' (1997) featuring: actual Tibetans as Tibetan monks

There is no amount of dollars or marketing strategy that will quite capture that sense of seeing yourself, or someone like you, projected and humanized on a giant theatre screen. We knew then that in spite of what the mighty Chinese government wanted (the elision of all things Dalai Lama and Tibetan), a short, plucky Italian-American director from the Bronx gave them the finger and realized his vision.

Cargill, it seems, has thrown up his hands. Even though he could doubtless imagine and write pages upon pages of heroic, magical feats for Doctor Strange, on the matter of casting a Tibetan actor, that well is nigh empty. Sorry, but not sorry, because dollars. At least he was honest about it.

The very fact of my existence is a sore point for the Chinese government. Cargill and his ilk would like you to believe that their hands are tied on this matter, but I don't buy it. Their influence over our (and the Chinese audience's) decision to buy tickets to their shows extends beyond just cold hard economics. There is something to be said for doing it the right way. For imagining a world (or at least an America) where, for once, the white skin is not the default, neutral canvas.

In the age of #OscarsSoWhite, Cargill's decision (and his white, male background) is political. Of the panoply of controversies to navigate and confront, he chooses a route that inconveniences him the least.

It's also a bit rich hearing Cargill speak about how he and his team had to carefully, painfully, consider not casting Asians so as to not reaffirm past stereotypes. That consideration falls flat when Hollywood keeps pumping out movies that showcase white dudes in white saviour roles (see: The Legend of Tarzan, coming to a screen near you later this summer).

For what it's worth, between a white actor and a non-Tibetan but Asian-American actor playing the role of the Ancient One, my vote (and dollars) will easily go for the latter. In an industry where it's already hard enough to find roles beyond just extras in the background, here is a character tailor-made for an Asian American actor to shine in. And it goes to Tilda Swinton.

Oh well. I continue to be on the lookout for faces like me. Somewhere in Toronto or Los Angeles, there is a Tibetan kid dreaming to be the next Denzel Washington or Tilda Swinton. I hope she gets a fair shake.

Follow Gelek Badheytsang on Twitter.

[GeneChing]

It's an American issue. America will soon need to grapple with not being #1 when it comes to movies.


Asian actors too busy to fret over Hollywood 'white-washing' (http://www.chron.com/news/article/Asian-actors-too-busy-to-fret-over-Hollywood-8333459.php)
Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press Updated 10:20 am, Thursday, June 30, 2016

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/47/73/67/10468816/3/920x920.jpg
Photo: Andrew Medichini, AP
In this Sept. 5, 2007, file photo, Japanese actress Kaori Momoi poses during the photo call for the movie "Sukiyaki Western Django" at the 64th Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy. The film world of Asia is too busy making movies of its own to fret much about the debate slamming Hollywood - the casting of white people in roles written for Asians. Momoi, who appeared in “Memoirs of a Geisha,” as well as Russian filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov’s “The Sun,” suggested acting was ultimately about individual talent, not skin color or nationality

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/47/73/67/10468814/3/1024x1024.jpg
Photo: Lionel Cironneau, AP
In this May 18, 2013 file photo, actor Vijay Varma poses for photographers during a photo call for the film "Monsoon Shootout" at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. The film world of Asia is too busy making movies of its own to fret much about the debate slamming Hollywood - the casting of white people in roles written for Asians. The Indian actor who starred in "Monsoon Shootout," a crime story with multiple endings, shown at Cannes, eloquently directed by Amit Kumar, pointed out insularity was prevalent in Bollywood as well

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/47/73/67/10468815/3/1024x1024.jpg
Photo: Thibault Camus, AP
In this May 11, 2016, file photo, actress Gong Li arrives on the red carpet for the screening of the film Cafe Society and the Opening Ceremony at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. The film world of Asia is too busy making movies of its own to fret much about the debate slamming Hollywood - the casting of white people in roles written for Asians. Li, the star of Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou’s films, such as “Raise the Red Lantern,” characterized the dilemma as a “problem of marketability.”

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/47/73/67/10468817/3/1024x1024.jpg
Photo: Yoo Hyo-lim, AP
South Korean actress Claudia Kim poses during an interview in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, June 30, 2016. The film world of Asia is too busy making movies of its own to fret much about the debate slamming Hollywood -_ the casting of white people in roles written for Asians. Kim, known in her native South Korea as Soo Hyun, noted she has been lucky to play independent Asian women in most movies, such as Dr. Helen Cho in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the 2015 movie based on Marvel comics. (Yoo Hyo-lim/Yonhap via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — The film world of Asia, known for producing Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Brillante Mendoza and other greats, is too busy making movies of its own to fret much about the debate slamming Hollywood — the casting of white people in roles written for Asians.
While hurt, irritated or dumb-founded perhaps about the so-called "white-washing" syndrome, performers here aren't expressing the level of outrage of a Margaret Cho, George Takei or other Americans, The Associated Press has found.
Many shrugged off the phenomenon as inevitable, given commercial marketability needs, noting Asian films also cast well-known actors over and over.
Casting white people in non-white roles is as painfully old as Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu in American entertainment. That kind of monolithic casting continues — recently with the tapping of Tilda Swinton as a character that was originally Tibetan in the new Marvel "Dr. Strange" movie.
It's also a sensitive topic. South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun declined to be interviewed through his representative, who noted Lee was set to be in a Hollywood film.
Kaori Momoi, who appeared in "Memoirs of a Geisha," as well as Russian filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov's "The Sun," suggested acting was ultimately about individual talent, not skin color or nationality.
Momoi praised the devotion, skill and professionalism of Scarlett Johansson, whose starring in "Ghost in the Shell," based on a Japanese manga, has stirred up an uproar as a prime example of "white-washing." Momoi played the mother of Johansson's character.
"I felt blessed to have worked with her," she said, urging actors to be selective of the directors they choose to work with. "And so what's fantastic is fantastic. What fails just fails."
Like other actors with experience in Asia, Momoi saw Hollywood more as an opportunity. She was already a superstar in Japan when she started acting in movies abroad about a decade ago. What she enjoyed was the challenging novelty of it all, "getting away from being Kaori Momoi," as she described it.
"Compared to Japan, there is so much potential and recognition in the U.S. for independent films," said Momoi in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
She got to know film people at international festivals, including Berlin, which showed "Fukushima, Mon Amour," a film she was in. She has become a director herself, having two films to her credit, including "Hee," being released later this year, in which she also gives a harrowing rendition of an aging prostitute.
Claudia Kim, known in her native South Korea as Soo Hyun, noted she has been lucky to play independent Asian women in most movies, such as Dr. Helen Cho in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," the 2015 movie based on Marvel comics.
But she was baffled when she learned a white actress was picked for the Asian role in a Hollywood movie she had auditioned for. She declined to identify that film.
"It is definitely not a pleasant experience," she told the AP, calling the choice "ridiculous."
Vijay Varma, an India actor who starred in "Monsoon Shootout," a crime story with multiple endings that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, pointed out insularity was prevalent in Bollywood as well.
Families dominate the business, although he was an exception and came from a family unrelated to movies. Bollywood counts on mass appeal, casting the "familiar," just like Hollywood, he added.
When an effort that defies boundaries turns out to be a great movie, like "Life of Pi," which starred an Indian actor, combined live action with computer graphics, and had a Taiwan-born director Ang Lee, "it feels really good," Varma said.
While some Japanese may wonder why Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is the heroine in "Memoirs of a Geisha," they also feel no qualms routinely casting Japanese to play Chinese and other non-Japanese Asian roles, feigning embarrassingly phony accents and mannerisms.
Landing roles in Asian movies is relatively off-limits for Americans, usually relegated to blatantly "foreign" roles. Koji Fukada's "Sayonara" starred Bryerly Long, an American, as a dying woman in Japan, but the film also starred a humanoid robot as her loyal companion.
Gong Li, the star of Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou's films, such as "Raise the Red Lantern," characterized the dilemma as a "problem of marketability."
"Asian culture has not meshed well with U.S. film culture. It's not integrated. There are a lot of American A-listers who are making movies in China right now, who have not done well. So it's the same whether you cast a famous actor or not not-so famous one. Chinese people don't know who they are," she said as she walked the red carpet recently at Cannes.
Examples abound. "Hollywood Adventures" had an American setting and Chinese stars but was doomed by the stiff translation of English dialogue. Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen made the action fantasy "Outcast" for the Chinese market, where it flopped. Jackie Chan's "Dragon Blade," co-starring Adrien Brody and John Cusack, was a hit in China, but its U.S. showing failed to replicate the martial arts superstar's past Hollywood successes.
Matt Damon and director Zhang Yimou are hoping for a better reception in their upcoming science-fiction thriller "The Great Wall."
And many performers in both places hope for a more multicultural future.
Respecting diversity in casting could lead not only to better films but also a better world, said Monisha Shiva, an Indian-American actress who has worked in both India and the U.S., and found the former to be more empowering.
"I was the center. I was the story," she said in a telephone interview from New York.
"The magic of acting is to give people visions and imagination, and imagine a different world. You want that. It's important to use actors of color," said Shiva. "Art is to start to make new visions. And it's a way to heal."
___
Associated Press writers Angela Chen in Hong Kong and Youkyung Lee in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
___
Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/yuri-kageyama

[Jimbo]

Honestly, I don't see why Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, etc. actors/actresses based in their native countries would even be asked what they might think of Hollywood whitewashing. A high percentage of Asians in Asia period wouldn't even comprehend the concept of whitewashing. I've always said that it's an Asian-American issue, not an Asian issue. I give far more credibility to what George Takei, B.D. Wong, Margaret Cho and others have had to say on the matter than I would Kaori Momoi, Gong Li, et al. There are many talented Asian-American actors out there. Why have several of them relocated to work as actors in the countries of their ancestry, even if some of them couldn't even speak the language?

And for anyone who says that white (or black) people couldn't become big stars in Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, etc., that is a weak argument. None of those countries are as diverse and multi-cultural as the U.S., which likes to tout that fact, but does not reflect it onscreen.

[GeneChing]

While I respect Constance Wu, I think she jumped the shark on this one. Who knows if Damon will be the great white hope? Take Netflix's Marco Polo (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62877-Marco-Polo-Netflix-Original-Series), the ultimate historical whitewashing (especially if you've actually read Travels) but I wouldn't call that project whitewashing. If anything, Polo's character is downplayed. He's second stage to the Asian leads.


Matt Damon Movie Slammed For 'Whitewashing' (http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/movie-news/matt-damon-movie-slammed-whitewashing-970593.html)
31 July 2016
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/partners/bang/land/500/m/matt-damon-at-the-martian-premiere-ee1e598d32ec3f5326d0abb8d.jpg.pagespeed.ce.kMde2Wj Eud.jpg
Matt Damon

Matt Damon has been slammed for his new movie 'The Great Wall'.

Damon plays a soldier in ancient China, who helps to battle against an ancient monster, in the English-language film directed by Zhang Yimou, and the movie has been accused of "whitewashing".

Taiwanese-American actress Constance Wu took to Twitter to insist, "We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world.

"Can we all at least agree that hero-bias & "but it's really hard to finance" are no longer excuses for racism? TRY (sic)."

And 'Fresh Off The Boat' star Constance posted a lengthy statement, which read: "On The Great Wall. Our heroes don't look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time. We don't need salvation. We like our color and our culture and our strengths and our own stories.

"Money is the lamest excuse in the history of being human. So is blaming the Chinese investors. (POC's choices can be based on unconscious bias too) Remember it's not about blaming individuals, which will only lead to soothing their lame "b-but I had good intentions! but...money!" microaggressive excuses (sic)."

She also hit out at "implied racism", explaining: "It's about pointing out the repeatedly implied racist notion that white people are superior to POC and that POC need salvation from our own color via white strength. When you consistently make movies like this, you ARE saying that. YOU ARE. Yes, YOU ARE. YES YOU ARE. Yes, dude, you f**king ARE. Whether you intend to or not. We don't need salvation. We like our color and our culture and our own strengths and our own stories. (If we don't, we should) We don't need you to save us from anything. And we're rrrreally starting to get sick of you telling us, explicitly or implicitly, that we do.

"Think only a huge movie star can sell a movie? That that has NEVER been a total guarantee. Why not TRY to be better? If white actors are forgiven for having a box office failure once in a while, why can't a POC sometimes have one? And how COOL would it be if you were the movie that took the "risk" to make a POC as your hero, and you sold the s**t out of it?! (sic)."

'The Great Wall' is set for release in China in February, 2017, and in the US two months later.

[GeneChing]

The Great Wall director addresses Matt Damon whitewashing controversy — exclusive (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/04/great-wall-director-addresses-whitewashing-controversy-matt-damon)
The movie 'is the opposite of what is being suggested,' Zhang Yimou tells EW
BY JOE MCGOVERN • @JMCGVRN

http://www.ew.com/sites/default/files/styles/tout_image_612x380/public/i/2016/08/04/zhang-yimou.jpg?itok=GIV3GJW2
(Chris Weeks/Getty Images)
The Great Wall
Posted August 4 2016 — 12:50 PM EDT

On July 28, acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers) released the first photos and trailer of his — and his country’s — most expensive movie ever. Many audiences were surprised to see that The Great Wall was not about the construction of China’s 5,500-mile long Wonder of the World, but instead a full-fledged monster movie.

But many more were surprised and disappointed that the film, set about 1,000 years ago, starred white American actor Matt Damon. In a lengthy tweet posted one day after the trailer debut, Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu criticized the project for “perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world” and wrote, “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon.”

In a statement provided exclusively to EW, Zhang addresses the controversy, explaining that Damon’s character serves an important plot point, and defends his film against charges of racism. Read his full statement below.


In many ways The Great Wall is the opposite of what is being suggested. For the first time, a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled, is being made at tent pole scale for a world audience. I believe that is a trend that should be embraced by our industry. Our film is not about the construction of the Great Wall. Matt Damon is not playing a role that was originally conceived for a Chinese actor. The arrival of his character in our story is an important plot point. There are five major heroes in our story and he is one of them — the other four are all Chinese. The collective struggle and sacrifice of these heroes are the emotional heart of our film. As the director of over 20 Chinese language films and the Beijing Olympics, I have not and will not cast a film in a way that was untrue to my artistic vision. I hope when everyone sees the film and is armed with the facts they will agree.

As I suspected....

[GeneChing]

Tilda Swinton responds to Doctor Strange casting controversy (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/12/doctor-strange-tilda-swinton)
BY CLARK COLLIS • @CLARKCOLLIS

http://www.ew.com/sites/default/files/styles/tout_image_612x380/public/i/2016/08/10/tilda-swinton_0.jpg?itok=dYyeLJrV
(Marvel)
Doctor Strange
Posted August 12 2016 — 2:00 PM EDT

Tilda Swinton has responded to the controversy which erupted over her casting as the magic powers-possessing The Ancient One in Marvel’s new superhero movie Doctor Strange. In the Marvel comics, the character, who is responsible for mentoring the titular ex-surgeon in the mystic arts, is traditionally depicted as Asian. Swinton’s playing of the Ancient One became a major news story following the release of the movie’s first trailer last April, with Marvel accused of “whitewashing” the character.

“Anybody calling for more accurate representation of the diverse world we live in has got me standing right beside them,” says Swinton. “I think when people see this film, they’re going to see that it comes from a very diverse place, in all sorts of ways. Maybe this misunderstanding around this film has been an opportunity for that voice to be heard, and I’m not against that at all. But I do think that when people see the film, they’ll see that it’s not necessarily a target for that voice.”

Swinton previously addressed the controversy earlier this year, saying that she “wasn’t asked to play an Asian character, you can be very well assured of that.” Marvel issued a statement at that time, saying that the Ancient One “is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic.”

Director Scott Derrickson also responded to the uproar on Twitter, writing, “Raw anger/hurt from Asian-Americans over Hollywood whitewashing, stereotyping & erasure of Asians in cinema. I am listening and learning.”

Doctor Strange, also starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong, opens in theaters on Nov. 4. You can see the film’s most recent trailer below (http://bcove.me/d7vcb1gi).





Well all I know is Gere and Pitt should not go to China. Haaaa. Good one, boxerbilly.

[GeneChing]

While I respect Constance Wu, I think she cried 'wolf' on this one. She jumped on a bandwagon, a bandwagon that I'm firmly riding, but fingered the wrong film. She wasn't looking at the whole picture, as we have been with this particular film, since 2012. She should really join our forum here. We'll allow her, even if she isn't a martial artist. ;)


‘The Great Wall’: Why The Matt Damon Whitewashing Is No Big Deal In China (http://www.indiewire.com/2016/08/the-great-wall-matt-damon-whitewashing-china-1201721259/)
Contrasting Chinese and U.S. reactions to Matt Damon's casting in "The Great Wall" underscore the difficulties co-productions have appealing to audiences in both countries.

Aaron Fox-Lerner
Aug 30, 2016 4:27 pm

http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/the-great-wall1.jpg?w=780
Matt Damon is the star of “The Great Wall.”

It seems reasonable to expect that a movie called “The Great Wall,” billed as the biggest production in China’s filmmaking history, would feature Chinese actors. Instead, when Universal and Legendary released the trailer for Zhang Yimou’s film, the first face viewers saw was that of the decidedly white Matt Damon, fighting monsters atop the Middle Kingdom’s most famous monument.

In America, it was a call to arms in the battle against whitewashing, that curious tendency to insert Caucasian faces where history tells us there were none. “We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world,” wrote comedian and “Fresh Off the Boat” star Constance Wu in a lengthy, impassioned statement posted to Twitter. “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon.”

China had another take. There, the prevailing sentiment over the trespass on their national identity might best be described as a Whatevs.

On Weibo, essentially China’s Twitter (the social media service is banned there), searches relating to “The Great Wall” and whitewashing in Chinese turn up only a few dozen responses at most. Many posts are simply articles explaining the American controversy for Chinese readers. Even of those, most are focused on director Zhang Yimou’s defense of the film, rather than Wu’s criticism of it.

Why the collective shrug? “In China, Chinese are the majority,” said Sally Ye, a Chinese-American producer who has worked in China for more than a decade. “They don’t have this feeling of representation which people of minority backgrounds would feel in the United States.”

Added Wang Xiaoyi, film editor for the Chinese-language Time Out Beijing, “So out of five heroes, there’s one who’s not Chinese.”

However, while the US perceives the film is about Matt Damon saving China, people in China think he’s just one character out of many. Early marketing in the two countries has been markedly different.

In the US, Damon’s face occupies most of the poster, with the titular wall merely a detail over his shoulder. The film’s synopsis on the official website also puts the American actor front and center: “Matt Damon leads humanity’s greatest fight for survival in ‘The Great Wall’ from Legendary and Universal Pictures.”

By contrast, China is much more interested in the screen debut of Chinese boy-band idol Wang Junkai, who appears alongside fellow boy-band-member-turned-actor Luhan and popular star Andy Lau. The Chinese trailer mixes in images of local actors early on, and a teaser poster from Zhang Yimou’s Weibo account also positions Damon in equal proportion to his co-stars.

“It’s just like how the new ‘Independence Day’ used Angelababy,” said Wang, referring to a popular Chinese star whose bit-part casting in the latest “Independence Day” movie was a clear play for the Chinese market. “Zhang Yimou chose Matt Damon because he didn’t want the movie’s audience to be limited to China.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHLOEuUmd5M

The Damon comparison is a bit generous; Hollywood films ranging from “Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation” to “Iron Man 3” pander to China by creating marginal roles for Chinese stars (a move that’s inspired mockery both in the US and China). However, co-productions allow foreign companies to dodge barriers that prevent them from participating in the world’s second-largest moviegoing market. China has a 34-film quota on foreign productions, and also allows foreign studios to claim only 25% of a movie’s box office. If a movie has some Chinese participation, companies can circumvent these limits.

One of the few domestic hits in China this summer has been “Skiptrace,” an English-language action-comedy directed by action journeyman Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2,” “Deep Blue Sea”) starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville. In the U.S., the film went to DirectTV July 28, with a theatrical run via Saban Films September 2; in China, it’s already has made over 800 million RMB (about 120 million dollars). Other co-productions have been even more explicitly aimed at Chinese audiences: 2015’s “Hollywood Adventures” was co-written and co-produced by the Taiwan-born Justin Lin and featured Chinese stars and dialogue, but it was directed by an American, Timothy Kendall, and shot almost entirely in Los Angeles. That film was also a success in China while remaining largely unknown outside it.

Other movies have gone “The Great Wall” route of shoehorning foreign stars into ancient Chinese settings. “Dragon Blade,” a 2015 epic about warring Roman factions in Han Dynasty-era China, featured John Cusack phoning it in, Adrian Brody hamming it up, and Jackie Chan sporting dreadlocks. It proved a box-office smash in China, while going practically unnoticed in the US. The critically maligned “Outcast” (2014) also sent stars Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen into historical China, this time as disillusioned medieval Crusaders.

Even for purely Chinese productions, foreign roles ranging from token to central have become commonplace. “When I first came to China, the people making movie and TV shows didn’t know any foreigners in real life,” Jonathan Kos-Read, a Chinese-speaking white actor who was born in Southern California but makes his living in films like “Mojin — The Lost Legend” and “IP Man 3” — productions targeted to the Chinese audience. “But now because there’s so many foreigners, most of the writers know a real foreigner … And the practical, artistic upshot of that is that they write better, more sophisticated foreign characters who are people before they’re foreigners.”

The trajectory of Kos-Read – who described himself to me as a “minority actor” – from stock clichés to more complex characters would be the envy of many Asian-American performers who find themselves faced with frustratingly stereotypical roles. While “The Great Wall” has been a flashpoint in America over the lack of Asian representation, for the Chinese film industry the main issue has been whether the movie will show growing internationalization can lead to success outside of China.

“The fact that you’re writing an article about ‘Great Wall’ is kind of a genuine change,” Kos-Read said. “If it works, that’s going to be great. It means a lot more of that is going to happen, and as an actor, it’ll mean a lot more work.”

Still, even with an American star and a Western writing team (among them Max Brooks, Tony Gilroy, and Marshall Herskovitz), Ye believes “The Great Wall” is aimed mainly at China, with the US as a secondary bonus. “I think they took China as priority,” she said, “but they don’t want to not have the US distribution, because it’s a huge, big-budget film.”

Censorship may be another reason why “The Great Wall” is not controversial in China; as a state-approved production, the government’s involvement might be enough to presume national respect. “I think that media in China, at least the ones who are going to drive word of mouth for ‘The Great Wall,’ will want ‘Great Wall’ to be a success,” said one Asian-American working for a large Chinese film company who wished to remain anonymous. “Right now SARFT [the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television] is more invested in showing that Chinese filmmakers can make a movie of Western standards than they are in undermining the kind of ideological fiber inside the movie itself.”

“The Great Wall” is clearly aimed at a level of international success beyond any prior Chinese film or co-production — and with it, a previously unknown level of scrutiny. As the anonymous film worker put it, even without its whitewashing controversy, “The Great Wall” is “a glaring example of how much people are willing to spend to make the co-production prove its viability.” The U.S. controversy over the movie’s casting shows just how hard that viability may be to achieve.

[GeneChing]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/21_(2008_film).jpg

Alas, at least Jason is a fictional character; which can’t be said for 21, another movie with ramifications in the Asian American community. Based on Ben Mezrich’s 2003 book Bringing Down the House, the movie follows a group of MIT students as they use their indomitable math skills to take Vegas casinos for millions. In Mezrich’s book, the students were a multicultural bunch whose leader was revealed to be an Asian American named Jeff Ma. In fact, one of the plot points in the book dealt with how the group used ethnic stereotypes as part of their cover when suckering dealers at the blackjack tables. Apparently, the studio thought a true story about Asian American MIT students would not appeal to mainstream (read: Caucasian) audiences unless the leads were white. Therefore, rather than find a hot, young Asian American actor to portray Jeff’s character, Columbia Pictures cast British Across the Universe star Jim Sturgess. In an article published in 2005, Mezrich discussed the studio’s thought process when casting the movie:


During the talk, Mezrich mentioned the stereotypical Hollywood casting process — though most of the actual blackjack team was composed of Asian males, a studio executive involved in the casting process said that most of the film’s actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female. Even as Asian actors are entering more mainstream films, such as Better Luck Tomorrow and the upcoming Memoirs of a Geisha, these stereotypes still exist, Mezrich said.

Like the casting of Forbidden Kingdom, Hollywood’s conventional wisdom is that Asians — and more specifically Asian Americans — cannot open big at the box office. This self-fulfilling prophecy, in a strange way, is reinforced by 21’s actual success at the box office (opening at #1 and so far earning over $70 million). Due to the movie’s success, star Jim Sturgess is Hollywood’s latest it-boy and is seeing his star on the rise. Even Jeff Ma, the basis for Sturgess’ character, sees nothing inherently wrong with his story being trans-racialized for the movies. In an interview with AICN, Ma revealed:


For me it wasn’t a big deal, because for about three years people had been asking me who I wanted to play me in a movie and I never was saying like “John Cho” or “Chow Yun-Fat” or “Jackie Chan…” I really wasn’t and I mean if I asked you who you would want to play you in a movie, you wouldn’t be thinking “I want the most similar person,” but you would be thinking ”Who’s cool?” or who do you think would personify your personality or who is a good actor or who is talented, so as much as I think people like to look at it at face value like that, the reality is if you ask anyone who they wanted to play you, it wouldn’t necessarily be “Who’s the most ethnically tied to me?”

It’s telling that Ma, as many Hollywood execs are wont to do, conflates Asian actors (Chow and Chan) with an Asian American actor (Cho). Since 21 is designed to be a star-making vehicle for its leads, it makes sense that Columbia would want a “cool” actor for the role. The assumption, though, is that there isn’t any “cool” Asian American actor (other than John Cho, of course) capable of playing Jeff on screen. Never mind actors such as Masi Oka, Parry Shen, Dante Basco, Roger Fan, Sung Kang, Ken Leung, or James Kyson Lee, just to name a few. Not to mention the thousands of up and coming actors of Asian descent who are still waiting for that big break. (It must be said, though, that 21 features two Asian Americans — Aaron Yoo and Lisa Lapira — in the cast. However, their parts are minor at best, and according to EW.com’s Youyoung Lee, “buffoonish” at worst.) If any of the above mentioned actors had been cast as the lead in 21, it’d be safe to say that the myth of Asian Americans being unable to open a movie would be officially rendered moot; which brings me to Harold & Kumar.

https://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Harold_and_Kumar_2_poster.jpg

The 2004 stoner flick, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, was a modest success in theaters. Grossing over $23 million worldwide, more than doubling its production budget, White Castle went on to make millions more on DVD, in the process, becoming an instant cult hit and ultimately leading to the buzzed-about sequel that’s set to open on April 25. The revolutionary thing about Harold & Kumar was its ability to portray its Asian American leads as real, complex individuals — who happen to really love pot. John Cho, in an interview with Angry Asian Man, summed it up thusly:


I think there’s something, from a racial standpoint, an attitude that feels accurate… And I think it might be the fact that it addresses race as we do — as people of color do — that we’re aware of it, that we live with it, but it doesn’t consume us. And sometimes, white media thinks that we’re obsessed with it, and then Asian American films… we make films that obsess over her our race. It’s an hour and a half of people talking about what it means to be Asian.

But Harold and Kumar addresses it, then doesn’t, then addresses it, then kind of addresses it, then laughs at it… and then somebody smokes pot.

To New Line Cinema’s credit, the studio bet against Hollywood conventional wisdom and backed the movie with a significant marketing push and theater saturation. And while the stoner comedy as a genre is known for featuring people of color (see Up in Smoke and Friday), Harold & Kumar proved a major motion picture starring charismatic Asian American leads could be successful. Thanks in large part to the film’s success, which by all accounts entered the pop cultural zeitgeist on a speeding cheetah, Cho and co-star Kal Penn became household names able to translate their popularity into mainstream success. Since White Castle, Penn has starred on the TV hit House M.D. and Cho recently landed the coveted role of Sulu in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot.

All three of these films demonstrate in different ways where mainstream Hollywood is in regards to Asian Americans, and where it still needs to go. With Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay poised to out-gross (in more ways than one, natch) its predecessor, the hope remains that Hollywood’s ill-conceived perception about Asian Americans will change. Though I’m not holding my breath.

Heck, I hope this gives our monk robe sales a boost (http://www.martialartsmart.com/45-001.html).

[GeneChing]

I forgot this was here. This has been a hot button topic of late, so it has come up in several other film threads.

'Flower vases' is a great term.


Hollywood Under Pressure to Put More Chinese Actors in the Spotlight (http://www.wsj.com/articles/hollywood-under-pressure-to-put-more-chinese-actors-in-the-spotlight-1474304341)
Chinese audiences cheer homegrown performers who secure meaningful roles; cameos tend to fall flat as ‘flower vases’

http://m.wsj.net/video/20160919/091516cactors/091516cactors_960x540.jpg
Using Chinese actors in films is Hollywood’s plan to appeal to audiences in China; however, it doesn't always have the expected results. Chinese moviegoers have a derogatory term to describe actresses who serve as little more than props in Western films: “flower vases.”
By ERICH SCHWARTZEL
Sept. 19, 2016 12:59 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES—Earlier this summer, the producers of a coming “Jumanji” remake put out a call to talent agencies: They wanted a Chinese actor in their movie.

Male or female? It didn’t matter. And what was the role, exactly? That wasn’t clear, either.

“They want to have a Chinese component. They don’t necessarily know what it is,” said one talent agent.

It was yet another example of a new Hollywood ritual—finding Chinese actors to cast in U.S. films to try to appeal to audiences in China, which is on track to become the world’s largest box office in the next couple of years.

The tactic has yielded mixed results.

Chinese audiences cheer homegrown actors who secure meaningful roles in Hollywood blockbusters, such as Shanghai-born actress and pop singer Angelababy did when she played a fighter pilot in “Independence Day: Resurgence” this summer. But quick cameos that come across as a ploy to win Chinese fans tend to fall flat.


‘If you’re famous in America, you’re famous all over the world. If you’re famous in China, you’re only famous in China.’
—Darren Boghosian, an agent at United Talent Agency

When Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing starred in 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” she had one line: “Time’s up.”

Beijing Daily, a state-run local newspaper, said in a 2014 article that her earlier cameo in the Chinese version of “Iron Man 3” was “quite embarrassing.” Though her part in “X-Men” was more significant, it still “triggered controversy after it is released here.”

“X-Men” studio Twentieth Century Fox declined to comment.

Chinese moviegoers even have a term to describe actresses who serve as little more than props in Western films: “flower vases.”

“That’s where people have struggled a bit—not acting like the person is product placement, like the way you would find a beer can in a movie,” said Rob Moore, vice chairman at Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures.

China is the world’s second-largest movie market, with $5 billion worth of tickets sold so far this year, according to EntGroup Inc., compared with $8.1 billion in the U.S. After years of strong growth, ticket sales in China have stalled this year, though it is still expected to overtake the U.S. in the next few years.

So far this year, nearly 57% of China’s total box-office receipts were from Chinese films. But ticket sales for the first half of 2016 show a trend that has Hollywood worried: Imported movies accounted for 46.9% of ticket sales for those six months, compared with last year’s 53.5%. More Chinese movies are driving Chinese consumers to the multiplex, ratcheting up the need for Hollywood to find new ways to get them into seats.

Tina Yu, a Beijing-based consultant, said she wouldn’t watch a film just because it featured a Chinese actor. “Most of these Chinese stars, especially actresses, simply feature in a film as a ‘flower vase’ or just as a bystander,” she said. “For me, I watch a film for its story.”

https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-PU321_CACTOR_M_20160912145705.jpg
Lions Gate Entertainment, which produced ‘Now You See Me 2,’ began having conversations about finding a role for Jay Chou, a singer popular in China, in the movie before the script was developed. PHOTO: SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT/EVERETT COLLECTION

Several forthcoming titles such as “God Particle” and the next Star Wars film, “Rogue One,” feature actors who are relatively unknown to Western audiences but command massive fan bases in China.

For the actors, securing the right role in a Hollywood film “opens the door to fame in the Western world,” said Darren Boghosian, an agent at United Talent Agency who represents Chinese stars including Angelababy and Li Bingbing, who had a small role in “Transformers: Age of Extinction” and took English classes to become more appealing to U.S. casting directors.

“If you’re famous in America, you’re famous all over the world. If you’re famous in China, you’re only famous in China,” said Mr. Boghosian. UTA and other major Hollywood talent agencies have built China divisions to represent local talent.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., which produced “Now You See Me 2,” began having conversations about finding a role for Jay Chou, a singer popular in China, in the movie before the script was developed. Qiu Jie, chief executive of Beijing-based Leomus Pictures International, released the movie in mainland China and suggested Mr. Chou to the studio.

“We emphasized that the added Chinese actor in this film should be meaningful and proper,” said Mr. Qiu. “We understand that a Chinese character will not be a lead role in the film. But if you can at least do that, the local audiences will not criticize it.”

The original “Now You See Me” grossed $23 million in China when it was released in 2013; the sequel collected $97 million, making it Lions Gate’s highest-grossing movie in the market.

Executives say the roles must naturally fit into the plot or else audiences in every country become disillusioned. Angelababy fends off aliens as part of a global-fighter brigade in “Independence Day.” Mr. Chou’s character in “Now You See Me 2” runs a magic shop that the main characters visit in Macau.

“If you can work it into the story line organically, it makes the movie bigger and more global,” said Lora Kennedy, executive vice president of casting at Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros., which is releasing “Kong: Skull Island” with Chinese actress Jing Tian next year.

Chinese stars also can help Hollywood navigate China’s restrictive regulations.

U.S. studios face restrictions in how they can market their movies in China that scale back the frequency of traditional methods such as billboards and television commercials. One tactic taking hold: Hiring Chinese pop stars with large social-media followings to record theme songs to the movies that play on local radio and serve as de facto advertisements.

“It gives you another way in,” said Mr. Moore at Paramount, which released “Transformers.”

The theme song for “Now You See Me 2,” sung by the film’s Mr. Chou, had a chorus that called out the film: “Now you see me ‘cause I let it be / Wanna find the key you gotta follow my beat.”

—Lilian Lin in Beijing contributed to this article.

Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com

[GeneChing]

Always the Sidekick (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/09/always-the-sidekick/497636/)
East Asian actors are still stuck in supporting roles in big-budget action movies, even as Hollywood tries to court the Chinese box office.

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/mt/2016/08/katana/lead_960.jpg?1472220063
Karen Fukuhara as Katana in 'Suicide Squad'Warner Bros.

LILIAN MIN SEP 8, 2016 CULTURE

Ahead of the release of the DC Comics film Suicide Squad, potential viewers were bombarded with ads featuring comic-book names both familiar (Harley Quinn, the Joker) and unfamiliar (El Diablo, Enchantress). Falling into the latter category was the superheroine Katana, played by the newcomer Karen Fukuhara. Dressed in a Rising Sun mask and wielding her namesake weapon, she appeared in promos featuring images of Hokusai’s Great Wave and whooshing sword sounds. But in the film itself, Katana isn’t actually a member of the titular group: She’s the almost entirely wordless accomplice to Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, who’s in charge of keeping the villains in line. Except for a soupçon of lines delivered in terse Japanese, she’s a ripple in the background.

Others in Suicide Squad also suffered from a lack of screen time, but Katana represents the norm for Hollywood’s East Asian characters, who are almost exclusively sidekicks or underwritten rivals. The action genre, and especially franchises, is rife with examples. In the last 5 years, there’s been Elektra (Élodie Yung) in Netflix’s series Daredevil; Kato (Jay Chou) in The Green Hornet; several characters in the X-Men films; Sulu (John Cho) in the newest Star Trek movie; Dr. Helen Cho (Claudia Kim) in The Avengers: Age of Ultron; Mercy Graves (Tao Okamoto) in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; Su Yueming (Bingbing Li) in Transformers: Age of Extinction; and many others.

Having performers of Asian descent play Asian characters in blockbuster films is certainly an improvement over straight-out whitewashing—where Caucasian performers play historically nonwhite parts. (Though instances are still rife in Hollywood, with Tilda Swinton’s casting in November’s Doctor Strange, Emma Stone in Aloha, and Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming remake of the anime Ghost in the Shell.) Meanwhile, not a single lead or co-lead in the top 100 highest-grossing domestic films last year was Asian, according to USC’s 2016 report on representation in Hollywood. In response to criticism of whitewashing, producers, screenwriters, and directors regularly defend their choices as smart business moves meant to give their films global appeal. (This, of course, ignores the massive international box-office numbers of action franchises with diverse casts like the Fast and Furious series and Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.)

Money is, ironically, also a reason why many big-budget films are casting East Asian actors in the first place. With the Chinese box office projected to surpass North America’s by the end of 2017, more tentpole franchises are featuring Asian faces, locales, and storylines. But characters such as Katana obscure the fact that if Hollywood is so eager to expand its box-office appeal in East Asian countries, it could start with writing characters and casting actors of East Asian descent in more leading action roles.

Practically speaking, doing so should be a relatively easy feat, considering the vast pool of stories, aesthetic styles, and cinematic talent the region offers both behind and in front of the camera. That Hollywood still minimizes the Asian roles and performers that do exist—while trying to profit off their limited presence—seems to reflect the industry’s deep-seated resistance to change. As a result, casting East Asian actors as supporting characters comes off as a bid for good optics and an attempt to appease critics without actually telling diverse stories.

* * *

Action cinema should be fertile common ground for American studios, since the genre is an indelible part of the East Asian film industry, both regionally and as a cultural export. The ’70s and ’80s were the heyday of Hong Kong action films, which fueled the rise of crossover stars like Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan. More recently, actors like Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), Song Kang-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer), and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim) all rose to prominence in their home industries before moving into English-language cinema. Both Lau and Kang-ho have performed in action films that have since been remade or optioned to be remade into fully “American” productions, often with a majority white cast and crew (e.g. adapting the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs into the Boston cop drama The Departed). continued next post

[GeneChing]

China-set, Chinese-staffed films continue to rely on white faces to front and sell the project.

While American studios are indeed interested in replicating the successes of East Asian films, they’re less invested in cultural context or in giving opportunities to actors of Asian descent. Hollywood’s reboot and remake culture can pay off, such as with The Ring, The Magnificent Seven, and the aforementioned The Departed. But re-casting stories with specific cultural ties (Oldboy’s obsession with honor and revenge, Ghost in the Shell’s post-World War II technological anxieties) only to prioritize white leads is not a sure box-office bet, and can even backfire for studios. The original Oldboy made $15 million on a $3 million budget and is considered a classic action film, whereas the new Oldboy, starring Josh Brolin, made $4.9 million on a $30 million budget.

When Hollywood does include breakout stars in adaptations of East Asian storylines, the roles tend to be fairly stereotypical. The Oldboy star Choi Min-sik recently appeared in the 2014 film Lucy—as a villain. Lee Byung-hun, another Korean cinema stalwart, was in Terminator: Genysis—as a villain. Zhang Ziyi, who dazzled in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers (and also starred in Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha), was last in a Hollywood action film in 2007’s TMNT—voicing a villainous ninja. Despite being successful and even celebrated in their home countries, East Asian actors still pursue Hollywood work because it’s a broader standard of fame and visibility. Yet, instead of capitalizing on the talent and followings these actors bring to the table, these films offer them up as one-way incentives, a way to engage overseas audiences without having to concede the industry’s white icons.

If East Asian actors aren’t playing villains, then they’re often serving as sidekicks to heroic protagonists. The Last Samurai memorably positioned Tom Cruise as the eponymous warrior, with Ken Watanabe taking a supporting role. And in the acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s upcoming The Great Wall, Matt Damon is playing the only non-Chinese character in the film’s five central roles, but he was the most prominent face in the film’s promotional rollout. For Chinese filmmakers seeking to break into Hollywood, The Great Wall’s East-West formula could be a stepping stone for other collaborations. But the end result is often that China-set, Chinese-staffed films continue to rely on white faces to front and sell the project. Catherine Hardwicke’s upcoming film Loulan will be a Chinese co-production set in western China in 200 B.C. but the epic romance will be based on the true story of a “Caucasian mummy with European features” that was discovered in the region, meaning it will likely star a white actress.

Casting more mainland Asian actors does not “solve” the issue of East Asian representation, and does in fact have its own challenges—including the language barrier. But a piece in The Hollywood Reporter notes that the career trajectories of the Asian-American stars Maggie Q and Daniel Wu show that it’s possible for actors to have dual appeal: Both are American citizens who went abroad in order to break into Asian cinema markets, and then found crossover success in America, with the CW show Nikita and the Divergent film series (for Q) and AMC’s Into the Badlands (for Wu).


While sidekick (and villain) roles can be highly visible, fandoms are primarily built around heroes.

Recognizing that Hollywood regularly passes over Asian American actors in the industry for bigger roles, social-media users have taken it upon themselves to highlight promising, popular candidates. Two hashtags in particular have championed John Cho and the Fresh Off the Boat actress Constance Wu: #StarringJohnCho and #StarringConstanceWu. Centered around Photoshopping both actors into movie posters for films, especially big action franchises like the Hunger Game films and The Avengers, these movements challenge executives’ lack of imagination when it comes to who they cast.


Follow (https://twitter.com/JigmeUgen/status/737166597542973440/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Jigme @JigmeUgen
I'm replacing every EmmaStone film w/ @ConstanceWu since #StarringConstanceWu is way amazing! #whitewashedOUT #API
11:19 PM - 29 May 2016

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjrxG9hUUAAa5DZ.jpg
44 44 Retweets 59 59 likes

It’s not as though audiences overseas aren’t paying the same attention to casting that critics in the U.S. are: At a recent screening of Star Wars: Rogue One, which includes the homeland stars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen in the central cast, some Chinese viewers felt that Yen and Wen were tokenized, with their characters largely irrelevant to the central plot. You can imagine that a Japanese audience member might feel the same fatigue at seeing a wordless Katana flash her sword on screen. It’s one thing for studios to create a character of Asian descent to pander to viewers—it’s another entirely to incorporate that character into the story in a meaningful way.

While sidekick (and villain) roles can be highly visible and even rewarding, fandoms are primarily built around heroes; how these lead roles, versus bit parts, are marketed to the global audience and impact pop culture are vastly different. The issue isn’t that underrepresented communities aren’t seeking out opportunities, but that, as Viola Davis remarked in her 2015 Emmys speech, many of them are never considered for these opportunities in the first place. For East Asian and East Asian-American actors alike, holding an ensemble part offers up exposure. But until Hollywood actually decides to make them core parts of the action franchise films it so desperately seeks to sell overseas, they’ll remain on the margins—of their own stories, and the ones that are shared by the world.

Honestly, I'm happy just to be a sidekick. :o

[sanjuro_ronin]

I don't think that it is just Asians of course but yes, Hollywood has issues with being able to write non-whites into good roles.
Probably because they don't know how and think that it needs to be different somehow.

The easiest thing for Hollywood to do is ignore they are Asian and just write them as they would anyone.

I can understand if a popular actor has a language barrier and he/she becomes a supporting character but that is about it.

I think TV shows tend to do a better job, Marvel's Agents of Shield for example.

[MightyB]

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00

10037

[MightyB]

See above to see why characters are written in the way they are written.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I don't get it...

[MightyB]

I don't get it...

Hollywood is all about not taking risks that's why you see so many reboots and remakes. They write white because audience and demographic surveys have told them to write white. When US census results show you that 77% of your potential audience is white and your marketing strategy is mass appeal, then you write white.

Slightly OT, but,
Analysts have actually came up with some surprising results stating that if you were to look at racial representation on TV, African Americans are actually over-represented.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/African-Americans-Remain-Overrepresented-3250

[GeneChing]

Here's the direct link to Shannon's facebook post (gaoshou's Film Combat Syndicate article post derives from this). It's a little ironic because the family endorsed both Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46431-Dragon-The-Bruce-Lee-Story) and that CCTV Legend of Bruce Lee mini-series (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48376-The-Legend-of-Bruce-Lee), and both of those were also highly fictionalized. That part is really all about estate royalties it seems.



Bruce Lee (https://www.facebook.com/BruceLee/photos/a.184478615633.250170.184049470633/10157542903475634/?type=3&theater)
Like This Page · 22 hrs ·

https://scontent.fsnc1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/14590075_10157542903475634_3356620126995065272_o.j pg

A great number of you have written to me with your concerns about Birth of the Dragon. I share your concerns and want to make it clear that Birth of the Dragon was made without my family’s consent or involvement. I have seen the film (out of necessity alone) and, in my opinion and the opinions of many (see link), this film is a travesty on many levels. I think this film is a step backward for Asians in film not to mention that the portrayal of Bruce Lee is inaccurate and insulting. I am disappointed that such a project would be funded and produced. Shannon

Article: http://www.asamnews.com/2016/09/29/birth-of-the-dragon-biopic-enrages-bruce-lee-fans-buries-asians-in-favor-of-a-white-guy/

Image posted contains highlights from the article referenced above.

Ironic too that Quartz's coverage would run a pic with Betty Ting Pei.

WHITEWASH
A new Bruce Lee biopic portrays the martial arts legend as little more than a white guy’s sidekick (http://qz.com/803238/a-new-bruce-lee-biopic-birth-of-the-dragon-portrays-the-martial-arts-legend-as-little-more-than-a-white-guys-sidekick/)

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/bruce-lee-chinese-film-e1473146488138.jpg?w=3200
Former Hong Kong actress Betty Ting poses in front of the statue of Hong Kong martial arts movie star Bruce Lee during the statue's unveiling ceremony, on Lee's 65th birthday, in Hong Kong November 27, 2005. Lee died in Ting's home in 1973. Ting will publish a book on the story of Bruce Lee, in future.
Whitewashed. (REUTERS/Paul Yeung)

WRITTEN BY Echo Huang Yinyin
OBSESSION Glass
October 07, 2016

Fans of Bruce Lee are slamming an upcoming biopic of the martial arts legend. His daughter Shannon Lee calls the film “a travesty on many levels.”
“Birth of the Dragon,” which premiered recently at the Toronto Film Festival, tells the story of Lee’s fight against kung fu master Wong Jack Man in Oakland in 1964. It was a formative event that has received minimal attention in the mythology surrounding Lee, as Charles Russo wrote on Vice—but the film is not entirely historically accurate. Deadline calls it a “mashup of fact and fable.”
American actor Billy Magnussen, who plays Lee’s fictional friend Steve McKee, dominates the film. McKee’s character shares equal time with Lee in the trailer, and Lee doesn’t appear until 30 seconds into the trailer.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrFhIz1GLMo

Shannon Lee said the movie was made without consent from her family, and that the portrayal of her father was inaccurate and insulting.
Fans are livid. “You turned a biopic about Bruce Lee (a real Asian person) into a ridiculous story about a fictional White guy,” wrote Reddit user Killingzoo. “Hollywood social engineering trash. Again with the White man save the world trope. This movie is so cliché. Even Bruce Lee is sidelined to make way for a White guy,” wrote another commenter.
It’s the latest racial controversy in Hollywood, which has come under fire for whitewashing movies by casting white actors in non-white roles, such as Leonardo DiCaprio as Persian poet Rumi and Scarlett Johansson in a Japanese role in an anime adaptation.
While Hollywood is getting the blame, “Birth of the Dragon” was financed by a Chinese company, Kylin Pictures. And even though Lee’s importance is diminished, some fans of the Asian actors in the film—Hong Kong actor Philip Ng, who plays Bruce Lee, and Chinese actor Yu Xia who plays Wong Jack Man—have expressed admiration for them on Weibo, China’s Twitter-esque social media platform.
“This is more Bruce Lee than the real Bruce Lee,” commented Weibo user Winnie under Ng’s Weibo post. Another wrote, “Oh Yu Xia is so cool and I didn’t anticipate that Bruce Lee would look like a street gangster” (links in Chinese, registration required).

The trailer has well over a million views now, mostly due to this controversy. ;)

[GeneChing]

Here is the other side of the whitewashing wall.


Asian Films Looking to Cast More Hollywood Names (http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/more-western-actors-courted-for-asian-films-1201880670/)
Vivienne Chow

http://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/matt-damon-the-great-wall.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1
Matt Damon The Great Wall UNIVERSAL
OCTOBER 7, 2016 | 02:00AM PT

As China is eager to export its soft power to the world, more Hollywood faces have been cast in Chinese blockbusters in the hope of scoring global releases and winning the hearts of international audiences.

Despite China’s box office slowing down by 21% in the first half of 2016, the country’s film market saw a staggering rise over the past five years on its way to challenge the North America’s position as the world’s No. 1 movie market.

Chinese money is also set to reshape Hollywood through various acquisitions, such as Dalian Wanda Group’s 2012 buy of the AMC theater chain and purchase of Legendary Entertainment in January.

But there is only so much that money can buy. Chinese productions earned little recognition abroad in recent years. The only Chinese-language film that has ever won a foreign-language Oscar was 2000’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” but the Ang Lee film was billed as a Taiwanese film. The last mainland production that earned a nomination in the race was Zhang Yimou’s “Hero” in 2002.

“China wants to export its films to the world — especially the U.S. — as an achievement of its soft power, but no one wants to watch its films,” says producer and director Peter Tsi, who has helmed projects in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. “On the other hand, Hollywood is excited about getting into the China market, but the only way to achieve that is through co-production, and they must find subject matter that can resonate with the Chinese audience.”

The controversy surrounding the casting of Matt Damon as the lead in “The Great Wall” is the latest example. Helmer Zhang Yimou had to defend the decision to cast the Hollywood star in his first English-language production — also the first project emerged from Legendary Entertainment’s Legendary East and which cost $135 million — against “whitewashing” criticisms.

Tsi says in order to get Chinese productions distributed in North America and elsewhere, Hollywood faces are needed. “The only way to make it work is to arbitrarily cast a Hollywood actor or two so that U.S. distributors and exhibitors might consider screening them,” he says.

Even though it is China’s first film to reach the $500 million B.O. benchmark and the all-time highest-grossing film in the country, Stephen Chow’s fantasy blockbuster “The Mermaid,” which has a primarily Chinese cast, only had a limited release of 35 screens in the U.S. under Sony’s distribution.

Nevertheless, “The Great Wall” isn’t the first time a Western star has turned up in a Chinese movie. In fact the “Americanization” of Asian productions could be traced back to a 20-minute segment starring Raymond Burr that was edited into the original Japanese “Godzilla” (1954) before it was introduced to American audiences as “Godzilla: King of Monsters!” (1956).

Hong Kong led the trend in the early 2000s as partnerships with U.S. players began. Paul Rudd played an FBI agent in Hong Kong action blockbuster “Gen-Y Cops” (2000), which was produced by Hong Kong’s Media Asia and Regent Entertainment. The film was released in the U.S. in 2002 as “Metal Mayhem.” The 2000 action thriller “China Strike Force,” which had American company Astoria Films on board as one of the production companies alongside Asia’s Golden Harvest, starred Grammy-winning musician Coolio as a drug dealer.

Hong Kong-based Australian actor Gregory Rivers says many Western characters look arbitrary in Asian stories. “Sometimes [the story] doesn’t make sense,” says Rivers, who’s been working on Hong Kong films and TV for nearly 30 years. “Writers [in Asia] were not used to writing Western characters into their stories.”

But when it came to breaking into more and bigger markets, it became inevitable that characters of various nationalities had to be included in Chinese films. As mainland China began to cultivate its commercial cinema more than a decade ago, Donald Sutherland starred in Feng Xiaogang’s comedy “Big Shot’s Funeral” (2001), a collaboration between Columbia Pictures’ Asia arm, based in Hong Kong, and a string of Chinese companies including Huayi Bros.

More Hollywood faces appeared in Chinese productions over the past few years. Christian Bale starred in Zhang’s “The Flowers of War” in 2011. Adrien Brody was cast in Feng’s “Back to 1942” (2012), a Huayi Bros. production that got a U.S. release. Brody returned to China to join Jackie Chan and John Cusack in “Dragon Blade” (2015). Boxing legend Mike Tyson was cast as a crooked property developer in “Ip Man 3” (2015) and had fight scenes with Donnie Yen, who played the title wing chun master.

But before any conclusion can be drawn about “The Great Wall,” which will be released in China in December and in the U.S. by Universal in February, the casting of Bruce Willis in WWII epic “The Bombing” will get attention first. Jointly backed by the state-operated China Film Group and private investors, “The Bombing” has a reportedly $90 million budget. Willis is joined by Brody and an ensemble Asian cast including Korean star Song Seung-heon, Hong Kong actor-singer Nicholas Tse and mainland actor Liu Ye. It was scheduled for release on Sept. 30 in China.

“You want a movie that hits all markets at the same time and so you want to add a Korean or an American in the cast,” Rivers says. “But sometimes it doesn’t work like that.”

[sanjuro_ronin]

Hollywood is all about not taking risks that's why you see so many reboots and remakes. They write white because audience and demographic surveys have told them to write white. When US census results show you that 77% of your potential audience is white and your marketing strategy is mass appeal, then you write white.

Slightly OT, but,
Analysts have actually came up with some surprising results stating that if you were to look at racial representation on TV, African Americans are actually over-represented.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/African-Americans-Remain-Overrepresented-3250

Ah, yes, I would agree with all points.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Here's the direct link to Shannon's facebook post (gaoshou's Film Combat Syndicate article post derives from this). It's a little ironic because the family endorsed both Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and that CCTV Bruce Lee mini-series, and both of those were also highly fictionalized. That part is really all about estate royalties it seems.



Ironic too that Quartz's coverage would run a pic with Betty Ting Pei.


The trailer has well over a million views now, mostly due to this controversy. ;)

A controversial movie over a controverisal fight with controversial people.
Who would have thunk it !

Talk about much-a-do-about-nothing ( the actual fight).

[GeneChing]

#MakeMulanRight :rolleyes:


10.10.2016

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CREATORS OF DISNEY'S LIVE-ACTION FEATURE FILM 'THE LEGEND OF MULAN'
Guest Post by ConcernedForMulan

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOS_WH9d_xw/V_sXIdHuaDI/AAAAAAAAEKU/dWFzX1qhvSMmr_vgPYsXVWuLack0dRThgCLcB/s1600/mulan04.jpg

A white merchant's business brings him to the heart of a legendary Asian conflict -- he unwittingly helps save the day while winning the heart of the Asian female. Am I describing the plotline of the Netflix series Marco Polo? No. I'm describing the spec script that Disney bought for its live-action feature film, The Legend of Mulan, which is projected for release in 2018.

As an Asian American person in the industry, I am furious after reading this script. I am writing this letter anonymously so all the fans anticipating this remake will know how problematic it is in its current form. We must urge the creators of Disney's live-action Mulan to reconsider the story before the film goes into production.

The 1998 Disney animated classic focused on Mulan's transition from being a young girl failing to fit the mold of a perfect daughter and wife to a heroine whose brave acts ultimately save ancient China. Her determination allows her to rise above the gender expectations of her culture and become the one who brings "honor to us all." Hers is essentially an Asian American tale because it fused Asian characters and culture with a coming-of-age hero's journey that resonated with American audiences.

So why does the script for the live-action remake feature a white male lead?

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WouCHFTtNn4/V_saLBz1UDI/AAAAAAAAEKo/EyrDloQPwco3Dd7B25kNqt64ry7i4T8LwCLcB/s1600/thelegendofmulan_script01.jpg

The man is a 30-something European trader who initially cares only for the pleasure of women and money. The only reason why he and his entourage decide to help the Chinese Imperial Army is because he sets eyes on Mulan. That's right. Our white savior has come to the aid of Ancient China due to a classic case of Yellow Fever. In this script written by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, more than half of its pages are dedicated to this merchant who develops a mutual attraction with Mulan and fights to protect her in the ensuing battles. To top it all off, this man gets the honor of defeating the primary enemy of China, not Mulan. Way to steal a girl's thunder.

I am deeply disturbed that a remake of the beloved Disney classic rejects the cultural consciousness of its predecessor by featuring a white male lead, once again perpetuating the myth that cultural stories are not worth telling without a western lens or star. Instead of seizing the opportunity to highlight a tenacious, complex female warrior, this remake diminishes her agency. But what I find equally troubling is the fact that Disney plans to cast a 16-17 year old established Chinese actress as Mulan, and will not be casting an Asian American.

Let's set aside the clear pedophilic implications that arise when you cast a teenage girl alongside a 30-something romantic interest. That one is self-explanatory. I want to address the missed opportunity of tapping into the Asian-American actor populace who grew up watching the animated Mulan, eyes glittering to see themselves finally featured on-screen. The fact that Mulan resonated so strongly with American audiences with its all-Asian character lineup and Asian American voice actors is a testament to what this live-action film could accomplish if it would simply trust the successful 1998 form. Even though this spec script references the original "Ballad of Mulan," its cultural landscape becomes a mere backdrop to its tired Blockbuster-style romantic and fantastical storyline -- as such, Mulan's resonance as an Asian-American retelling is lost.

Let's be real. Casting a Chinese actress as Mulan is a ploy to appeal to a Chinese market, which honestly will not be as enthusiastic as our American audience to see our retelling of a tale they know best. The animated film made $120 million in the U.S. and Canada combined, and completely flopped in Chinese markets because her character was so different from what the Chinese recognized. If this live-action film tries to cater to both the Chinese and American markets without understanding the cultural implications of its creative choices, this film will fall short of both. If the film splits focus from Mulan to a white male lead and is more interested in targeting a Chinese market with its casting, it will estrange its immensely devoted American audience.

http://www.angryasianman.com/images/angry/mulan01.jpg

The Mulan we know and love from 1998 is the main reason for the huge anticipation for this film. We expect it to be a thoroughly respectful homage to that Mulan. That Mulan had intricacy and depth as she struggled between honoring her father and finding her place in the world. And most certain of all, that Mulan did not need a white man to help fight her battles and give her a kiss at the end.

If this is the rendition of Mulan that is released, Disney will face an avalanche of backlash. This remake 20 years in the making would ethically set us back 40 years. But there is still time during this pre-production phase to really rethink the way we want to represent Asians and Asian culture in our media. There is time to hear the American fans of this story explain why Mulan of 1998 resonated with them so strongly. We can encourage the script's new writers, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver of Jurassic World, to take these factors into account. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is, from both a producing and ethical standpoint, to do justice to this time-honored character.

Mulan is the heroine that we want. Not some white dude. Please do not disappoint us, Disney.

#MakeMulanRight

[GeneChing]

Lewis Tan Fought to Play Iron Fist Hero Instead of Villain (http://io9.gizmodo.com/lewis-tan-fought-to-play-iron-fist-hero-instead-of-vill-1787567445)
Beth Elderkin
Saturday 10:20am Filed to: IRON FIST

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--TNJ57ZM6--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/hkxmdqcvwuqnqb4xnbup.jpg
Credit: Lewis Tan / Instagram

Actor Lewis Tan will soon be hitting TV screens as one of the main villains in Iron Fist, but he actually fought to make the hero of the story Asian, instead of yet another bad guy.

Tan shared on Twitter that he “almost” played Danny Rand, but the role ultimately went to Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones. Instead, Tan was cast as Zhou Cheng, a servant of Ch’i-Lin who’s tasked with killing every iteration of the Iron Fist. Tan said he’s happy playing Zhou, even showing off some of his stunt choreography in an online video, but added that we need more Asian heroes in our media.


Lewis Tan (https://twitter.com/TheLewisTan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ✔ @TheLewisTan
I would have loved to of played Danny but I gave #Marvel everything I have for Zhou. I can't wait for you guys to see the show. #IronFist
10:41 PM - 7 Oct 2016 · West Hollywood, CA, United States
155 155 Retweets 279 279 likes

Tan has long been advocating for better roles for Asian actors. In an interview with His Style Diary, he talked about how Asian actors (especially Asian men) are rarely cast as lead characters—instead, getting stuck playing the computer geek or faceless ninja. He added Asian actors are pretty much required to know martial arts, because, otherwise they won’t get parts.

“The thing is, I want to be the lead, the hero, the love interest character,” Tan said. “I know kung fu, I’ve been doing martial arts for 15 years, and I love it. But I think there are these expectations. These are the roles they are comfortable with Asians doing. They aren’t comfortable in seeing you in lead roles– the ones I want.”


Lewis Tan (https://twitter.com/TheLewisTan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ✔ @TheLewisTan
There's a lot of work to be done to see more ethnic actors as the heroes in major Films/TV but the wall is coming down. We all have a voice
10:51 PM - 7 Oct 2016 · West Hollywood, CA, United States
99 99 Retweets 187 187 likes

Tan is not alone. Asian-American actors have been fighting for visibility for years, culminating in several hashtag campaigns over the past several months. In the case of Iron Fist, several people were upset when the role of the latest Marvel hero went to a white actor instead of someone of Asian descent.

They argued that, while Danny Rand is white in the comics, the character isn’t famous enough where a change in ethnicity would’ve been widely noticed. After all, we’ve already seen Marvel change the ethnicities of different characters in its movie and TV properties, for better and worse. They cast Idris Elba as Heimdall, a Norse god, in the Thor series, but they also turned Doctor Strange’s The Ancient One into a Celtic character so they could justify hiring Tilda Swinton.

Plus, casting Tan (or another Asian actor) would’ve further demonstrated Marvel’s push for diversity, as showcased in the Marvel NOW! initiative and the Luke Cage Netflix series. The way it stands now, Danny Rand is basically Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai or Matt Damon in The Great Wall. The role may be written that way on paper, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best portrayal for 2016.

"I know kung fu, I’ve been doing martial arts for 15 years, and I love it." Good on Lewis. :)

[GeneChing]

'a f–king bummer'


Matt Damon Responds to ‘The Great Wall’ Whitewashing Controversy (http://screencrush.com/matt-damon-responds-great-wall-whitewashing-controversy/)
Erin Whitney | 2 days ago

http://screencrush.com/442/files/2016/10/great-wall-matt-damon.jpg?w=720&cdnnode=1
Universal Pictures

When the first teaser trailer for The Great Wall debuted this summer, much of the internet responded in a collective thinking face emoji, wondering, why is a white dude the hero of an action movie set in China?

It’s an criticism that’s circulated a lot this year Hollywood, especially around the the casting of Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell, and Finn Jones in Iron Fist. The Great Wall, from Chinese director Zhang Yimou, is the most expensive movie ever made in China and follows Matt Damon defending the 13,000-mile wall against a monster attack. The Atlantic called out the film for whitewashing, while actress Constance Wu tweeted that the films need to “stop perpetuating the racist myth” of the white savior narrative.

During the press conference for The Great Wall following the film’s New York Comic-Con panel on Saturday, Damon was asked about his response the controversy. “It was a f–king bummer,” he said. But Damon wasn’t expecting the backlash, which he says he and the cast felt “wounded” by. “To me, whitewashing, I think of Chuck Connors when he played Geronimo.” The actor went on to defend the teaser, saying it’s too brief of a look to speak for the entire movie and shouldn’t be subjected to the same level of criticism:


They’re trying to establish a number of things in 30 seconds or a minute or whatever they have; it’s not a full length trailer, it’s a teaser. They’re trying to tease A, the monster. […] They’re trying to speak to a bigger audience. ‘You probably don’t know who this director is in Middle America, the Steven Spielberg of China. Don’t worry, they speak English in this movie’ – you hear my voice speaking English. ‘Don’t worry, Matt’s in the movie, you’ve seen this guy before.’ So they’re trying to establish all these things. And by the way, there are monsters. So there’s a lot of pipe they’re trying to lay in that 30 seconds.

Besides the limited footage in the teaser, Damon emphasized that the movie isn’t based on actual history, but on folklore. He said his co-star Pedro Pascal, (Narcos, Game of Thrones) called him after the backlash joking, “Yeah, we are guilty of whitewashing. We all know that only the Chinese defended the wall against the monsters when they attacked.” Pedro chimed in at the press conference to say that The Great Wall is still a film made from the perspective of a Chinese filmmaker:


We don’t want people to be kept from work that they wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise, to see that it is very, very specifically Chinese. It’s Zhang Yimou’s lens. It is a creature feature. It’s a big, fantastical popcorn entertainment movie. But it has a visual style that is very very much his and his only.

By the look of the first full The Great Wall trailer that debuted at Comic-Con today, the movie certainly looks like Yimou’s work, with a use of color and stylistic visuals similar to the director’s Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Yimou, through a translator, mentioned earlier in the press conference that the film is based on an ancient Chinese fairy tale about a monster even older than dragons. Yimou responded to the controversy earlier this year telling Entertainment Weekly that Damon plays one of five heroes in the movie, four of which are Chinese characters. “Our film is not about the construction of the Great Wall. Matt Damon is not playing a role that was originally conceived for a Chinese actor,” Yimou said.

But while The Great Wall may be based on a made up story, does that disqualify it from criticisms of playing into the white savior trope? Damon added that he’s still open to criticism, but that he wants audiences to see the movie first:


Look, if people see this movie and feel like there’s some how whitewashing involved in a creature feature that we made up, I will listen to that with my whole heart. I will think about that and I will try to learn from that. I will be surprised if people see this movie and have that reaction, I will be genuinely shocked. It’s a perspective that, as a progressive person I really do agree with and try to listen to and try to be sensitive to, but ultimately I feel like you are undermining your own credibility when you attack something without seeing it. I think you have to educate yourself about what it is, and then make your attack, or your argument and then it’s easier to listen to just from our sides.

The Great Wall also stars Jing Tian, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau and Chinese boy band member Junkai Wang. The film hits theaters February 17, 2017.

[mickey]

Greetings,

I sense a change coming within 3 years. There is just too much money for film companies to lose by alienating it's audiences, whether it be on TV or in the movies. People are ready to move forward.

mickey

[Jimbo]

Greetings,

I sense a change coming within 3 years. There is just too much money for film companies to lose by alienating it's audiences, whether it be on TV or in the movies. People are ready to move forward.

mickey

I don't know about that, mickey. Hollywood is not alienating Asians in Asia by stereotyping and/or excluding Asian-American actors. Westerners tend to lump Asians and Asian-Americans together, when there are major differences, including in film and TV. In Asia, they have about zero concept of whitewashing and wouldn't care anyway. IMO, 3 years is way too short a time for real changes to happen in H'wood in that regard. Many Asian-Americans probably felt the door was about to open wider after Bruce Lee's popularity hit the West, but that was 43 years ago, and little has changed since then. The Asian-American demographic isn't seen as big enough by H'wood to matter to them financially.

When I was acting, I was repeatedly told, by various people in the industry, including professional photographers, agents and casting directors, that 'You are a commodity; Asian male actors, young through middle-aged, are the most sought-after commodity in H'wood right now. There simply aren't enough out there to cast in the roles they're wanted for."

Which I respectfully say is a load of BS. If it were so, then why aren't all the good Asian-American male actors already out there getting tons of work playing great parts? If the roles in question are the typical demeaning types, I say you can keep them. "We are a dignified people"(quoting Jada Pinkett-Smith) does not apply only to African-American actors. Even though there are still plenty of Asian-American actors out there who will willingly go up for those scraps/demeaning roles. The non-white demographics that H'wood has opened up for are limited to blacks, Hispanics, East Indians, and Asian-American females (the latter mostly as companions to white male characters).

I'm not going to say 'The Great Wall' is an example of whitewashing. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. One must look at each example before judging it as such. However, very real whitewashing and negative stereotyping not only still exist in H'wood, but they are actually *increasing* at a ridiculous pace(!). Which is proof that the writers, producers, directors, liberal public, etc., don't give a **** and business will proceed as usual.

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

I do understand what you are saying and I agree. What Hollywood is not understanding is that the public is ready for change and it will quickly start showing up in ticket sales. I know that I am not the only one who has had enough and I do believe that number is growing. It comes down to what people are willing to put their money towards. I would not even think to put my money down on a movie that causes groups of people discomfort because of stereotyping, unnecessary exclusion, or even inaccurate portrayals. It all starts and ends with the dollar. That is what Hollywood tricks for.

mickey

[GeneChing]

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2016/11/02/doctor-strange-director-owns-up-to-whitewashing-controversy/jcr:content/image.crop.800.500.jpg/49269286.cached.jpg
© MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS

DIVERSITY
‘Doctor Strange’ Director Owns Up to Whitewashing Controversy (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/02/doctor-strange-director-owns-up-to-whitewashing-controversy.html)
Filmmaker Scott Derrickson opens up about the MCU’s trippiest film yet, and the ****storm surrounding his decision to erase The Ancient One’s Asianness.
JEN YAMATO
11.02.16 2:14 AM ET

In Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch’s brilliant neurosurgeon damages his million-dollar hands in a fateful accident, exhausts all known Western medicine in search of a cure, then goes careening across the world into the mountains of Kathmandu to give Eastern treatments a shot. What he learns there from The Ancient One, a powerful mystic occupying the Caucasian female form of Tilda Swinton, is far more than he bargained for.
“It comes down to two lines from The Ancient One in her meetings with Strange,” offered director Scott Derrickson, whose eye-popping visuals and cracking pace drew praise from early critics. “In the first one, on that magical mystery mind-trip, she says, ‘Who are you in this vast universe, Doctor Strange?’” And then: “‘It’s not about you.’ Somewhere in that question and statement is the whole of the film.”
Doctor Strange cracks open the door to infinite new possibilities and spiritual questions—for example, what does the introduction of godlike powers and secret dimensions say about the existence of God in the MCU? “That’s a very compelling question,” pondered Derrickson, who makes his Marvel debut after helming The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sinister, and Deliver Us From Evil. “It confirms the existence of a complex spiritual plane, and it doesn’t give closure to that. Does God exist in all of it, or beyond all of it?” He paused. “To me, yes. But not to everyone who reads [the comics]—nor does it need to.”

Derrickson co-wrote Doctor Strange, the 14th film in Marvel’s expansive superhero playground, with his Sinister collaborator C. Robert Cargill, filling the picture with expansive, dazzling dimensions hidden beneath the surface of the MCU’s earthbound and galaxy-tripping worlds. But the pair had a trickier road to travel to bring the Doctor Strange of Marvel’s 1960s comics into the 21st century—gifted with a charismatic hero in the vein of the MCU’s brilliant egocentric fave Tony Stark, yet hampered by the problematic streak of Orientalist cultural appropriation that looms over his origin story.
In the comics, Swinton’s character, known as The Ancient One, was a powerful Tibetan mystic who introduced jerky American Stephen Strange to a new life filled with magical powers and an Asian-influenced aesthetic. He was originally written as an Asian man, and a dated stereotype at that. Another character central to the mystical stronghold of Kamar-Taj was Wong, a descendant in a long line of Chinese servants loyal to the Ancient One. Derrickson knew he had an issue on his hands that would have to be addressed.

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2016/11/02/doctor-strange-director-owns-up-to-whitewashing-controversy/jcr:content/body/inlineimage.img.800.jpg/49269286.cached.jpg
Tilda Swinton and Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange.'
MARVEL

“It was a challenge from the beginning that I knew I was facing with both Wong and the Ancient One being pretty bad racial stereotypes—1960s versions of what Western white people thought Asians were like,” he said. “We weren’t going to have the Ancient One as the Fu Manchu magical Asian on the hill being the mentor to the white hero. I knew that we had a long way to go to get away from that stereotype and cliché.”
Derrickson first chose to change the gender of The Ancient One, making her a wise and powerful female magician in charge of the sorcerer-warriors in training at Kamar-Taj (now transplanted from Tibet to the more China censors-friendly Nepal). The move instantly multiplied the presence of significant female characters in Doctor Strange, which include Rachel McAdams as the ex-flame and fellow doctor who tethers Strange to his old life in a strong but still rather thankless supporting turn.
Thankfully, Swinton’s Ancient One has far more to do, and more on her mind, than just help Strange realize his super-powered potential—although yes, she also does that. She battles, she leads, she ponders the mystery of life and beyond with a complexity that belies the sparse details of her background. Thanks to Swinton’s androgynous tranquility and effortless sense of strength, the character takes on its own new intriguing magic, and she stands out as one of the highlights of the film’s cast. (If only Doctor Strange actually passed the Bechdel test.)
The move at least marks an overdue step toward progress for Marvel, which has earned scrutiny for its glaring lack of strong female roles in over a dozen feature films and counting. The company has shortchanged the female heroes it does have when it comes to selling toys, and has yet to give a non-male leading superheroine her own standalone adventure within the vast and fantastical MCU, where playboys and aliens with magical hammers and talking raccoons keep saving the world, but audiences will have to wait until 2018’s Black Panther for a black hero to get his due—and even longer to see a woman claim top billing.
“The first decision that I made was to make it a woman, before we ever went to draft, before we ever had a script,” said Derrickson. “I thought it was interesting to not only make it a woman, but let’s find a woman with some maturity—not a 26-year-old leather-clad fanboy dream girl. Let’s get a real female actor in here. There was a desire for diversity in making that decision."
continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSzx-zryEgM

However, although writing The Ancient One as a woman was a step forward for gender representation, it presented a new cultural predicament, Derrickson says. He and Marvel discussed casting an Asian actress in the role before making another major change to the character—in order to avoid playing into yet another Asian stereotype.
“As we started to work on it, my assumption was that it would be an Asian character, that it would be an Asian woman,” he said. “We talked about Asian actors who could do it, as we were working on the script, every iteration of it—including the one that Tilda played—but when I envisioned that character being played by an Asian actress, it was a straight-up Dragon Lady.”
“I know the history of cinema and the portrayal of the Dragon Lady in Anna May Wong films, and the continued stereotype throughout film history and even more in television,” he continued. “I just didn’t feel like there was any way to get around that because the Dragon Lady, by definition, is a domineering, powerful, secretive, mysterious, Asian woman of age with duplicitous motives—and I just described Tilda’s character. I really felt like I was going to be contributing to a bad stereotype.”
In order to avoid one offensive stereotype, Derrickson and Co. effectively erased The Ancient One’s Asianness. Along with it disappeared any discernable debt the character might have represented to the place and people and culture the film’s setting, costumes, and multicultural spiritual mishmash still borrows. In trying to be one kind of woke, Doctor Strange became most unfortunately unwoke—and that’s a lesson Marvel, Disney, and other Hollywood studios should learn from.
In the process, the director says, he learned a lot about the term ‘whitewashing’ from the irate Asian community that took to the internet to take him and Marvel to task. “At the time when casting was happening there was a lot of anger circulating about female representation, but the term ‘whitewashing’ wasn’t even a term that I knew in the way that it’s used now,” he explained. “I knew it in the classical sense of yellowface, of white actors playing Asian characters. So I wasn’t as sensitive to that issue—but I was aware that I was erasing a potential Asian role.”
To counterbalance the shift away from an Asian Ancient One, Derrickson and Cargill reinvented the character of Wong, played in the film by Benedict Wong. “I inverted everything about him from the comics,” he explained. “Instead of a manservant, he’s a librarian. Instead of a sidekick, he’s Strange’s intellectual mentor. He’s a master of the mystic arts. He’s a very different kind of presence, and I felt like that was required.”

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UYZAM5x-H9o/Vw3H1rBWlgI/AAAAAAAAT9E/0hPjZfUgCdwsig-JkBM3CTi14BZP0oboQCLcB/s1600/giphy-3.gif

Wong most certainly comes off better in the film as a sage librarian warrior than he would have as a subservient house Asian. But all of this will still sound deeply unsatisfying to many of the fans and cultural critics who have rightfully taken issue with Doctor Strange’s high-profile racebending.
Give credit to Derrickson for acknowledging that the very community he was trying to avoid offending is the one most justifiably upset at the erasure—and that trading one underrepresented onscreen minority for another is far from an ideal solution to correcting entrenched racism, in any property being given the blockbuster treatment.
“Diversity is the responsibility of directors, and I took that as seriously as I could,” he said. “Whitewashing, if you use the term the way it’s used now—it’s what I did with the role. But it also implies racial insensitivity and it implies racist motives and I don’t think I had either. I was really acting out of what I still feel is the best possible choice. But it’s like I chose the lesser evil—and just because you choose the lesser evil it doesn’t mean you’re not choosing an evil.”
To the vocal opponents upset over Swinton’s casting, Derrickson lends his support. “I don’t feel that they’re wrong,” he said, sympathetic. “I was very aware of the racial issues that I was dealing with. But I didn’t really understand the level of pain that’s out there, for people who grew up with movies like I did but didn’t see their own faces up there.”
He offered an antidote to the evasiveness that greets most complaints when studio products are hit with critiques of cultural appropriation: Ownership of the creative choices he made and the negative ripple effect they may have on the culture by virtue of the enormous reach of the MCU. So rarely do filmmakers comment on their own controversies—let alone agree with their critics from within the heavily fortified Disney-Marvel machine—that Derrickson’s candor, in itself, feels like progress.
“The angry voices and the loud voices that are out there I think are necessary,” said Derrickson, who’s looking at breakout $70 million opening weekend projections for Doctor Strange, which is already topping the overseas box office. “And if it pushes up against this film, I can’t say I don’t support it. Because how else is it going to change? This is just the way we’ve got to go to progress, and whatever price I have to pay for the decision I’ve made, I’m willing to pay.”

We saw the screener last Tuesday and will have our own exclusive tomorrow. :cool:

[GeneChing]

Celebrate civersity with Yellowface? Man, they should've gone minstrel for African Americans too. :rolleyes:



2.14.2017
YELLOWFACE IS A REALLY AWFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE "DIVERSITY." (http://blog.angryasianman.com/2017/02/yellowface-is-really-awful-way-to.html#more)
Vogue photo shoot features Karlie Kloss doing stereotypical geisha ****.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TaSKoLajwUA/WKPe-Xd6nAI/AAAAAAAAFtY/VRPL7KF5pVYeV7nyV_eEEkJeRPBW8JObgCLcB/s1600/vogue_karliekloss01.jpg

For real, Vogue? A photo shoot featuring a white model as a geisha? In the so-called "diversity" issue, no less.

The much-hyped March issue of Vogue features supermodel Karlie Kloss in a Japanese-themed spread, titled "Spirited Away." Okay, can we just stop right there? Red flags, so many red flags going up everywhere. Let's be real: there was no ****ing way that Vogue was going to handle this right.

The spread, photographed in Japan by Mikael Jansson and styled by Phyllis Posnick, features Kloss in what is pretty much yellowface, going full geisha in various photos shot around Japan's Ise-Shima National Park. They've got Kloss in thick black hair, pale skin and kimono-like attire, posed in various Japanese-y backgrounds. There's even a friggin' sumo wrestler for bonus stereotypical Japanese-ness.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uqqw5VvsJh8/WKPfGiMKFnI/AAAAAAAAFtk/xImYkpOX0fIu8AvY_XPwcgY6aHmUTUwQQCLcB/s1600/vogue_karliekloss02.jpg
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Aren't we sick of this yet?

Between the yellowface and cultural appropriation, Vogue is apparently stuck in some white dude's movie version of Japan, treading a well-worn path of old-ass orientalism and tired, stereotypical visuals. What is so creative about a white lady in yellowface, standing in front of the usual traditional Japanese ****?

On top of all that, Vogue has been touting this issue as a supposed celebration of diversity and inclusion, featuring seven models of different ethnic backgrounds on the cover. Yaaaaawn. Kind of a silly, pointless celebration if you're going to turn the page and find this yellowface geishapalooza inside.

And did nobody even consider hiring an actual Asian model? So much for that "diversity" nonsense.

[-N-]

Celebrate civersity with Yellowface? Man, they should've gone minstrel for African Americans too. :rolleyes:

You're gonna get kicked out of the model minority club, Gene :D

[David Jamieson]

Reverse geisha?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2c/d8/50/2cd8500a538277b3cbbfdfd86bed4109.jpg

[GeneChing]

Finn Jones Leaves Twitter After Discussing Iron Fist / Whitewashing Controversy (https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/03/06/finn-jones-leaves-twitter-discussing-iron-fist-whitewashing-controversy/)
Posted by Dan Wickline March 6, 2017

https://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/000246618-600x445.jpg

On Sunday, actor Finn Jones engaged in a discussion with Asyiqin Haron about his casting as Danny Rand in the upcoming Marvel’s Iron Fist. The show is being accused of whitewashing, or casting white actors in non-white roles. One of the most classic examples is the casting of Mickey Rooney as Audrey Hepburn’s Japanese landlord in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, another being Lawrence Olivier as Othello. There are many, many more examples including Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming Ghost in the Shell. Though, in the case of Iron Fist, the character in the source material is white, but there had been a vocal presence pushing for an Asian-American to be cast.

Things started when Jones re-tweeted a post by Riz Ahmed with the message: “representation is important. and here’s why.


Follow
Riz Ahmed ✔ @rizmc
Here's speech I gave @HouseofCommons in full. Forget 'diversity' we need REPRESENTATION. Or things fall apart. https://www.facebook.com/rizmc/videos/10154393155118997/ … RT
6:01 AM - 3 Mar 2017
2,144 2,144 Retweets 3,382 3,382 likes

He was responded to by Haron, creative director for Geeks of Color. The response started with her asking Jones, “are you for real?” Though she didn’t expect him to, he actor responded, pointing out that while the main character stayed true to the source material, the show incorporates and celebrates actors from all different backgrounds. Now I would post the back and forth directly from twitter, but after the discussion was concluded, Jones deleted his twitter account. Haron made screen captures of the discussion and posted those images.


.@mercedesknights pic.twitter.com/MItyG8hWUz

— AsyiKinney �� (@AsyiqinHaron) March 6, 2017

This discussion, like the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, is a bit tougher than the more blatant examples like Ghost in the Shell. Where casting Johansson does seem like whitewashing, if you listen to Scott Derrickson’s commentary on Doctor Strange, a lot of though went into the Swinton casting including trying to avoid playing to stereotypes. When it comes to Iron Fist, Marvel chose to stay with the source material and Jones took a roll that could make his career.

What we ended up with is a civil discussion between two people that disagreed on the topic. It didn’t turn into name calling or hate speak. How that ended up with Jones leaving twitter and Haron being harassed for her views is a problem unto itself.



We were talking about representation in the Iron Fist series but people are interpreting it as me harassing him. I was being respectful. https://t.co/dolG0gEcpH

— AsyiKinney �� (@AsyiqinHaron) March 6, 2017

Nothing will ever get addressed if we can’t at least talk about it.

I would be more impressed if Jones didn't run away. Who deletes their twitter accounts in the face of scrutiny nowadays? And over this? He's going to be Rand? :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

I've met reporter Linda Ge. She was on Into the Badlands with me (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67844-Into-The-Badlands&p=1298547#post1298547) and she's totally on point when it comes to whitewashing. We had some chats about it.


More Hollywood Whitewashing: CBS Pilot Casts 2 White Actors in Lead Roles Written for Minorities (http://www.thewrap.com/cbs-mission-control-pilot-white-actors-lead-roles-written-minorities/)
Andy Weir’s sci-fi drama “Mission Control” was written for a bilingual Latina and African-American man — now played by Poppy Montgomery and David Giuntoli
Linda Ge and Reid Nakamura | March 24, 2017 @ 4:51 PM

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Getty Images

CBS has cast two white actors — Poppy Montgomery and David Giuntoli — as the leads of its sci-fi pilot “Mission Control” even though both roles were originally written for people of color in Andy Weir’s spec pilot script, TheWrap has learned.

Montgomery (“Without a Trace,” “Unforgettable”) is taking the role of Julie Towne, who is described in an earlier draft of the script obtained by TheWrap as the daughter of a Caucasian father and Latina mother who is fully bilingual in both English and Spanish. The character also spoke frequently in Spanish in the script.

Giuntoli, a veteran of NBC’s supernatural drama “Grimm,” has been cast as Malik Stevenson, a NASA commander who is explicitly described as African American in Weir’s script.

CBS declined to comment. Reps for Weir did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

According to an individual familiar with the project, producers initially did reach out to and offer the roles to non-white actors, but they passed. The production ultimately moved on as the script evolved, leading to the casting of Montgomery and Giuntoli. Montgomery’s character will no longer speak Spanish in the final version of the pilot.

The pilot, which the individual described as an “ensemble drama,” does feature nonwhite actors in other roles, including “Desperate Housewives” alum Ricardo Chavira as the director of the Johnson Space Center and Nigerian-born actress Wunmi Mosaku as Rayna, the mission’s public affairs officer.

This casting certainly will not help CBS’ image on the diversity front, since the network have been called out for lack of diversity in casting in the past. Relative newcomer network president Glenn Geller had previously promised the press that it would be addressing the issue. Before that, Geller had defended the throne he inherited.

Of CBS’ 2017 pilots, the vast majority are toplined by white actors, with the exception of an untitled Jenny Lumet drama pilot led by Sharon Leal, who is of Filipino and African American heritage, and the cop comedy “Brothered Up” starring Romany Malco and Adhir Kalyan, who are African American and Indian. “Criminal Minds” alum Shemar Moore stars in the drama pilot “S.W.A.T.”

In October, CBS launched a Drama Diversity Casting Initiative to find African-American, Asian-American, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ actors and performers with disabilities to join current series and pilots. The initiative is the latest addition to the CBS Diversity Institute, which also includes a sketch comedy showcase, the CBS Writers Mentoring Program and the CBS Directing Initiative.

One of the participants of the inaugural class of the drama casting initiative, Alexa Adderly, has been cast in an upcoming episode of “Bull,” and another was cast in a series regular role on The CW pilot “Life Sentence.” Two others have landed roles on Fox’s “APB.”

“Mission Control” would also mark the second time characters intended to be minorities as written by Weir have been cast white. In the adaptation of his novel “The Martian,” the character Mindy Park, who was Korean in the original book, was played by Caucasian actress Mackenzie Davis in the Matt Damon-led film. And black British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor played a NASA mission director who was Indian American in the book.

[GeneChing]

INTO THE BADLANDS: Women Warriors and Whitewashing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1347)

Another article in my INTO THE BADLANDS series, in conjunction with my print article On the Set of Into the Badlands in our May+June 2017 issue (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1348).

[Jimbo]

One thing I've noticed regarding 'whitewashing' to a degree is that in shows like the new Hawaii Five-O, when they have Asian characters, they seem to always have European last names. I'm aware that Hawaii in particular is highly diverse and highly intermixed, plus some Asians have been adopted. But it always seems the characters' last names are something like Smith or Schwartz or Sanchez or McSomething or other. "Everyone knows East Asian names sound funny and nobody can pronounce them anyway, so let's give them REAL last names that won't make American viewers uncomfortable." This is true even when the actor playing the character is clearly NOT half or even part-European. Well, I don't watch the show all the time, so that may not always be true, but it always has been whenever I've seen it.

[GeneChing]

How many nails doth a coffin make?


Is a Disappointing Ghost in the Shell the Nail in the Coffin of Hollywood Whitewashing? (http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/04/ghost-in-the-shell-box-office-whitewashing-bad-for-business)
The film’s anemic box office is only the latest financial fallout of Asian erasure.
by JOANNA ROBINSON
APRIL 2, 2017 3:54 PM

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From left: courtesy of Netflix, courtesy of Paramount, courtesy of Legendary

It’s become increasingly impossible to ignore general social pushback when it comes to Asian representation in film and television. Whether it’s cut-and-dried whitewashing (e.g., casting a white performer in an Asian role) or slightly more complex cases of cultural appropriation, the hue and cry from progressive voices in film and TV criticism has called for an end to white leads in Asian and Asian-inspired properties. But Hollywood—a town driven by dollars and not always sense—is more likely to listen when protests hurt the bottom line. Ghost in the Shell, the Scarlett Johansson-starring adaptation of the popular Japanese manga, is only the latest controversial project to stumble at the box office. Will this misstep finally put an end to whitewashing?

According to Box Office Mojo, in its first weekend, Ghost in the Shell pulled in approximately $20 million domestically on a $110 million budget—below even the conservative prediction that site made earlier in the week. That number looks even more anemic when compared with Lucy, Johansson’s R-rated 2014 film, which pulled in $43.8 million on its opening weekend. Unlike Ghost in the Shell, Lucy wasn’t based on a pre-existing property and didn’t have an established fanbase to draw on. But the Johansson casting has clearly alienated fans of the original manga and anime versions of Ghost in the Shell, and their dampened enthusiasm appears to have discouraged newcomers as well.

The controversy around Johansson’s casting has plagued Ghost in the Shell since late 2014. Johansson stars as Major (whose full name is “Major Motoko Kusanagi” in the manga), a synthetic, cybernetic body housing the brain of a dead Japanese woman. Both fans of the original and advocates for Asian actors in Hollywood argued that a Japanese actress should have been cast in the role, while a spokesperson for Ghost in the Shell publisher Kodansha gave Johansson its blessing, saying the publisher “never imagined it would be a Japanese actress in the first place.” Johansson herself defended the film this week, saying:


I think this character is living a very unique experience in that she has a human brain in an entirely machinate body. I would never attempt to play a person of a different race, obviously. Hopefully, any question that comes up of my casting will be answered by audiences when they see the film.

But it seems audiences weren’t inclined to give the film that chance. There’s no ignoring the fact that controversy cast a cloud over the film, and it’s difficult not to draw a direct line from that to the movie’s disappointing opening weekend.

Ghost in the Shell is not the first project to feel the burn of “race-bent” casting. Though other factors may have added to their unpopularity, The Last Airbender, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Aloha, Pan, and more have all foundered at the box office. (These films also received unfavorable reviews, but bad reviews alone can’t snuff out box-office potential.) Matt Damon’s heavily criticized, China-set film The Great Wall didn’t fare much better. In addition to becoming an Oscar night punchline for Jimmy Kimmel, the movie grossed only $45 million domestically on a $150 million budget. Marvel’s too-big-to-fail Avengers installment Doctor Strange is the recent exception that proves the rule: not even Tilda Swinton’s controversial casting in the historically Asian role of the Ancient One could slow this film down. It made more than $232 million domestically and $677.5 million worldwide.

But since Netflix won’t release ratings data to the public, the jury is still out on whether the Marvel brand was also enough to combat the furor over Finn Jones being cast as the historically white Danny Rand in the latest Defenders installment, Iron Fist. (This is a case in which “cultural appropriation”—Danny is a better martial artist than all the other Asian characters around him—inspired public outcry, rather than “whitewashing.”) While various tech companies have claimed in the past to be able to analyze Netflix’s data, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos himself has historically pushed back on those results. One such company, 7Park Data, claims that Iron Fist defied both bad reviews and controversy to become Netflix’s “most-binged drama premiere”—meaning audiences allegedly tore through episodes at a faster clip than usual. But by the only Netflix-sanctioned metric available—the site’s soon-to-be-gone star rating—Iron Fist is lagging behind other Defenders shows. As of publication, it had earned only three stars from users, compared with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage—which all pulled in 4.25 or higher.

Even if Marvel’s bottom line is controversy-proof so far, it’s unlikely that its parent company, the increasingly and intentionally diverse Walt Disney Studios, will want to weather further public relations storms like the ones that swirled around both Doctor Strange and Iron Fist. Paramount, too, seems to have kept its head down when it came to deploying Ghost in the Shell. After it was revealed that the visual effects company Lola VFX had done tests on Ghost in the Shell in order to digitally “shift” the “ethnicity” of a Caucasian actress and make her appear more Asian in the film (there’s disagreement over whether that actress was Johansson herself), the wind went out of the studio’s sails. Ghost in the Shell also screened very late for critics—a sure sign that a studio would prefer to mitigate any damage caused by negative word of mouth and early reviews.

But what has tipped the needle on the issue of Asian erasure in film and television from progressive social concern to bottom-line disrupter? Pushback on both whitewashing and limited opportunities for Asian performers in Hollywood has recently gotten a boosted signal, thanks to both social media and the uncensored honesty of popular Asian and East Asian actors like Kal Penn, John Cho, Constance Wu, Aziz Ansari, and Ming-Na Wen. And that boosted signal comes at a time when, according to a 2016 MPAA study, younger (and likely more socially progressive) Asian-American film-goers between the ages of 18 and 24 are going to more movies, while the Caucasian film-going population is on the decline.

But domestic box office alone may not be enough to bring about social change. With Hollywood increasingly obsessed with appealing to lucrative Asian markets abroad, it’s as yet unclear whether casting white leads in Asian-centric or inspired properties hurts the global bottom line. The Great Wall, directed by Chinese legend Zhang Yimou, did decently overseas, making 86.4 percent of its total intake on foreign screens. And while Ghost in the Shell has yet to open in either Japan or China, it took in roughly $40.1 million in other foreign markets this weekend, including Russia, Germany, and South Korea. Then again, the massive global box-office returns of films with diverse casts, including Rogue One and the Fast and the Furious franchise, render any argument that Caucasian actors are required for international success null and void.

Meanwhile, at home, the protests against Asian erasure are only growing more intense. While still licking its wounds from the critical drubbing it received for Iron Fist, Netflix is staring down the barrel of another appropriation controversy. This time, it’s the popular manga Death Note that has gotten a Seattle-based makeover, putting Caucasian actors Nat Wolff and Margaret Qualley in roles that originally had the last names Yagami and Amane. Willem Dafoe will voice the Japanese spirit Ryuk. The protest around Death Note is already significantly louder than for other past American adaptations of Asian properties like The Ring, The Grudge, and The Departed.

Though America itself is a very socially divided country, the cool, impartial truth of box-office returns reveals a film and TV industry that is facing a sea change when it comes to Asian representation. History may soon look back on the Asian erasure of Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, and Ghost in the Shell with an even more unfavorable eye. Just as blackface in film and TV gradually became unacceptable (and more recently than you may think), the marginalization and appropriation of Asian culture could be on its way out the door—with these recent financial disappointments only serving as a last gasp of a bygone era.

[GeneChing]

I've heard reference to Professor Yuen's Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism. Nice to know she has a sense of humor about it.


Nancy Wang Yuen, Contributor
Associate Professor of Sociology; Author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism
Saving Asia: A How-To Guide For White Actors (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saving-asia-a-how-to-guide-for-white-actors_us_58e4215ce4b02ef7e0e6e1c8)
Saving Asia is no biggie. It’s like taking up yoga at a weekend spa getaway.
04/06/2017 05:18 pm ET | Updated 3 days ago

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_720_noupscale/58e422571500002a00c7df72.jpg
THE GREAT WALL
Matt Damon is the latest in a string of White Saviors of Asia.

From The Last Samurai’s Tom Cruise to The Great Wall’s Matt Damon, saving Asia has been a popular heroic lead for white actors. Here’s a useful guide for any white actor who wants to take on this offensive role.

1. Visit an Asian country => Stumble upon a colony of martial artists => Train for a scene or two => Save Asia.

Saving Asia is no biggie. It’s like taking up yoga at a weekend spa getaway. Just hop over to an Asian country, learn a few choice moves with an Asian master, and BAM! you’re a superhero. Here, Tom Cruise’s character trains for a hot minute with the last remaining Samurais in Japan before becoming the Last Samurai himself.

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_720_noupscale/58e425f62c00002700ff24bf.jpg
WARNER BROS.
Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise) trains to be a Samurai in The Last Samurai (2003).

Benedict Cumberbatch’s “Dr. Strange” visits Tibet and discovers an elite group of magical martial artists headed up by a whitewashed “Ancient One” (played by Tilda Swinton). After performing a few elementary tai chi moves, he miraculously transforms into a time-warping superhero who saves Hong Kong/the world. This is movie magic at its whitest finest.

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_720_noupscale/58e4296616000026004d8c92.jpg
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
Dr. Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) trains in the supernatural arts in Tibet.

2. Woo an actual Asian.

Romantic liaisons between white male saviors and Asian women have occupied Hollywood cinematic fantasies as early as The Toll of the Sea (1922). By falling in love with the white male savior, Asian actresses take on the burden of affirming white male supremacy in these storylines. This is true in The Great Wall (2017), when Commander Lin Mae (played by Jing Tian)—despite being the highest ranked woman/person in a sea of hot Chinese soldiers—sets her eyes on a bland European mercenary (played by Matt Damon). Her affections transform him into a savior of China.

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_720_noupscale/58e430141500002600c7dfac.jpg
UNIVERSAL PICTURES/CHINA FILM GROUP CORPORATION
Commander Lin Mae (played by Jing Tian) trains William Garin (played by Matt Damon), stoking romantic tensions.

Even mediocre white actors can get cast as superheroes who “get the girl.” Finn Jones’ lackluster fight scenes and butchered Mandarin make his Iron Fist the worst of the Marvel-Netflix series thus far. Nonetheless, he gets Colleen Wing (played by Jessica Henwick) to fall for him by episode 7. No need to execute the role well to reap all of the narrative rewards!


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CARA HOWE/NETFLIX
Colleen Wing (played by Jessica Henwick) becomes intimately involved with Iron Fist (played by Finn Jones).

3. Play an actual Asian character

Why play a white savior who saves Asia when you can just play an Asian one? Leads of Dragonball Evolution (2009) and The Last Airbender (2010)—both Asian in the original manga/cartoons—were portrayed by white actors in the live-action films. Bonus: you may even get legendary actor, Chow Yun-Fat, to play your sensei!

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_720_noupscale/58e51a3616000027004d8e9e.png
20TH CENTURY FOX AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Top: Dragonball Evolution (2009); Bottom: The Last Airbender (2010).

Scarlett Johansson plays “The Major,” a cyber-enhanced human who saves a Bladerunner-version of Tokyo. At the end of Ghost in the Shell, she discovers she is actually Motoko Kusanagi, a runaway Japanese girl, and reunites with her Japanese mother (played by Japanese actress Kaori Momoi). So despite ScarJo saying she’d never play a character of another race, she actually does.

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_720_noupscale/58e43a3c1500002400c7dfc2.jpg
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
The Major (played by Scarlett Johansson) finds out that she is actually Major Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell.

4. On second thought, leave Asia-saving to Asians

Audiences are increasingly disenchanted by white savior films. The two most recent iterations (The Great Wall and Ghost in the Shell) bombed at the box office. Paramount even admitted that the whitewashing critique was the culprit for Ghost in the Shell’s failure in the United States. Hollywood needs to reexamine its longstanding rationale of casting A-list white actors (over actors of color) for box office draw. Face it, whitewashing is bad for business. Asians are the fastest growing racial group in the United States and see more movies than any other group. Hollywood should try casting Asian/Americans as saviors for a change.

Nancy Wang Yuen is the author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism.

I was tempted to link these to threads about the movies mentioned, but there's too many. It's too much work right now. :o

[GeneChing]

Well, this can fuel the whitewashing debate (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing).


'Monkey Magic' Returns As Filming Begins On 'The Legend Of Monkey' In New Zealand (http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/04/20/monkey-magic-returns-as-filming-begins-on-the-legend-of-monke_a_22047201/)
The nature of Monkey is irrepressible!
20/04/2017 3:42 PM AEST | Updated 20/04/2017 4:53 PM AEST
Mat Whitehead Entertainment Reporter

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ABC

Remember "Journey to the West"? Maybe you called it "Monkey Magic"? Well, whatever you thought it was called, the show was an iconic, often trippy, epic adventure following a monk and his godly companions.

And now the series, which was a Japanese adaptation of a Chinese novel, is getting another makeover as ABC, TVNZ and Netflix announced filming began on their updated version, "The Legend of Monkey".

Inspired by the folktales of 16th Century China, "Legend of Monkey" will be a 10-part half hour series following a teenage girl named Tripitaka (Luciane Buchanan) who is joined by three fallen gods Monkey (Chai Hansen), Pigsy (Josh Thomson) and Sandy (Emilie Cocquerel). The four set out on a dangerous journey (to the west!!!) to fight a demonic reign of chaos and terror and bring back balance to the world.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C91D-SGVYAAK3Zj.jpg\
View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Maddie_Burke/status/854914688567484416/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com.au%2F2 017%2F04%2F20%2Fmonkey-magic-returns-as-filming-begins-on-the-legend-of-monke_a_22047201%2F)
Follow
Maddie Burke @Maddie_Burke
Remember #Monkey? Production is underway in New Zealand on 'The Legend of Monkey', due to air on ABC & Netflix next year. #MonkeyMagic
9:28 PM - 19 Apr 2017
2 2 Retweets 2 2 likes


The original series was well loved by anyone who watched it. The bad dubbing of the 16th Century classics, camp costumes, incredible fight scenes, and a pig deity consumed with gluttony and lust. What more could you ask for?

But reaction to the announcement of the remake has been mixed, with some questioning potential white-washing of the Chinese stories or the risks of watering down some of the more tongue-in-cheek elements of the show, while others are excited to see a new take on the tales.



Follow
Snarky Platypus @SnarkyPlatypus
Like "Journey to the West" is not a reference to all the characters turning white,.
9:19 PM - 19 Apr 2017
Retweets 2 2 likes

19 Apr
mat whitehead ✔ @matwhi
ABC, TVNZ and Netflix are getting The Legend of Monkey (based on Journey to the West) in 2018 pic.twitter.com/bW4pLs5jWF
Follow


楊宏明 @damien_yang
@matwhi Maori cast? I approve. As Maori Chinese, pretty sure I am subject matter expert3:57 PM - 19 Apr 2017
5 5 Retweets 10 10 likes

We just won't know what we're in for until the series flies in on a magical cloud and onto screens.

The series is being produced by Jump Film & TV along with See-Saw Films, the company behind films like "The King's Speech", "Tracks" and "Lion" as well as the Jane Campion series "Top of the Lake".

The Australian/New Zealand co-production is set to be released in 2018, on ABC, NZTV and Netflix globally.

Here's an archived thread on the original Monkey Magic series (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?24280-Monkey-returns-to-UK-terrestrial-TV-Friday-nights-on-Channel-4!).

[@PLUGO]

From Buzzfeed (https://www.buzzfeed.com/susancheng/death-note-producer?utm_term=.ioRA83yQP#.sjel2Pzo9)


Producer Roy Lee has spent years in Hollywood working on remakes of Asian films for audiences in the United States, like 2002’s The Ring, 2004’s The Grudge, and 2006’s The Departed. But he had never encountered backlash like he did last month, when Death Note took center stage.
In March, a trailer for Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of the popular manga series of the same name made its debut. When fans saw Nat Wolff, a white actor, playing the protagonist, who is Japanese in the source material, Twitter erupted with rage. Some criticized Netflix and the film’s director, Adam Wingard, for whitewashing the Japanese story, likening it to Paramount Pictures’ treatment of Ghost in the Shell, which starred Scarlett Johansson. But others argued that as a remake, the film wasn’t an example of Asian erasure. It was a controversy Lee, who produced the film, had not anticipated.

“I’ve been involved in many adaptations of content from all over the world, and this is the first time that I’ve been seeing negative press,” Lee told BuzzFeed News at the office of his LA-based production company, Vertigo Entertainment.

To him, Death Note is not an example of whitewashing. “I can understand the criticism … if our version of Death Note was set in Japan and [featured] characters that were Japanese-named or of Japanese ancestry,” he said. But that’s not the case.

The team behind Wingard’s adaptation of Death Note made some creative changes, adapting it for a “different culture,” since this version is set in Seattle, not Tokyo. The main character, Light Yagami, is now Light Turner, and his lovestruck accomplice, Misa Amane, has been renamed Mia Sutton (she’s played by Margaret Qualley). Lakeith Stanfield, Paul Nakauchi, Shea Whigham, Willem Dafoe, and Masi Oka round out the cast.

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“It is an interpretation of that story in a different culture, so there are going to be some obvious changes. Some people will like them, some people may not,” Lee said. But the changes were necessary to “make it more appealing to the US or to the English-language market,” he explained.
It’s the same treatment that he gave the 2002 horror film The Ring (an adaptation of Hideo Nakata’s Ring), which is set in Washington state. Naomi Watts plays the lead, Rachel Keller, the journalist who uncovers the source of the videotape curse. There was no outcry from fans that the studio should have cast a Japanese or Japanese-American actor as the lead, who’s named Reiko Asakawa in the original Japanese thriller. “No one criticized it then,” Lee said. “Maybe they should’ve or maybe they could’ve, [and] I just didn’t know about it.”

But Lee said the recent debate over Hollywood whitewashing has not affected the way he works. “Whenever I pitch, I don’t pitch with any specific actor in mind. I just pitch based on the actual core story and the quality of the screenplay,” he said, before asserting that Death Note does indeed feature a “diverse” cast.
Of the key actors (Wolff, Qualley, Stanfield, Dafoe, and Nakauchi), “one of them is Asian, one’s African-American, and three are Caucasian,” Lee pointed out. “Saying ‘whitewashing’ is also somewhat offensive,” he added, since “one of our three leads is African-American.”

“People can criticize it, but I’d say that they should see the movie first,” Lee concluded. “Then they could accuse us of not having a diverse enough cast … just judge the movie after it comes out.”

Reporting by Eimi Yamamitsu.

[GeneChing]

Netflix’s ‘Death Note’ Was Whitewashed Because Asian Actors Couldn’t ‘Speak Perfect English’ (http://nextshark.com/masayori-oka-netflix-death-note-couldnt-find-asian-actor-perfect-english/)
By Ryan General Posted on May 1, 2017

http://nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1-135-e1493661583513.jpg

Reacting to accusations of whitewashing, one of the producers of Netflix’s “Death Note” remake claimed that the roles actually could have gone to Asian actors. This didn’t happen, however, because apparently, the casting team couldn’t find an Asian actor who can “speak perfect English.”

“Death Note” producer Masayori “Masi” Oka, who is also popularly known for his role at Hiro Nakamura in the NBC show “Heroes”, explained to EW the challenges they encountered during casting.

“Our casting directors did an extensive search to get Asian actors, but we couldn’t find the right person, the actors we did go to didn’t speak the perfect English… and the characters had been rewritten,” he said.

http://nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1-134.jpg
Masi Oka

“They could have gone [with an] Asian [actor], I can’t deny that. The studios were adamant about trying to cast Asian actors. I mean, this was a difficult one. It was something we were definitely conscious about.”

Since Oka noted that the studios intended for Asians to be cast, is he then implying that it’s too difficult to find Asians who can speak “perfect” English?

“For Ghost in the Shell there hasn’t been a Japanese live action so that’s a little bit different,” Oka further explained. “So if you’re trying to make the Hollywood version that already has a version in Japanese, then it’s like, where do you draw the line?”

https://media.giphy.com/media/Fk4CCb4Jd0gcE/giphy.gif

The controversy revolving around the remake also baffles Roy Lee, who is also a producer on “Death Note”.
“I’ve been involved in many adaptations of content from all over the world, and this is the first time that I’ve been seeing the negative press,” he was quoted by BuzzFeed in an interview.

Lee said he “could understand the criticism… if our version of Death Note was set in Japan and [featured] characters that were Japanese-named or of Japanese ancestry,” but explains the remake “is an interpretation of that story in a different culture, so there are going to be some obvious changes. Some people will like them, some people may not.”

According to Lee, the current cast is meant to “make it more appealing to the U.S. or to the English-language market.”

“Death Note” stars Nat Wolff who plays high school student Light Turner, who stumbles upon a mysterious notebook that can kill any name written into its pages. Directed by Adam Wingard, the film also stars Margaret Qualley, Keith Stanfield, Paul Nakauchi, Shea Whigham, and Willem Dafoe.

“People can criticize it, but I’d say that they should see the movie first,” Lee added. “Then they could accuse us of not having a diverse enough cast… just judge the movie after it comes out.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVW4JWdGnxI

Death Note will premiere on Netflix on Aug. 25.

Masi Oka goes from cool to the next Gedde Watanabe. :o

[Jimbo]

Personally, IMO if a Japanese story is adapted to be, say, set in America with American characters, then it can't be called whitewashing. Like the Ringu remake The Ring wasn't whitewashed, it was adapted from the original. If it had been set in Japan but with white characters, or worse, white characters with Japanese names, then it would have been whitewashing.

OTOH, if the producers are saying that Death Note could have gone to Asian actors but none could speak perfect English, then I'm calling BS. That's a bull**** copout. There are plenty of very good, U.S.-born actors of Asian descent who speak perfect American English. Did they just look over a few actors from China or Japan and decide that all Asians can't speak proper English?

If that's really the case, then if Masi Oka is honest about it, they didn't want to cast Asian actors because they don't think it's marketable, they're too lazy to *really* look, or they're too stupid to see through the stereotypes. Yes, even some Asians and Asian-Americans in Hollywood buy into the stereotypes.

BTW, Gene:

Was Masi Oka ever cool?

[GeneChing]

I guess this goes here. The idea of Hawaii 5-0 without Daniel and Grace is lame.



Everything to Know About the Hawaii Five-0 Equal Pay Controversy (http://time.com/4847554/hawaii-five-0-equal-pay-controversy/)
Cady Lang
Jul 06, 2017

Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, two of the stars of the long-running CBS police procedural Hawaii Five-0, will not be returning to the television series for season 8 due to failed contract negotiations.
Last week, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Kim and Park were leaving the series after having requested and been denied pay parity with their white co-stars and fellow veteran cast members, Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan. In a Facebook post published on Wednesday, Kim wrote, "CBS and I weren’t able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue." While Kim did not explicitly address the discussion about pay equity, many interpreted his remark that "the path to equality is rarely easy" as an allusion to the salary dispute.


https://scontent.fsnc1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p370x247/19665518_1500305656679324_6930672746218762080_n.jp g?oh=82c9538f2e4eabadb1d7647dcf0b65a7&oe=5A0C1F11
A MESSAGE TO MY FANS ABOUT HAWAII 5-0
Sorry for the delay in hearing from me, but like you I’m sure, my July 4th holiday was busy with friends and family. I’m back now and didn’t want to let any more time go by without reaching out. By now many of you have heard the news, and I’m sad to say it is true. I will not be returning to Hawaii Five-0 when production starts next week. Though I made myself available to come back, CBS and I weren’t able to agree to terms on a new contra...
See More
25K
9.7K
4.3K


Following Kim's post about leaving the show, CBS released a statement about both actors' departure, noting that they were offered "large and significant salary increases." Series showrunner Peter Lenkov also addressed the matter on his Twitter feed, writing that CBS had offered both actors "unprecedented raises."

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DEE5rynXsAAEVLX.jpg
Follow
Peter M. Lenkov ✔ @PLenkov
#H50 #HawaiiFive0 #Hawaii50 #Ohana
12:52 PM - 6 Jul 2017
140 140 Retweets 356 356 likes

According to Variety, Kim's and Park's final offers were reportedly 10-15% lower than those of O'Loughlin and Caan, who also receive a cut of the series' back-end deals. Kim and Park have appeared as regular cast members since the show premiered in 2010 and have the same number of episode credits as O'Loughlin and Caan.
Their departure raises new questions about diversity on the show, especially since series regular Masi Oka announced in January that he planned to leave the show. The absence of Kim and Park will result in a complete lack of Asian-American regulars on Hawaii Five-0 for season 8 — which may be perceived as problematic for a show set in a state where the majority of the population claims some Asian heritage.
The conversation takes place against the backdrop of ongoing discussions about the representation of Asian-Americans and the whitewashing of Asian-American roles in Hollywood. It also falls on the heels of CBS' admission that the network needs to do a better job with the diversity of the casts and showrunners of its series.
Kim's and Park's decision to leave the series was met with support from the industry, with everyone from Constance Wu to Courtney Love weighing in on the issue.

Follow
Constance Wu ✔ @ConstanceWu
��Here's to @danieldaekim & Grace Park standing up for equality. ��Know ur worth, ur value... & don't be afraid to stand up for it �� https://twitter.com/danieldaekim/status/882540068828839936 …
11:44 AM - 5 Jul 2017
1,712 1,712 Retweets 5,868 5,868 likes


30 Jun
Nancy Wang Yuen @nancywyuen
Asian Am actors wanted equal pay as white actors on Hawaii Five-O. Kim & Park exiting cuz no deal. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/daniel-dae-kim-grace-park-exit-hawaii-five-0-n778686?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_aa …

Follow
Courtney Love Cobain ✔ @Courtney
Kudos to @danieldaekim & Grace Park for walking out. Hollywood needs to embrace diversity and @RossButler is proving that it can and will ✌️
1:23 PM - 4 Jul 2017
13 13 Retweets 54 54 likes

Follow
Jenna Ushkowitz ✔ @JennaUshkowitz
"The path to equality is rarely easy. But I hope you can be excited about the future. I am" — @danieldaekim thank you thank you thank you ���� https://twitter.com/danieldaekim/status/882540068828839936 …
4:37 PM - 5 Jul 2017
36 36 Retweets 218 218 likes
Others called for O'Laughlin and Caan to stand in solidarity for equal pay in the same manner that the casts of The Big Bang Theory and Friends did.

Follow
Michael Kang @KANGisMAN
Would be nice if there was a united front for pay equality on the part of the some white "allies"? Mahalo for nothing, Alex and Scott #H5-0
4:54 PM - 5 Jul 2017
12 12 Retweets 30 30 likes


Follow
Matthew A. Cherry ✔ @MatthewACherry
All the other actors had to do is stand with them in solidarity and the issue would have been quickly resolved. https://twitter.com/Variety/status/880871062346489857 …
1:56 PM - 30 Jun 2017
6,112 6,112 Retweets 11,232 11,232 likes

Ain't no Jack Lord - that's all I can say. :o

[Jimbo]

Pretty lame of CBS, but not surprising.

I'm not really a fan of the show. I've seen episodes here and there over the years, and always found Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park to be far more interesting as both characters and actors than the guys playing McGarrett and Dano. The latter 2 guys I found annoying and whiny with their nonstop banter. Looks like Hawaii Five-O will be just another generic cop show with white and black leads.

If the treatment Daniel and Grace were given had been given to black actors, this would be raising a gigantic stink all over the news and Hollywood.

[GeneChing]

Curt Into the Badlands (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67844-Into-The-Badlands) reference in more of the 5-0 story on our yellow face/white washing thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing). Interested to see what Kim and Park might say eventually, but I do respect them playing it cool by being quiet about this so far.


In Hollywood, Asian American actors see few lead roles, and pay discrepancies when they land one (http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-hawaii-five-0-asian-actors-20170708-story.html)

http://www.trbimg.com/img-595eefde/turbine/la-1499394011-r1jeghov5s-snap-image/750/750x422
Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park have quit the CBS show "Hawaii Five-0" in a dispute over claims they were paid less than their white counterparts. Pictured are Scott Caan, left, Alex O'Loughlin, Park, Kim and Chi McBride. (CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images)

Meg James and David Ng

Korean American actor Edward Hong has played characters in dozens of TV shows and movies over the years, including as “Math Olympian Dude,” “Chinese Man #2” and, in a top-rated network sitcom, “Male Night Nurse.”

Soon, he will appear in the independent film “Please Stand By” as the “Cinnabon Guy.”

“In Hollywood, there are a lot of opportunities, but it is always for small roles with one-liners,” Hong said in an interview. “If you want to be a store owner, the nail salon lady or the IT-tech guy, those are the parts, but rarely do we get a chance to be the main character.”

He’s not bitter, he said, just realistic about the plight of being an Asian American actor in Hollywood.

Decades of racist caricatures — think Mickey Rooney playing the buck-toothed Mr. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” — have given way to an industry that is more inclusive, but where leading roles remain scarce. This week served as a stark reminder that even those who have reached some of the highest levels in the entertainment industry still face obstacles. Two prominent actors — Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park — quit CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” amid claims they were paid less than their white counterparts.

The controversy has motivated actors to be more vocal about what they say have been decades of inequities.

“The path to equality is rarely easy,” Kim wrote in a message on Facebook, thanking fans for supporting him on “Hawaii Five-0.”

Two years after the #OscarsSoWhite campaign shined a harsh light on Hollywood’s hiring and casting practices, some progress has been made. The film and TV industries have shown a heightened awareness of diversity and greenlighted more films with diverse casts. Television programs headlined by minorities, such as Fox’s “Empire” and ABC’s “black-ish,” have turned in strong ratings performances. Netflix’s “Master of None” stars the popular comedian Aziz Ansari, whose parents emigrated from India.

There are few other Asian Americans in leading roles beyond ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” loosely based around the experiences of an Asian immigrant family in the 1980s, ABC’s “Designated Survivor,” which depicts a determined FBI agent played by Maggie Q and AMC's martial arts drama “Into the Badlands,” which stars Daniel Wu as a talented warrior.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-595ef0ea/turbine/la-1499394278-xbznns3sms-snap-image/750/750x422
Grace Park, left, and Daniel Dae Kim quit CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" amid claims of pay inequity. CBS says both were offered "significant salary increases." (CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images)

But problems persist, particularly for Asian Americans. Filmmakers have tried to fend off charges of “whitewashing” even as they continue to rely on white actors to portray Asians on screen. Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of a Japanese manga, “Death Note,” stirred controversy when a producer, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, said the production searched for Asian actors but “couldn’t find the right person,” in large part because actors from Asia “didn’t speak the perfect English.”

That came after an outcry over Scarlett Johansson’s casting as the heroine in “Ghost in the Shell,” this year’s remake of a classic Japanese anime. In Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” last year, Tilda Swinton played the Ancient One, a character that is an Asian man in the original comics. Even the starring role in the big-budget Chinese period action film “The Great Wall” went to Matt Damon.

“There is a bias against Asian Americans,” said Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociology professor at Biola University who studies race and ethnicity in film and television. “I feel like we are invisible in society. We are nondescript and in a way dehumanized by not existing in scenes or having speaking roles. We are just part of the backdrop.”

Asian actors have been getting more work these days, in large part because of the flow of money from China. Movie studio executives hoping to enhance a film’s financial prospects in China, the world’s second-largest film market, have rounded out their casts with Asian faces. But those are often background roles.


“The Chinese actors say: ‘We are just flower vases. We don’t speak; we just stand there and look pretty,’ ” Hong said.

Asian Americans say they face unique challenges because of ingrained stereotypes, including a perception that Asians are not complainers and thus will show up and dutifully do the work. “We are always the model minority,” Hong said.

The Chinese actors say: ‘We are just flower vases. We don’t speak; we just stand there and look pretty,’ ”
— Edward Hong, Korean-American actor
Several people interviewed said part of the problem is that Asians don’t fit the studio chiefs’ vision of a leading man.

“I don’t believe people in showbiz are inherently racist,” said Christine Toy Johnson, a New York-based actress who has a recurring role on FX’s “The Americans” and recently appeared in guest spots on CBS’ “Madam Secretary” and USA’s “Mr. Robot.”

“There are different lenses with which we see things,” she said.

Ren Hanami, chairwoman of the SAG-AFTRA guild’s Asian Pacific American Media Committee, said she believes the problem is “systemic.”

“Most of the heads of studios are white men, and there will be some women and people of color,” Hanami said. “And then you have the creators of the show — most come from writing and Ivy League schools. All the people making those decisions are writing about themselves.”

USC’s Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative last year found that just 28.3% of all speaking characters were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups — a much lower percentage than the population at large. Asian Americans were particularly invisible. At least half of movies and TV shows, including on streaming services, “fail to portray one speaking or named Asian or Asian American on screen,” the USC report found.

Hollywood executives are “still stuck in a mid-20th century mindset,” said Chris Tashima, an L.A.-based actor and Oscar-winning short-film maker. “It’s the default for the creators of content to think ‘white’ when they’re thinking of stars.”

“Why aren’t there any Asian American stars? You need to cast the person for it to happen,” Tashima said.

CBS has been blistered by criticism before for its formula of casting white men in lead roles, then building shows around them. Although “Hawaii Five-0” boasts a large and diverse cast, the network considered Kim and Park supporting actors to the show’s two white leading men, Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.

Both had major acting credits before landing their parts on “Hawaii Five-0,” a 2010 reboot of the popular 1960s detective show that consistently ranks in the top 20 in ratings. Kim was a fan favorite on ABC’s “Lost,” and Park, a Canadian actress, was a main character on “Battlestar Galactica.”

“CBS promoted ‘Hawaii Five-0’ from the outset as an ensemble show with four co-stars, and it was clear that the two Asian American co-stars played absolutely crucial roles in the series,” said Daniel Mayeda, an entertainment attorney at Leopold, Petrich & Smith. “Without them, there is little to distinguish ‘Hawaii Five-0’ from any other cop show on the air.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

http://www.trbimg.com/img-595ef146/turbine/la-1499394370-iumagn5qtc-snap-image/750/750x422
CBS considered Kim and Park supporting actors to the show’s two white leading men, Scott Caan, left, and Alex O’Loughlin. (CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images)

Contract renegotiations stalled this spring when the television studio, CBS Productions, tried to lock in deals to bring the actors back for the show’s eighth season, which begins production next week. Both refused after being offered less money per episode than O’Loughlin and Caan.

This week, CBS and producers rejected the notion that Kim and Park were treated unfairly. Kim, for example, was offered a huge jump in salary — to about $195,000 an episode, which was $5,000 an episode less than what Caan and O’Loughlin receive, according to a person close to the production who was not authorized to divulge details of the sensitive negotiations. Kim also was offered a new production deal on CBS’ lot in Studio City. His pay before the offer is not known.

“Daniel and Grace have been important and valued members of ‘Hawaii Five-0’ for seven seasons,” CBS said in a statement. “We did not want to lose them and tried very hard to keep them with offers for large and significant salary increases.”

Kim and Park declined to comment.

Peter Lenkov, co-creator and executive producer of “Hawaii Five-0,” on Thursday stressed that the show was proud of its large and inclusive cast.

“The truth is this: Both actors chose not to extend their contracts,” he said. “CBS was extremely generous and proactive in their renegotiation talks. So much so, the actors were getting unprecedented raises, but in the end, they chose to move on. No one wanted to see them go — they are irreplaceable.”

Park, who lives in Vancouver when not shooting the show in Hawaii, had asked to dramatically reduce the number of episodes she appeared in, according to the knowledgeable source. “After being away from her family for seven years, I understood Grace’s decision to leave,” Lenkov said.

Critics on social media said the studio’s insistence it had offered the actors significant raises illustrates they had been underpaid for years.

There is little hard data proving Asian Americans in Hollywood are systematically underpaid. The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said it doesn’t track compensation beyond union minimums because the information is often kept under wraps by the studios, agents and individual actors.

Experts said this week’s furor over the “Hawaii Five-0” salary gap, and Kim’s taking a stand on the issue, could mark a turning point.

“Five years ago, this wouldn’t have gotten this kind of attention,” said Janet Yang, producer of “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “The Joy Luck Club.” She and others credited the #OscarsSoWhite controversy for encouraging Asian Americans to stand up for their rights.

“More people are emboldened now,” Yang said. “The African American community has led the conversation for so long, and now it’s expanded to other minorities.”

Social media and the rise of niche entertainment channels, YouTube and streaming services such as Netflix also have spurred traditional Hollywood players to be more inclusive.

“Because you have so many platforms where people can tell stories from underrepresented faces and voices, audiences are driving all these decision-makers to reevaluate all the things they greenlight,” said Adam Moore, SAG-AFTRA’s national director of equal employment opportunity and diversity.

Johnson, the actress, couldn’t recall auditioning for a lead in any pilot in the 20 years before “Fresh Off the Boat.” “That tells me a lot about where we are,” said Johnson, though she says there’s still room for improvement.

Tashima, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, agreed. “Growing up, I always felt second-rate because I wasn’t like the kids you saw on TV,” he said. “I’m seeing a lot of change now. It’s not as much as we want.”

What bugs me the most about this is that it's Hawaii, which is so Asian. Imagine if this were a show about Chinatown. It's kind of like that.

[Jimbo]

What bugs me the most about this is that it's Hawaii, which is so Asian. Imagine if this were a show about Chinatown. It's kind of like that.

I've read some of the online articles about this, and in the comments sections, the vast majority of comments by whites and/or non-Asians reflect the same mentality that creates this inequality in the first place:

"They should have taken the raises CBS offered to them and shut up."

"If this were in Asia, could a white person get equal billing?"

The first type of comment is idiotic and full of condescension. The second is idiotic and ignorant. There is NO Asian country that claims to be as much of a multi-cultural 'melting pot' as the U.S. does. Not even Malaysia or Indonesia. Not to mention that Asian-Americans are AMERICANS, not Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, etc., nationals. BIG difference.

Gene, Hollywood could set a cop drama in freaking Tokyo and it would star white actors.

Even though they've headlined Hawaii Five-0 for so many years, there is still absolutely nothing about Scott Caan and Alex O'Loughlin that screams 'star material'.

[GeneChing]

Gene, Hollywood could set a cop drama in freaking Tokyo and it would star white actors.


Isn't that what Ghost in the Shell (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68356-Ghost-in-the-Shell) is? :p

[GeneChing]

AUGUST 06, 2017 11:23am PT by Lesley Goldberg
Daniel Dae Kim Responds to 'Hawaii Five-0' Controversy (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/daniel-dae-kim-responds-hawaii-five-0-controversy-1027147)

http://cdn3.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/06/108560_0412b-h_2017.jpg
Courtesy of CBS
Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim on 'Hawaii Five-0'

"It's possible to be grateful and respectful of colleagues and still maintain a steadfast sense of your self-worth," the actor told reporters at TCA, where he was supporting ABC's 'The Good Doctor.'

Daniel Dae Kim made his first public remarks about his exit from CBS' Hawaii Five-0 and the controversy that arose after the network declined to offer salary parity for the actor and co-star Grace Park.

Kim and Park, who were both series regulars on the procedural's first seven seasons, made the decision to leave the series ahead of its upcoming eighth season after the network and producers CBS Television Studios did not offer them the same deals as white co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan.

"That was a really important part of my life for seven years, and I'm really grateful to CBS and everyone involved with the show for giving me the opportunity. I've known [CBS Entertainment president Kelly] Kelly and [CBS' senior exec vp programming] Thom Sherman for a while, I met Thom all the way back from the days on Lost. I know them and I like them, and I'm grateful to them for the words that they said on the panel the other day. That said, it's possible to be grateful for the opportunity and respectful of the colleagues and the people that I work with and still maintain a steadfast sense of your self-worth," Kim told reporters Sunday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, where he was supporting ABC's The Good Doctor (which he executive produces). "All good things come to an end. I close that chapter on Hawaii Five-0 and I begin this new chapter on The Good Doctor. And I couldn’t be more excited to be back at ABC where I started my career in earnest and to be working with such incredible people. This is the start of something new, and I'm really grateful for that, too."

A CBS insider in July stressed that Kim and Park's contract dispute had nothing to do with race. Kim, the source asserted, was offered a raise to come within 2 percent of what Caan and O'Loughlin make — minus the duo's lucrative points of the show's backend. Negotiations with Park, meanwhile, were complicated by the actress' desire to only do a handful of episodes and be written out of the show. But the CBS source noted a substantial increase was still offered to her.

"Not going to talk specifics of the deal or the negotiation. We love both those actors and did not want to lose them. We made very, very strong attempts to keep them and offered them a lot of money to stick around," Kahl told reporters earlier this week at TCA. "We wanted them to stick around. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of having a successful, long-running show, that sometimes you lose castmembers. We didn’t want it to happen, but it’s happened on CSI. It’s happened on Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order: SVU. Pretty much any network who’s had a successful, long-running show, at some point there’s some cast turnover. We didn’t want it to happen. We tried our darnedest to keep them."

In a heartfelt post on his Facebook page shortly after the news went viral, Kim revealed that he wanted to return for Hawaii Five-0's upcoming eighth season, but after he asked for salary parity with co-stars O'Loughlin and Caan, CBS and CBSTVS could not come to terms that worked for both stars. Sources note the duo's offer came in less than that of O'Loughlin and Caan, who both have a cut of the show's lucrative backend.

In a note on his Facebook page, Kim thanked fans, the cast, crew and creative team and singled out how important playing Chin Ho was to him: "As an Asian-American actor, I know first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities at all, let alone play a well-developed, three-dimensional character like Chin Ho. I will miss him sincerely. … [T]hough transitions can be difficult, I encourage us all to look beyond the disappointment of this moment to the bigger picture. The path to equality is rarely easy."

CBS' Kahl and his top lieutenant Sherman were hammered on the network's lack of inclusive casting and male-dominated lineup issues during their time before the press at TCA. "We are absolutely moving in the right direction," Kahl said, citing a 60 percent lift in non-white series regulars and ongoing efforts to include more people of color behind the scenes. "We are making progress."

To make up for Kim and Park's departures, Hawaii Five-0 has enlisted Meaghan Rath, Beulah Koale and Ian Anthony Dale for season eight. Dale has recurred on Hawaii Five-0 since season two as Adam Noshimuri, the husband of Park's Kono and a trusted confidant and resource for the team who will now be recruited by McGarrett (O'Loughlin) to work for Five-0.

Meanwhile, Kim told reporters he is content serving as an exec producer on The Good Doctor but has had talks with producers about a potential onscreen role as well. "I'm really content being behind the scenes on this show," Kim said. "At some point, I'd love to play with them. It'd be a nice opportunity. [Showrunner] David [Shore] and I have talked about it … but right now were working on the first few episodes."

Following the panel, Kim was asked two pointed questions about how close CBS' offer was and if he'd ever return to Hawaii Five-0 and declined comment on both before he was rushed offstage and away from a pack of reporters.

'We tried our darnedest...' :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Here we go again. :roll eyes:


‘Hellboy’ Casting Of Ed Skrein As Japanese Character Draws Whitewashing Backlash (http://deadline.com/2017/08/hellboy-rise-of-the-blood-queen-ed-skrein-ben-daimio-mike-mignola-whitewashing-backlash-asian-american-hollywood-1202155153/)
by Dino-Ray Ramos
August 23, 2017 6:13pm

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/skrein-hellboy.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
REX/Shutterstock

The latest casting of Ed Skrein in the upcoming Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen has raised a lot of eyebrows — specifically in the Asian American community. The British actor is set to play the role of Ben Daimio, who, in the Mike Mignola comic books, is a Japanese American whose heritage has a heavy influence on his character.

Skrein took to Twitter to express his excitement in the role in the Hellboy reboot of an Asian character, whose grandmother was a Japanese Imperial assassin in World War II. True to Internet form, a backlash ignited and it wasn’t long until a flood of comments filled his feed.

One commenter said, “You’re a talented actor; why would you take away a role from an Asian colleague?” Asian actor Simu Liu (Taken, Kim’s Convenience) chimed in saying “Hey Hollywood, how many box office flops does it take for you to learn how to cast properly? #hellboy #whitewashedout” while Stephanie Sheh, an actress who does voiceover work in anime, said “Here we go again. Why Hollywood do you keep forcing me to boycott your films. #whitewash #hellboy.” Amidst the backlash, Hellboy creator Mignola chimed in saying, “Thanks and happy you’ve signed on.” Lionsgate declined to comment about the casting when contacted by Deadline.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHyWgPyXkAAlNN8.jpg:large

Ed Skrein‏ (https://twitter.com/edskrein?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2017%2F08%2Fhe llboy-rise-of-the-blood-queen-ed-skrein-ben-daimio-mike-mignola-whitewashing-backlash-asian-american-hollywood-1202155153%2F)Verified account @edskrein Aug 21
Excited to join the #Hellboy cast as Ben Daimio. All praise due to the creator @artofmmignola 🙏🏼 #BPRD

There was less of a concern of dragging Skrein and more of focus on why something like this would happen again after Hollywood’s recent track record of casting white actors as Asian and Asian American characters — which hasn’t gone over to well. Most recently Netflix’s adaptation of the manga Death Note was under fire for whitewashing, using white actors as a replacement for characters of color. The original source material follows a Japanese teen named Light Yagami, but in the reboot, he is played by a white teen in Seattle named Light Turner, played by Nat Wolff. In addition, his love interest is named Mia Sutton who is played by Margaret Qualley. In the manga, her name is Misa Amane — who is also portrayed as Japanese.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/death-note.jpg?w=301&h=202&crop=1
Netflix

Previous to Death Note, there has been numerous amount of “whitewashing” of Asian roles that have lit a fire under the Asian American community. Emma Stone portrayed Allison Ng in Cameron Crowe’s Aloha. With a last name like “Ng” it is obvious that the character is Asian. Her heritage in the movie is revealed as one-quarter Hawaiian, with a half-Asian father. The casting of Tilda Swinton as “The Ancient One” in Doctor Strange was appreciated for its gender-swapping but was frowned upon because the character is traditionally Asian.

Other “whitewashing” controversies that have been hovering over Hollywood include Scarlett Johansson in the starring role in the live-adaptation of Ghost in the Shell as the Major, who, in the original source material has the Japanese name Major Motoko Kusanagi. Matt Damon in The Great Wall was another source of controversy as well as the announcement of Black Sails actor Zach McGowan as the star of Ni’ihau, a film based on a true story set during WWII when Shigenori Nishikaichi, an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot, crash-landed his Zero on the eponymous Hawaiian island after participating in the attack on Pearl Harbor. McGowan will play Ben Kanahele, an island leader who saves Nishikaichi before learning his part in the attack. Kanahele is Pacific Islander and McGowan is of Jewish and Irish descent.

[GeneChing]

I never watched this as an anime so I don't plan to tune into it as a Netflix live action. Anyone else here into Death Note?


AUGUST 26, 2017 9:00am PT by Rebecca Sun
'Death Note' Is What Happens When Filmmakers Don't See Race (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/death-note-netflix-movie-is-what-happens-filmmakers-dont-see-race-1032885)
American adaptations need to realize that multiculturalism, not high production value, is its greatest strength.

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/08/dn_unit_01186_r_crop_-_h_2017_0.jpg
Courtesy of Netflix
Lakeith Stanfield in 'Death Note'

American adaptations need to realize that multiculturalism, not high production value, is its greatest strength.
[Warning: This story contains minor spoilers for Netflix’s Death Note.]

Like fellow manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell, Netflix’s Death Note has been dogged by whitewashing criticism since castings were first announced. In translating Japanese source material for an English-language audience, Hollywood renditions have unfailingly employed white protagonists, despite the existence of English-speaking Americans of Japanese or other descents.

Unlike Paramount’s Scarlett Johansson-starring flop, though, director Adam Wingard’s Death Note transplants the setting from Japan to the U.S. (specifically, Seattle — where, it must be said, Asians are the second-biggest racial demographic in real life). Still, the casual Netflix surfer who watches Death Note unaware of its history is unlikely to notice the absence of Asians; other than a white American cop’s inexplicable decision to name his son "Light," Wingard successfully erases all traces of cultural context from his film. Unfortunately, he does too good a job with it, because Death Note takes place in a country wholly unlike our own.

In Death Note, teen serial killer Light (Nat Wolff) is pursued by the mysterious private detective L, a fellow teen genius as defined by his behavioral quirks as he is by his staggering intellect. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting actor for the American L than Lakeith Stanfield, a breakout for his eccentric performance as Darius on FX’s Atlanta and surely one of the most idiosyncratic and gifted talents of his generation. And the prospect of seeing a young black L lead an international coalition of law enforcement and intelligence officers on a manhunt for a global mass murderer is full of rich dramatic promise and adds potential layers of commentary to the original mono-cultural Japanese version.

But L’s blackness is never addressed, often distractingly so. When Light's father Detective Turner (Shea Whigham) meets the great L, masked by a pulled-up turtleneck, he says, “I figured you’d be older … and that I could see more of your face.” Turner the character may have refrained from noting L’s race out of a sense of politeness, but Death Note’s curious color-blindness is to its own detriment. The film offers several visuals seemingly without awareness of their resonance in the real world: a hooded L appearing on the national news, L brandishing a gun as he chases Light through the streets, Det. Turner putting L in a chokehold. It’s not that those images are offensive to include; on the contrary, they are startling and fascinating and could have elevated Death Note, if only the filmmakers understood their import. As Indiewire’s David Erlich wrote in his Death Note review, “Why go through all the trouble of setting Death Note in America if you’re not going to set it in the real one?”

Obviously, Death Note is supernatural fantasy. But great speculative fiction bends physical circumstances and rules while reflecting real-world truths about the human condition and how we interact with one another. That’s why audiences can easily suspend disbelief about rich white people who hypnotize and hijack black bodies through neurosurgery, and yet the most terrifying part of Get Out is near the end, when a police cruiser comes upon the bloodied black male protagonist on a lonely road. Director Jordan Peele understood that we don’t watch movies and TV shows in a vacuum.

Wingard ambitiously compared Death Note to Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning The Departed, based on Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs. But The Departed succeeds because its characters don’t just happen to be white. They are specifically white: The film uses Infernal Affairs’ cops-and-gangsters premise to tell a story steeped in Boston’s Irish-American community. It has the ring of authenticity.

Death Note is what happens when filmmakers are color-blind but not color-conscious. In many cases, color-blind casting has been used to justify certain decisions, such as when Hellboy executive producer Christa Campbell explained that film’s recent decision to cast white Brit Ed Skrein as Japanese-American comic-book character Ben Daimio. “Someone comes and does a great audition [to] get the role,” she wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “Stop projecting your own **** onto us. We are all one. We don’t see colors or race.”

And that’s a shame, because America’s greatest storytelling strength isn’t high production values. It’s multiculturalism — access to an array of backgrounds and identities, and an ability to find out what happens when they collide. It’s a huge advantage that multicultural nations have over more culturally ****genous ones. Death Note, like all the manga adaptations that have come before it, fails to make use of this tool, reducing its primary task to linguistic shifts and superficial face swaps.

[Jimbo]

It's actually quite funny, regarding Hellboy producer Christa Campbell's remarks. Since it's primarily Asian-Americans complaining about whitewashing a definitely Asian character, she's essentially giving the typical white person's response: "STFU and know your place."

OTOH, if it were African-Americans complaining about a whitewashed character, she's have said, "We sincerely apologize to the African-American community for our insensitivity and stupidity at miscasting such an incredible black character with a white actor, and promise from the depths of our hearts to never do it again. There is no excuse for our ignorance, and we are doing everything in our power to change and give African-American actors the opportunities they richly deserve."

The difference between a condescending response and full-out a$$-kissing is in the general perception of a specific group/demographic, and the perceived amount of public backlash and media outrage they are likely to receive from it.

[GeneChing]

Good play for Ed. He now becomes a hero. Let's see if they recast Daimio as Asian.


Ed Skrein Leaves ‘Hellboy’ Reboot After Whitewashing Backlash; Lionsgate & Millennium Respond (http://deadline.com/2017/08/ed-skrein-hellboy-whitewashing-backlash-lionsgate-millennium-1202157461/)
by Dino-Ray Ramos
August 28, 2017 12:42pm

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/ed-skrein.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
REX/Shutterstock

Last week, Ed Skrein was excited to announce he would be playing the character of Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming Hellboy: Rise Of The Blood Queen. In the comics, the character is of Asian heritage, and the news prompted immediate backlash from the Asian Pacific American community. Today, Skrein took to Twitter responding to the public outcry, saying he is stepping down from the role and that, “I must do what I feel is right.”

In a statement to Deadline, Hellboy producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin, Lionsgate and Millennium said: “Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision. It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material.”

Read Skrein’s full statement:


View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/edskrein/status/902244967296491520/photo/1)
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Ending his tweet with “I hope it makes a difference,” Skrein made it clear he was listening to the APA community and is aware of the importance of inclusion and proper representation in the arts. His thoughtful response and decision to leave the project may be the start of more projects to follow suit when casting roles meant for people of color.

[Jimbo]

Great decision by Ed Skrein. And he did it quickly, too.

[GeneChing]

http://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/c_crop,d_placeholder_euli9k,h_1620,w_2880,x_0,y_0/dpr_2.0/c_limit,w_740/fl_lossy,q_auto/v1492113685/articles/2016/04/05/agents-of-shield-s-chloe-bennet-why-movies-and-marvel-need-to-diversify/160404-leon-chloe-bennet-tease2_ji0vv1
RISING STAR
http://www.thedailybeast.com/agents-of-shields-chloe-bennet-why-i-stopped-using-my-chinese-last-name
TV’s only Asian-American superhero opens up about the need for representation onscreen—and why her band of SHIELD agents totally belong in Marvel’s movies.
MELISSA LEON
04.05.16 1:34 AM ET

Four years ago, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD star Chloe Bennet was known professionally as Chloe Wang, aspiring actress and teenage dabbler in Shanghai pop stardom. In the states, however, Hollywood casting agents were less than welcoming.
At least until she changed her last name.

“Oh, the first audition I went on after I changed my name, I got booked,” Bennet tells The Daily Beast, in an interview timed to Marvel’s Women of Power month. “So that’s a pretty clear little snippet of how Hollywood works.”
That audition was for the role of Hailey, an office assistant on ABC’s Nashville. That same year, Bennet was cast as the lead in Marvel’s first cinematic universe TV show, the Joss Whedon-created SHIELD. Over three seasons, Skye, a headstrong young “hacktivist” who gets recruited by SHIELD and eventually discovers her real identity, the half-Inhuman Daisy Johnson (aka Quake), has evolved into what is still a rarity on TV: a superhero who happens to be both female and Asian-American.

“I wish people talked about that more,” Bennet says. “I don't know if it’s good or bad, but when Supergirl came out, people were like, ‘This is the only superhero on TV that’s a female!’ And I was like, ‘Hold on! I’m pretty sure Daisy’s been here.’ And I also happen to be half-Chinese and I’m so proud of that.”

“I want to be clear because some of my Asian-American fans seem to think I did that [changed last names] because I didn’t want to known as Chinese, but it’s so the opposite,” she adds. “I just wanted to be known as me and let my personality define who I was, rather than my ethnicity.”

Bennet—who is loud and funny and blunt in conversation—then launches into her SHIELD audition story, told with a mixture of endearing self-loathing and pride.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffDrn62AWYk

“When we were down to seven girls [up for the role of Skye], it was this completely diverse group of girls I was up against. And it was really about who was right for the part,” she says. “We were testing and we came out of the room and I was up next and Joss Whedon was there and said, ‘Hi.’ I got kind of nervous and looked at him. He just looked really tired. And I was like, ‘You look like ****’—this right before I went in for my last audition.
“He started laughing and was like, ‘Well, I am tired,’” she says, groaning at the memory. “And I was like, ‘I mean, you look tired in a good way, like you’re really busy! And accomplished!’ It was so Skye Season 1 that I think he was like, ‘Yup, that’s her.’”
Because of Marvel’s “cinematic universe” design, SHIELD takes place during the events of the comic book movie franchise’s big-screen exploits—meaning that whatever havoc the Avengers wreak in their city-smashing adventures has real-world consequences for the show’s on-the-ground SHIELD agents.

http://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/d_placeholder_euli9k/dpr_2.0/c_limit,w_585/fl_lossy,q_auto/v1/articles/2016/04/05/agents-of-shield-s-chloe-bennet-why-movies-and-marvel-need-to-diversify/160405-leon-chloe-bennet-embed_cuxn1c

When Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed that the evil Nazi organization HYDRA had been embedded within SHIELD since shortly after World War II, the show, whose entire first season built up to the events of Winter Soldier, took that and ran with it, spinning out two seasons of intrigue.
But while Marvel’s movies often affect the show, SHIELD’s narrative rarely bears weight on the big-budget blockbusters—even when the stories it’s telling should. In the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, for example, Marvel’s superheroes choose whether to submit to official government oversight, a measure (called the Sokovia Accords, the onscreen version of the comic books’ Superhero Registration Act) pushed on them by a United Nations panel.
Incorporating SHIELD’s ongoing Inhumans storyline would actually raise the stakes of the movie: The presence of hundreds if not thousands of undiscovered Inhumans (people with the ability to develop superpowers) would give governments extra incentive to push the Sokovia Accords on all superhumans. Recent interviews with Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo, however, indicate the directing duo are entirely unconcerned with what’s going on in the world of SHIELD.

https://media.giphy.com/media/DxOMqf4amIaLS/giphy.gif

“I think we’re all on the same page besides them,” Bennet says, sighing at the missed opportunity. “But they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do, and I’m really happy with our little show. We’ve been dealing with the topic of Civil War for a while now—at least, Daisy has. She’s a SHIELD agent but also a human and she’s completely torn.”
If Bennet had her way, of course, Civil War would bring certain SHIELD-specific changes to the Marvel universe: “I would like us to be put in the movie,” she laughs. “That would make sense. I would like the Avengers to find out that Agent Coulson’s still alive. And Daisy’s incredibly powerful. I think you’ll see toward the end of the season her strength as a character and a leader, and her power as a superhero really expands—I’m just saying, the Avengers could use our help, if they just asked.”
Marvel’s TV universe, in the meantime, continues to expand, with street-level heroes like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist getting their own Netflix shows. With the latter series’s casting announcement—revealing that Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones will be taking on the role of Danny Rand—a familiar refrain decrying the MCU’s lack of diversity reverberated across the Internet again.
When asked if she was among the thousands calling for the traditionally white Danny Rand—a kung fu master—to be played by an Asian actor, Bennet answers without missing a beat.

https://media.giphy.com/media/5Wiqc2EtYJfNK/giphy.gif

“One hundred percent. I actually saw that [casting] news and I can’t lie, I was a little [disappointed],” she says, before breaking into laughter again. “I love Marvel, but…”
“I know they want to stay true to their characters but, you know, every female character in Marvel comics also has, like, triple-Z-sized boobs,” she reasons. “So if they cast actors based on the way characters look on the page, I don’t think even Scarlett Johansson—well, maybe Scarlett Johansson—would be in the movies.”
As for Marvel’s ever-expanding movie arm—which will feature its first character of color in a stand-alone film in 2018’s Black Panther—Bennet maintains there’s room for improvement there as well.
“I think they could do better,” she says. “You know, there are a lot of white guys named Chris. But I think they will, because it’s important. It’s the right thing to do. Marvel’s a smart company and I think they will represent their fans from around the world. They can take note from the way we’re going on the show, ’cause we’re doing a pretty good job.”
In terms of gender dynamics, Bennet points out that “90 percent of the rescuing” done in SHIELD is by female characters and “90 percent” of the stunts are performed by women actors as well, including herself. Still, she’s anxiously awaiting her character Daisy’s introduction as a playable character in the Marvel mobile game Contest of Champions in the fall, for the sake of watching Quake in action minus the actual stunt work.
“I’m so stoked. My brother is so jealous,” she laughs. “I’m really excited to get to do all these stunts without actually getting hurt. I’m currently covered in bruises.”
Bruises never stopped a badass lady from rescuing those in need, of course. “[Our characters] don’t need any rescuing from men,” Bennet says. “We can handle ourselves very well, thank you.”

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65907-Marvel-s-Agents-of-S-H-I-E-L-D) & whitewashing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)

[GeneChing]

If this happens, I'd make an effort to support this film and I'm not that into Hellboy. It's like the Star Wars cantina scene on steroids. :p


SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 2:29pm PT by Borys Kit
Daniel Dae Kim in Talks to Replace Ed Skrein in 'Hellboy' Reboot (Exclusive) (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/daniel-dae-kim-talks-replace-ed-skrein-hellboy-reboot-1037038)

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2016/07/daniel_dae_kim.jpg
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Daniel Dae Kim

Skrein left the project after an outcry over whitewashing an Asian-American character.

Daniel Dae Kim, who recently left CBS’ Hawaii Five-0, is in negotiations to join the cast of Lionsgate and Millennium’s Hellboy reboot.

Kim will step into the role left vacant by Ed Skrein after an outcry over whitewashing a Asian-American character.

Kim will play Major Ben Daimio, a rugged military member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense who, due to a supernatural encounter, can turn into a jaguar when angered or in pain. The character is Japanese-American in the Hellboy comics by creator Mike Mignola.

Skrein had nabbed the role in August but, after a social media protest, made the unprecedented move to step down later that month.

“It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voice in the Arts. I feel it is important to honor and respect that,” he said in a statement.

Lionsgate concurred, saying, “It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material."

Kim is Korean-American, and the actor is no stranger to standing up for his beliefs. In June, he quit Hawaii Five-0 after a salary dispute with CBS, as he had been seeking equal pay to the show’s stars, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. His departure, along with co-star Grace Park, left the show temporarily without Asian regulars.

David Harbour (Stranger Things) is starring in Hellboy, which reboots the franchise centered on the demonic hero from the Mignola comic books. Game of Thrones director Neil Marshall is helming the project.

Kim has been acting since the early 1990s and has appeared on shows such as ER and Angel. He became a known quantity and star thanks to his breakout work on ABC’s Lost, and co-starred on Five-O since it launched in 2010.

Kim is repped by UTA.

[Jimbo]

I think very few people remember, or are even aware, that Daniel Dae Kim played a Shaolin monk in the 1991 film American Shaolin, by HK's Seasonal Film Corp. Corey Yuen and Yuen Tak did the fight choreography. It was one of the Seasonal Film's designed specifically to bring HK-style action to the American market. That role was the very first time I had ever seen Daniel Dae Kim, and I only remembered him much later when I recognized him in other stuff.

[GeneChing]

If this happens, I'd make an effort to support this film and I'm not that into Hellboy. Well, I guess I'm committed now.


SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 12:08pm PT by Borys Kit
Daniel Dae Kim Applauds Ed Skrein for Bowing Out of 'Hellboy' Amid Whitewashing Outcry (Exclusive) (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/daniel-dae-kim-applauds-ed-skrein-bowing-hellboy-whitewashing-outcry-1038647)

http://cdn4.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/09/daniel_dae_kim_and_ed_skrein_-_split_-_getty_-_h_2017.jpg
Getty Images
Daniel Dae Kim, Ed Skrein

In his statement to THR, Kim confirms his casting and applauds Skrein and the producers for "championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors."

Daniel Dae Kim, officially confirming he has joined the cast of Lionsgate and Millennium’s Hellboy reboot, issued a statement thanking the movie’s producers and Ed Skrein, the actor who stepped aside so that a culturally appropriate person could take the role.

“I applaud the producers and, in particular, Ed Skrein for championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors,” said Kim. “He could not have addressed the issue more elegantly and I remain indebted to him for his strength of character."

Kim is playing Major Ben Daimio, a rugged military member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense who, due to a supernatural encounter, can turn into a jaguar when angered or in pain. The character is Japanese-American in the Hellboy comics by creator Mike Mignola.

In August, Skrein was cast in the part but, after an outcry over whitewashing an Asian-American character, made the unprecedented move to step down later that month.

“It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voice in the Arts. I feel it is important to honor and respect that,” Skrein said in a statement at the time.

In his statement, Kim now says, "I’m excited to confirm that I’ve officially joined the cast of Hellboy. We start shooting today and I’ll be playing Ben Daimio, alongside our very talented cast, headed by David Harbour, and director, Neil Marshall. Thank you for all the supportive tweets and comments, especially in light of the recent events surrounding its original casting."



I think very few people remember, or are even aware, that Daniel Dae Kim played a Shaolin monk in the 1991 film American Shaolin, by HK's Seasonal Film Corp. You know, I'm not sure I ever saw this. I was thinking about taht film when my Shixiong Matt Polly came out with his book American Shaolin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26966-American-Shaolin-by-Matt-Polly), and I honestly can't remember anything about it, so maybe I never saw it. I suppose I should, huh?

[Jimbo]

You know, I'm not sure I ever saw this. I was thinking about taht film when my Shixiong Matt Polly came out with his book American Shaolin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26966-American-Shaolin-by-Matt-Polly), and I honestly can't remember anything about it, so maybe I never saw it. I suppose I should, huh?

It's a low-budget Shaolin ripoff of Karate Kid, but IMO it's more entertaining than KK. It's one of those 'so bad it's good' types of movies (like all of those American Seasonal Film productions). The fight scenes are certainly better. It IS a stereotypical white savior movie, and unfortunately Daniel Dae Kim only has a supporting role, but he looked good in the fight scenes he had.

Overall, American Shaolin's target audience seems to be Caucasian-American nerds with yellow fever and fantasies of glory who were picked on by the jocks in high school, lol. The main bad guy/bully's name is 'Trevor Gotitall' (get it?). :rolleyes:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zdzUupoGJc&sns=em

[GeneChing]

Well, that's a twist.


Fullmetal Alchemist Anime Director Criticizes The Live-Action Movie's All-Japanese Cast (https://kotaku.com/fullmetal-alchemist-anime-director-criticizes-the-live-1818572401)
Brian Ashcraft
9/20/17 5:00am

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--0QadpHJo--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/lmnrmz3vh5x37hq5e8jp.png

The live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movie cast is all-Japanese, even if the characters are not. The anime’s director says this was “a bad idea.”

While speaking at a recent stage show in Tokyo, Fullmetal Alchemist anime director Seiji Mizushima is quoted by ANN as saying, “It was a bad idea to only use Japanese actors.”

Continuing, Mizushima added, “If you asked me whether I think the cast could pull it off, I’d say that no, they can’t.” He also said, “It’s hard for actors to capture the look and feel of the original manga.”

He didn’t have kind words for the recent live-action Gintama adaptation, saying that it “just looked stupid.”

That doesn’t mean Mizushima hopes the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movie will fail. On the contrary, while he mentioned the merits of anime adaptations, he did say he was “rooting” for the Fullmetal Alchemist movie. Bad ideas and all, I guess.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Sometimes it feels that people have forgotten that TRUE equality means the best people for the job REGARDLESS of race.

[GeneChing]

The main bad guy/bully's name is 'Trevor Gotitall' (get it?). :rolleyes:
Thanks for the link. Now I'll have to check it out sometime. :p


Sometimes it feels that people have forgotten that TRUE equality means the best people for the job REGARDLESS of race. True but when the job has a race element intrinsic to the role, that gets complicated. There's a double standard for sure, but that's exactly the point. For example, you can't cast a white Othello, but you could cast a multi-racial Hamlet. Did you ever see the Peter Brook's The Mahabharata (1989)? It's the Indian classic, but Brook assembled a very diverse cast and it was amazing. It gave the tale a much more universal feel like it should have.


Gavin Polone on Race, Business and the Real Cost of Hollywood Whitewashing (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gavin-polone-race-business-real-cost-hollywood-whitewashing-1041185)
6:30 AM PDT 9/21/2017 by Gavin Polone

http://cdn5.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2017/09/princesses_illo.jpg
Illustration by: Lars Leetaru

Should Arab Princess Jasmine be played by an Indian actress? No way, but when a ‘Hellboy’ actor gives up a role that had been reconceived for him, it sets a dangerous creative precedent that impacts Hollywood and could even stunt efforts toward inclusion.
When I was 9, my mother took me to a production of The King and I that starred Ricardo Montalban as the King of Siam. This was prior to Montalban premiering in Fantasy Island and pitching the "fine Corinthian leather" of the Chrysler Cordoba in TV commercials, so my familiarity with him came from the original Planet of the Apes movies, where he played Senor Armando, a circus owner who is sympathetic to the cause of talking apes. As I watched the musical, I remember thinking it was disturbing that a man I knew to be Mexican was playing the king of an Asian nation. By that time, most people knew that white actors donning blackface was wrong, but I was in the minority with my discomfort with the idea that brown actors were thought to be like Type O blood and could play any ethnicity. The L.A. Times, writing about King and I, lauded Moltanban's racial pliability by noting, without irony, how he "has kept his name above the title for more than a quarter century by stamping his own interpretation on roles, playing Japanese, Greeks, Italians, Armenians, French, Indians, Germans and Turks."

That a Mexican actor playing a Thai or Japanese character drew no further comment in 1974 isn't remarkable. That we're still trying to figure out, 43 years later, when a person of one race or distinct ethnicity should be cast as a character of another, is. The answer is pretty black and white: They shouldn't. Joseph Fiennes shouldn't have played Michael Jackson, even for a comedic TV anthology; Jake Gyllenhaal shouldn't have played the prince of Persia; Rooney Mara shouldn't have played a Native American in Pan; and the con*troversy surrounding the casting of Naomi Scott as Jasmine, an Arab, in Disney's remake of Aladdin is fully warranted. Maybe there aren't any Arab actresses as good as Scott, or maybe those in charge found her look more "appealing," but casting an Indian-British woman as an Arab can only come off as another example of "brown is brown," and that is unacceptable.

While those examples are clearly improper, other cases of "whitewashing" land in the gray zone. As important as it is to call out obviously racist or insensitive casting choices, it is just as important to define what should be permissible when representing ethnicity onscreen and what isn't really a problem and should not be dragged into this discussion.

http://cdn4.thr.com/sites/default/files/2017/09/memoirs_of_a_geisha_embed.jpg
From left: Zhang, Yeoh and Gong in Memoirs of a Geisha.
David James/Columbia/Dreamworks/Spyglass/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

In 2005, there was outrage in Japan for the casting of Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, as well as Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, as leads in Memoirs of a Geisha. Given the historical tensions that have remained since World War II, the obtuseness of these choices was clear (as was changing the eye color to blue of the Asian woman on the poster). But even without political tensions, is it OK that Randall Park, a Korean-American, plays a Taiwanese-American on Fresh Off the Boat? I could see that go either way. Can any Latino play the part of any Latin American? Can a Spaniard play a Peruvian? I'm not sure. Many Latin Americans are partly or wholly of Spanish heritage, just as most white Americans have European ancestors. What about a Brazilian playing a Chilean? I think the answer to all of those questions is, "It depends."

Where the "whitewashing" label is misapplied is when a character is changed from an ethnicity in the source material to another to accommodate a specific actor. This is not the same as casting someone of one race to play a character of another. Much has been made of Scarlett Johansson's starring role in Ghost in the Shell, whose character in the original Japanese anime was, of course, Japanese; and Tilda Swinton being cast in Doctor Strange as the Ancient One, a character who was Tibetan in the comic. Neither of these examples was evidence of the distasteful racism of white actors playing a race other than their own, but rather the common business choice of adapting a property for a wider audience. The Ghost in the Shell filmmakers changed the location from Japan to a nonspecific future world, with the intent of making the premise more accessible to a global audience. In moving the location from Japan, the film didn't need its heroine to be any specific ethnicity (not to mention that she was a robot); what she did have to be was a big star capable of justifying a huge budget, and Johansson is that.

Remaking a foreign property for a larger audience always involves changes. In 1960, when Yul Brynner, a Russian who won an Oscar for The King and I, remade Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, he didn't develop it as an English-language version of a Japanese samurai movie but rather as a Western, which was a more popular genre throughout the world. This wasn't "whitewashing," just smart business. Casting Eli Wallach, a Jew from Brooklyn, as a Mexican in the film was egregious "whitewashing," though.

Marvel Studios claimed that it changed the Ancient One in Doctor Strange from a Tibetan monk to a Celtic woman to avoid the stereotype of an old Asian wise man. Of course, it could have changed that stereotype by keeping the character as Tibetan and not writing him stereotypically. My guess is that Marvel wanted to run from any connection to a Tibetan character, given the conflict between Tibet and the Chinese government. China is the second largest film market in the world, and Disney's theme parks there are visited by 17 million people a year. There is no reason to believe that this was anything other than a one-time instance of "greenwashing," rather than "whitewashing," and it is unrealistic to think that the world's largest media company should risk a huge financial hit to preserve the cultural integrity of a secondary character in a movie.

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/2017/09/racebusiness_embed.jpg
Eric McCandless/ABC; Jay Maidment/Marvel; Courtesy of Photofest
Park in Fresh Off the Boat, Swinton in Doctor Strange and Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia.

It is unfortunate, though, that actor Ed Skrein felt he had to drop out of the new Hellboy movie because some disagreed with him being cast in a part that is Japanese-American in the comic. It's not as though Skrein would have been a better economic choice than Daniel Dae Kim, the Korean-American who replaced him. Actually, I think Kim is better from a marketing perspective. The filmmakers were making a creative choice in going with Skrein, and the outside pressure to change creative decisions because a fictional character was one race or another is a double-edged sword. After all, a similar creative decision led Marvel to change Nick Fury, who is white in the Avengers comic, and cast Samuel L. Jackson, which was an inspired move and led to greater diversity in the franchise. And if those who protested Skrein wanted true ethnic alignment with the comics, they should still be upset that a Japanese-American wasn't cast.

Those who identify and protest "whitewashing" and push for realistic change are helping, for the most part, to move the industry forward in depictions of ethnicity. Studios and filmmakers need to listen for these cues from the community and make changes. And when it is unclear if it will be acceptable to cast an actor outside of the ethnicity of the character in question, there are always two possible alternatives: 1) cast the best actor available who is of the same ethnicity as the character; or 2) cast Lou Diamond Phillips. Phillips has played more ethnicities than almost anyone, from the Mexican-American singer Ritchie Valens in La Bamba to, yes, King Mongkut in The King and I. Phillips can do this because he was born in the Philippines to a Filipina mother of Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian and Spanish heritage and to an American father who was one-quarter Cherokee. So, when in doubt, LDP's got you covered.

[sanjuro_ronin]

People should just stick to what was written.
If its a bald asian man, it should be the best bald asian actor you can get.
If its a blonde skinny girl with bog boobs it should be the best blonde skinny big boobed actor you can get.
I saw the Death Note Netflex movie and it suck compared to the anime and not because it was whitewashed but because it wasn't very good, period.
The obvious white/black washing made it worse for those that saw the anime,but only because the writers weren't smart enough to make the movie different, yet based on the premise, of the anime.
Bad writing.

[Jimbo]

An insightful interview with Jake Choi on the emasculation/desexualization of Asian males in Hollywood:

https://www.salon.com/2016/06/01/asian_men_in_media_are_so_desexualized_rising_star _jake_choi_fights_the_hollywood_odds_against_asian _american_actors/

This interview is relatively brief, and really only discusses the tip of the iceberg.

[GeneChing]

The Last Samurai, Shogun, this...Do we need an indie thread for Gaijin movies? :rolleyes:


2.23.2018
JARED LETO STARS AS A JAPANESE GANGSTER IN 'THE OUTSIDER' (http://blog.angryasianman.com/2018/02/jared-leto-stars-as-japanese-gangster.html#more)
Wait, what?

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8tKsIt026Y/Wo-wI2R-iQI/AAAAAAAAJJI/ZHxMtClQQtkDKhaKx5yter7SqRafxSNigCLcBGAs/s1600/theoutsider01.jpg

In the illustrious Hollywood tradition of movies about white dudes who are better at being Asian than actual Asians, here's your first look at the Yakuza period thriller The Outsider, in which Jared Leto becomes a Japanese gangster. Wait, whaaat? Yup. The Netflix original movie follows a white guy who works his way up the ranks to become a rare non-Japanese member of the fearsome Yakuza.

The official synopsis reads: "Set in post-WWII Japan, an imprisoned American soldier (Leto) is released with the help of his Yakuza cellmate. Now free, he sets out to earn their respect and repay his debt while navigating the dangerous criminal underworld." I assume this means that the white guy will do a lot of way crazier **** than any of the Japanese guys, to prove his worth. And romance some Japanese ladies along the way, of course.

Here's the trailer:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNNcl2mEHzQ

Oh, brother.

Directed by Martin Zandvliet, The Outsider also stars Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shiina and Shioli Kutsuna. You know, in another grand Hollywood tradition of really great Asian actors playing supporting roles to white stars.

We actually first heard about this movie back in 2011, when Warner Bros. originally acquired the script. I said this back then, as I've said many times before and since, and I'll say it again: Hollywood can make a movie set anywhere in the world, in any era of history... and always somehow find a way for the movie to star a white guy.

The Outsider premieres on Netflix on March 9.

[Jimbo]

I could accept a non-Japanese Yakuza being portrayed by an actor of Korean descent, because in reality, there are Japanese-born Koreans who are Yakuza.

Jared Leto would have as much chance of becoming a high-level Yakuza as Tadanobu Asano would have of heading an Italian/Sicilian Mafia family.

[GeneChing]

Jared Leto would have as much chance of becoming a high-level Yakuza as Tadanobu Asano would have of heading an Italian/Sicilian Mafia family. Man, if only that film existed. I would watch the F out of it. :p

[GeneChing]

This is what happens when you let bots write your content.

Christopher Lee. srsly? :p


Full Cast of Hollywood Chinese Actors/Actresses (https://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-hollywood-chinese-actors-and-actresses/reference)
Reference

Hollywood Chinese cast list, listed alphabetically with photos when available. This list of Hollywood Chinese actors includes any Hollywood Chinese actresses and all other actors from the film. You can view additional information about each Hollywood Chinese actor on this list, such as when and where they were born. To find out more about a particular actor or actress, click on their name and you'll be taken to page with even more details about their acting career. The cast members of Hollywood Chinese have been in many other movies, so use this list as a starting point to find actors or actresses that you may not be familiar with.

Items include everything from Christopher Lee to James Hong.

If you want to answer the questions, "Who starred in the movie Hollywood Chinese?" and "What is the full cast list of Hollywood Chinese?" then this page has got you covered.

This cast list of who was in Hollywood Chinese includes both lead and minor roles. (12 items)

1
Christopher Lee
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

2
James Hong
Blade Runner, Airplane!, Chinatown

3
Joan Chen
The Last Emperor, Judge Dredd, Lust

4
James Shigeta
Die Hard, Mulan, Midway

5
BD Wong
Jurassic Park, Mulan, Father of the Bride

6
Tsai Chin
Casino Royale, You Only Live Twice, Memoirs of a Geisha

7
Ang Lee
The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies, Hollywood Chinese

8
Nancy Kwan
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Flower Drum Song, Lt. Robin Crusoe

9
Turhan Bey
The Amazing Mr. X, The Adventures of Smilin' Jack, Dragon Seed

10
Luise Rainer
The Great Ziegfeld, The Good Earth, The Great Waltz

11
Wayne Wang
Hollywood Chinese

12
Justin Lin
Hollywood Chinese

[Jimbo]

This is what happens when you let bots write your content.

Christopher Lee. srsly? :p

Yes! Christopher Lee broke racial barriers as the first-ever non-Asian Chinese actor to play Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the mummy in Britain's Hammer Films, starting way back in the 1950s!!! :o

Whoever compiled that list is obviously VERY young, and very lazy, stupid and/or not very savvy in researching their info.

[GeneChing]

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/2000x792/public/images/methode/2019/02/01/74ec160e-250b-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_4000x1584_233208.jpg?itok=huhFl-fl

THE CHINESE WERE WHITE – UNTIL WHITE MEN CALLED THEM YELLOW (https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2184754/chinese-were-white-until-white-men-called-them-yellow)
Europeans referred to East Asians as white until the end of the 18th century
But as the Chinese and Japanese resisted cultural assimilation they darkened – both in Western eyes and their own
BY MICHAEL KEEVAK
3 FEB 2019

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/landscape/public/images/methode/2019/02/01/e4a049bc-250a-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_image_hires_233208.jpg?itok=5rAKVl5m

How did East Asians come to be referred to as yellow-skinned? It was the result of a series of racial mappings of the world and had nothing to do with the actual colour of people’s skin.

In fact, when complexion was mentioned by an early Western traveller or missionary or ambassador (and it very often wasn’t, because skin colour as a racial marker was not fully in place until the 19th century), East Asians were almost always called white, particularly during the period of first modern contact in the 16th century. And on a number of occasions, even more revealingly, the people were termed “as white as we are”.

The term yellow occasionally began to appear towards the end of the 18th century and then really took hold of the Western imagination in the 19th. But by the 17th century, the Chinese and Japanese were “darkening” in published texts, gradually losing their erstwhile whiteness when it became clear they would remain unwilling to participate in European systems of trade, religion, and international relations.

Calling them white, in other words, was not based on simple perception either and had less to do with pigmentation than their presumed levels of civilisation, culture, literacy, and obedience (particularly if they should become Christianised).

Swedish botanist and physician Carl Linnaeus decided that varieties of **** sapiens could be similarly separated into four continental types, one of which was called **** asiaticus. The colour of that group, he said, was fuscus, which can be best translated as “dark”. This was in 1735.

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/02/01/973a797c-250a-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_1320x770_233208.jpg
Linnaeus’ racial classifications from 1735. On the left, **** sapiens is divided into four kinds, one of which is H Asiaticus and identified as ‘fuscus’, or dark.

Evidently there was some difficulty deciding on a precise colour for Asian Man, since the other three types, European, African, and American, could be “unproblematically” identified according to already accepted stereotypes of white, black, and red. In the tenth edition of Linnaeus’ taxonomy, however, published in 1758, fuscus was silently changed to luridus, meaning “lurid”, “sallow”, or “pale yellow”. The reasons for this alteration were never explained, although luridus also appeared in several of Linnaeus’ botanical publications to characterise unhealthy and toxic plants. Was Asian Man also to be viewed as sickly or dangerous?

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/02/01/74ec160e-250b-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_972x_233208.jpg
Swedish botanist and physician Carl Linnaeus decided that varieties of **** sapiens could be similarly separated into four continental types, one of which was called **** asiaticus. Photo: Handout

Later theorists complained about Linnaeus’ overly rigid continental labelling but accepted the notion that mankind could be divided into groups, and that each group should embody a different colour. In 1795, the German anatomist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach offered a five-race scheme that featured what might be called our first unequivocal labelling of Asian yellowness, couched in a bizarre series of comparisons that stressed the relative decay or lifelessness of the so-called intermediate races. This human variety, he wrote, was “yellow [gilvus] or the colour of boxwood, halfway between grains of wheat and cooked quinces, or the colour of sucked out and dried lemon peel: familiar to the Mongolian peoples”.

The most significant aspect of Blumenbach’s conception was that for the first time all the peoples of the East had been lumped together into an explicitly racial category, here called the Mongolian, which was to become just as menacing and fateful as its much more notorious sister term, Caucasian, which was introduced at exactly the same moment. It is crucial to understand that it was not simply that Asians had been coloured yellow in 1795; Mongolians had.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/02/01/d8f572a4-250a-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_972x_233208.jpg
In the late 18th century, all the peoples of the East were lumped together into an explicitly racial category, called the Mongolian. Photo: Handout

“Yellow” was thus a racial marker that had meaning only in relation to the other colours, all of which were defined as against white “normality”. In Blumenbach’s case, Europeans were in the centre of a racial tableau flanked by “Mongolians” and “Ethiopians” with “Americans” and “Malays” in between (Malay was a new, fifth race, comprising the inhabitants of the South Pacific and Australia, only recently discovered). The yellow race became invested with associations that insured that its physical and cultural features were different (or, rather, deviant) from the white European norm. And for other thinkers far more racially virulent than Blumenbach, the races became part of an explicit hierarchy with European white at the top and African black at the bottom, with the “intermediate” races somewhere in the middle. The problem was exactly where in the middle they were, and how to measure that supposed distance.

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/02/01/bd2d3232-250a-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_600x_233208.jpg
Nineteenth-century medical research frequently attempted to define the ‘yellow’ race as embodying physical conditions that distinguished them from Caucasians, including the ‘Mongolian eyefold’ (a fold of skin covering the canthus or inner corner of the eye). Photo: Handout

Nineteenth-century medical discourse did much to define the contours of the yellow race, although the emphasis here was on “Mongolianness” rather than colour. Medical research frequently attempted to define the race as embodying certain physical conditions that distinguished them from Caucasians, including the “Mongolian eyefold” (a fold of skin covering the canthus or inner corner of the eye), “Mongolian spots” (congenital bluish marks appearing in infants on their lower back or buttocks), and “Mongolism”, today known as Down syndrome. Each of these conditions was at first supposed to be endemic to the Mongolian race only (and hence their names), and much as in the anthropological obsession with human measurement, these conditions purported to show how the yellow race differed from the healthy and fully developed normality of white European bodies.

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/02/01/cbdea144-250a-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_600x_233208.jpg
‘Mongolian spots’ were another characteristic said to belong to the ‘yellow’ race. Photo: Handout

It was at the end of the 19th century that the notion of yellow became canonised in every European language (and East Asian ones). This was the invention of the so-called Yellow Peril in 1895, brought into worldwide circulation by an illustration made after a drawing by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and designed as a call to arms for European nations to protect themselves from the potential onslaught of East Asian military aggression, social degradation, and emigration to the West. The most immediate danger at this time, it was perceived, came from Japan, which had recently defeated both Russia and China in armed conflict and had begun to build an empire of its own.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/02/01/e4a049bc-250a-11e9-9177-bd3ae24bba4f_972x_233208.jpg
The invention of the so-called Yellow Peril in 1895 was brought into worldwide circulation by an illustration made after a drawing by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Photo: Handout

It was also at this time that ideas about a yellow race began to be imported into East Asian cultures themselves, along with many other facets of modern Western science and technology. As might be expected there were a wide variety of responses, rejections, and incorporations, not only to the idea that there were yellow people but also to the contention that all East Asians could be lumped together into a single racial category. In China, for example, the yellow race was often seen as an appealing notion since yellow was such a significant colour in Chinese culture (such as the yellow river and the Yellow Emperor).

Perhaps the Chinese were gold-coloured people, far superior to white Westerners, who were merely silver. In Japan, however, yellow carried no such positive associations and the colour category was frequently rejected. “The Chinese were yellow,” it was sometimes said, “not we Japanese, who are far superior to the Chinese and on a par with the Western imperial powers.” Many in the West agreed, even though the Japanese could not escape the stigma of being, after all, “coloured” people, maybe not as yellow as the Chinese but certainly not white.

These stories of reception in the Far East require more research, but for now, it is clear the invention of yellow in Western racial thinking cannot be traced to a Chinese source. Yellow was a fantasy like all other racial groupings. It cannot be traced back before the end of the 18th century, and it had no basis in anything other than an attempt to distance certain peoples of the world from an equally fantasised concept of whiteness.

Is it not time that we stopped using this term? Why are we still calling people yellow? ■


Michael Keevak is Professor of Foreign Languages at National Taiwan University and author of ‘Becoming Yellow: A Short History of Racial Thinking’. This essay was excerpted from a paper titled Reconsidering Race

I've always disdained the term 'yellow'. I prefer 'golden' :cool:

[David Jamieson]

I've always disdained the term 'yellow'. I prefer 'golden' :cool:

I don't savvy with 'white'.
I prefer Ivory or Creamy.
:D

[GeneChing]

I don't savvy with 'white'.
I prefer Ivory or Creamy.
:D

Creamy! That's awesome. Better than pink. :p

[GeneChing]

“Why don’t you go be a fan of a white person?” actress Shu Qi tells fan who whitened her photos (https://shanghai.ist/2019/03/13/why-dont-you-go-be-a-fan-of-a-white-person-actress-shu-qi-tells-fan-who-whitened-her-photos/?fbclid=IwAR32B5qFvVkAcyMLbrsou0sBPZZrnG6vrSLHi8SR avQIj20r74qurYbm0Zc)
She snapped
by Alex Linder March 13, 2019 in News

https://i2.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shu-qi-fire6.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1

Superstar actress Shu Qi has set the Chinese interwebs alight recently with a fierce rebuttal to a fan’s “whitewashing” of her glamor shots.

On Weibo, the fan posted four edited photos of the star where her skin had been made noticeably paler. The images were noticed by Shu herself, who did not approve, writing: “Why don’t you go be a fan of a white person?”

https://i2.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shu-qi-fire.jpg?w=503&ssl=1

Here’s a comparison of the original and edited images:

https://i0.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shu-qi-fire2.jpg?w=875&ssl=1https://i1.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shu-qi-fire4.jpg?w=876&ssl=1

Already known for her candidness, Shu’s fiery defense against conventional beauty standards in China valuing white skin has made her only more beloved. The 42-year-old actress grew up in Taiwan but moved to Hong Kong in the 1990s to pursue an acting career, going from erotic films to blockbusters and becoming one of Asia’s most recognizable actresses.

I'm not sure it's fair to say Shu Qi started with erotic films. There was Viva Erotica (1996), but she got the HKFA Best Supporting Actress for that. There was also Sex & Zen II that same year, but I still find that ending comment misleading.

[Jimbo]

The funny thing is, MANY white women tan themselves to be even darker than Shu Qi's untouched-up photos.

In many Asian countries and elsewhere, white(r) skin is seen as a sign of beauty and privilege, because 'they're not outside laboring under the sun'. OTOH, in the West, lighter people often tan because 'it's a sign of beauty, health, and means they can relax and get a tan under the sun' (as opposed to being pale-skinned).

I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...

[GeneChing]

Luv Gemma. Now I luv her even more. I didn't recognize her in Captain Marvel, and did think it was odd for her to play Bess, but I get that now.


COVER SHOOTS
Gemma Chan Wants to End Whitewashing — In Hollywood and in History Books (https://www.allure.com/story/gemma-chan-cover-story-2019)
With a law degree from Oxford and a license to kill in Captain Marvel, Gemma Chan has the world by the tail. For our latest cover story, the actress opens up to Jessica Chia about her love of Hamilton, Hollywood's glass ceiling, and the importance of representation for all — now and in our history books.
BY JESSICA CHIA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAOLA KUDACKI
MARCH 19, 2019

https://media.allure.com/photos/5c86d52a15f3302ce880b007/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/0419-allure-cover-gemma-chan.jpg
TOM FORD DRESS. FARIS RING ON ALIGHIERI EARRING. ELLERY EARRING. MAKEUP COLORS: UNLIMITED MASCARA IN BLACKEST BLACK, INFALLIBLE LONGWEAR HIGHLIGHTER SHAPING STICK IN GOLD IS COLD, PARADISE ENCHANTED SCENTED BLUSH IN JUST CURIOUS, AND ROUGE SIGNATURE LASTING MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICK IN I AM WORTH IT BY L’ORÉAL PARIS. NAIL POLISH IN WICKED BY ESSIE.

Gemma Chan is perched on a chair in her dimly lit hotel room, barefoot, hair pulled back into a bun that didn’t quite catch the front pieces. She is telling me that all she wants, after the biggest year yet in her career, is to get a dog. A rescue, probably. For the first time all night, she is just Gemma.

Moments earlier, she was holding court in a voluminous, rose-colored couture gown. It was like a scene in a movie: two seamstresses flitting about her, making sure that her crinoline petticoat is fluffed just so, that the train grazes the floor perfectly, and that the ruffle on the gown’s bodice flounces at just the right height, all done under the direction of designer Jason Wu. With newfound fame comes newfound scrutiny. The grosgrain ribbon she deftly lobbied to be sewn on at the waist would be noted in the press a week later.

And yet even after the fitting, in a comfy gray sweater and cropped jeans, she still exudes an otherworldly quality. That’s partly due to her measured, soft, and properly British way of speaking and partly due to her looks. Her face is symmetrical to a degree that seems statistically improbable, complete with high cheekbones, bright eyes, and full lips, which may explain why she’s often cast in extraordinary roles: the self-sacrificing android Mia in the British TV series Humans, Nick Young’s flawless but troubled cousin Astrid in Crazy Rich Asians, and most recently, the sharp-shooting space sniper Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel. “I’m not allowed to talk about it very much,” Chan says, “but she’s part of an elite special-forces team that Brie Larson’s character is part of, and Jude Law is our commander. She’s a sniper, and she’s very, very good at her job.”

https://media.allure.com/photos/5c86d85d9eb7f52ca09c7cd4/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/0419-allure-covershoot-gemma-chan-hillier-bartley-top.png
HILLIER BARTLEY TOP. MAKEUP COLORS: EXHIBITIONIST MASCARA IN VERY BLACK, TRUBLEND SERVING SCULPT CONTOUR PALETTE IN BLOOM BABE, AND MELTING POUT VINYL VOW LIP COLOR IN NUDIST’S DREAM BY COVERGIRL.

Speaking of which, Chan almost had another career entirely. She graduated from Oxford University in 2004 with a law degree and was offered a job with a leading law firm in London but turned it down. Instead, she enrolled at the prestigious Drama Centre in London. Prestigious or not, Chan has publicly confirmed that her parents, both hardworking Chinese immigrants who earned advanced degrees in Scotland against tremendous odds (in her father’s case, surviving two years of homelessness and putting his five siblings through school), thought the move to drama was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea.

Chan’s laundry list of accomplishments (she was also a competitive swimmer and almost became a professional violinist) strongly suggests exacting, overachiever tendencies. But it’s not so simple. “I was away on an orchestra trip in Italy, and I went missing for a night. They freaked out, thinking I’d gotten lost, but I was in a boys’ room smoking and drinking,” Chan says. “I behaved pretty badly.” She was 12 years old. I tell her about my first drinking experience, in my early teens, drinking vodka straight. “Oh, my God. Did you pass out?” she asks. I did not. I can really hold my liquor. A smile flashes across her face. “I can really hold my liquor as well.”

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OSCAR DE LA RENTA AND DRIES VAN NOTEN RINGS.

Chan recounts another story of her younger, schoolgirl self, her jaw shut tight, soldiering home in blood-stained socks without shedding a single tear after falling from her scooter. It strikes me as extremely fitting when I learn that one of her many early jobs — stocking shelves in the U.K. drugstore chain Boots, working at a mall perfume counter — was as a lifeguard. She assures me it was not glamorous, joking that it “basically involved cleaning people’s pubes from the shower drain.” She does not tell me that she prevented a little girl from drowning until I offer that I was also a lifeguard but never attempted a rescue. When I suggest that she saved a life, she looks visibly uncomfortable and explains: “I saw a girl in trouble. She must have been three or four. But she was within reach, so I just scooped her out. It wasn’t anything major.”

Then there was the time she saw a man on the sidewalk near a train station get stabbed in the neck. It was rush hour, and she was on her way to see a play. “No one else seemed to notice. People were kind of stepping around him. I went to go help the guy. I turned him over, and then I looked up and just locked eyes with his attacker,” Chan says. “In that moment I thought, This is it. He’s going to come back and stab me, and I probably won’t be able to outrun him.” Luckily, a train pulled into the station, a stream of people exited, and the attacker disappeared into the crowd. Chan asked a passerby to call for medical help. Thinking quickly, she urged another to take a photo of the attacker as he made his getaway. The victim died before the ambulance arrived, but she was able to identify the attacker and later served as a witness in the trial. “I still replay it in my mind. Should I have stuck my fingers in the guy’s neck and tried to, like, hold [a vein]?” she says. “I don’t know.”

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GIVENCHY DRESS AND SHOES. MAKEUP COLORS: LID POP IN PETAL POP, CHUBBY STICK CHEEK COLOUR BALM IN ROBUST RHUBARB, AND DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT LIPSTICK SHAPING LIP COLOUR IN CRUSH BY CLINIQUE.

Clearly, Chan is not timid in a crisis. But she insists that she is “actually quite shy” and “socially awkward” and that she works hard to mask it. I am surprised that this is one of the few things she tells me outright about her personality, particularly when I think back to our first interaction. She playfully peered over the top of the railing next to the booth where I was sitting, called my name, smiled brightly when I confirmed it was me, and bounded up the stairs to our booth.

Within five minutes, she had established that my dress and her Breton-stripe shirt were from the same store (an offshoot of the fashion brand H&M called "& Other Stories"), asked about my day, found out where I was from, and ordered us olives to munch on while we sipped orange juice (her, trying to detox from a battery of awards-season after-parties) and wine (me, trying to summon the courage to ask personal questions) and waited for our entrées (both, pasta). She stops midconversation, conspiratorially, and enlists me to people-watch with her. (She thinks she may recognize someone in the booth closest to us.)

So it’s for good reason that I remain dubious about her shyness claim until she puts a finer point on it: “In a new social situation, I’d much rather sit back and let other people talk first,” Chan says. “I prefer to listen and, I suppose, get the measure of people before I necessarily give them all of me.” She does let me do most of the talking at first and, during our conversation, lets out a torrent of thoughts on a topic before stopping short, as if remembering that I am both a stranger and a reporter, becoming more reserved until a familiar or provocative thought warms her up again. She may think of herself as shy, but she comes across as thoughtful. And acutely self-aware. In all fairness, she has to be.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

"Why are actors of color only allowed to play their own race? And sometimes they’re not even allowed to play their own race. If John Wayne can play Genghis Khan, I can play Bess of Hardwick."

Due to the dearth of Asian actresses with significant fame, Chan has become a de facto standard-bearer for Asian representation in film and TV. I assumed that she would be tired of talking about it after doing so in nearly every interview during her Crazy Rich Asians press tour and countless others. She is not. She is fully Chinese by heritage, but Chan describes her racial identity as “compound. I feel British, and European, and English, and Chinese, and Asian.” She brings up the Internet trolls who took issue with her playing Queen Elizabeth’s confidante, Bess of Hardwick, in the period piece Mary Queen of Scots because she isn’t white.

“Why are actors of color, who have fewer opportunities anyway, only allowed to play their own race? And sometimes they’re not even allowed to play their own race,” Chan says. “In the past, the role would be given to a white actor who would tape up their eyes and do the role in yellowface. John Wayne played Genghis Khan. If John Wayne can play Genghis Khan, I can play Bess of Hardwick.”

https://media.allure.com/photos/5c86d52ea1ded52cd8d16df5/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/0419-allure-covershoot-gemma-chan-valentino-dress.png.
VALENTINO DRESS. OSCAR DE LA RENTA RINGS. DRIES VAN NOTEN RING. MAKEUP COLORS: CAVIAR STICK EYE COLOUR IN INTENSE MOONLIGHT, BLUSH COLOUR INFUSION IN FRESCO, AND STICKGLOSS LIP CONTOUR IN BROWN SUGAR BY LAURA MERCIER.

“I feel like Hamilton opened minds a lot. We have a black man playing George Washington. They describe it as ‘America then, told by America now.’ And I think our art should reflect life now,” Chan says. And life then, too. Last year, Chan worked on a documentary about the Chinese Labour Corps. “I studied the First World War three times at school. And I never heard that there were 140,000 Chinese in the Allied effort,” she says. “We would not have won the war without them.”

I never heard about those Chinese laborers, either. In large part, it’s because of the images that remain. Chan tells me about a mural made to commemorate that war. It was massive, she says. There was a whole section dedicated to the Chinese, but it was painted over when the Americans joined the war effort. “They left one kneeling Chinese figure, which you can still see,” she says. “If people understood that, my parents [might not] have been told, ‘Go home, go back to where you came from’ multiple times. If we portray a pure white past, people start to believe that’s how it was, and that’s not how it was.”

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BALENCIAGA DRESS. MOUNSER EARRINGS. MAKEUP COLORS: GRANDIÔSE LINER IN MATTE SAPHIR, DÉFINICILS MASCARA IN BLACK, AND LE MONOCHROMATIQUE BLUSH IN MADEMOISELLE BY LANCÔME.

Chan playing Bess of Hardwick is a step toward visibility. Chan playing Minn-Erva is, too (the Marvel character is blue and has dark hair, but the alien’s race in the comics is ambiguous). Chan’s newfound media prominence gives her a platform, and she’s embracing it. Wu is just one of several Asian designers whose clothes Chan has worn in recent red-carpet appearances. After seeing photos of a New York City screening of Crazy Rich Asians hosted by Prabal Gurung and other prominent Asian-Americans in fashion, and attended by Asian designers, editors, and makeup artists, Chan committed to wearing Asian designers (Prabal Gurung, Kenzo, Altuzarra, Adeam) for the majority of that press tour. “I was just so moved,” she says.


"If we portray a pure white past, people start to believe that’s how it was, and that’s not how it was. If people understood that, my parents might not have been told, ‘Go home, go back to where you came from’ multiple times."

Chan repeatedly underscores that it’s not just about Asian representation. She mentions Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther as important for their nearly all-black casts. Captain Marvel features the first stand-alone woman title character in the Marvel franchise. It’s also the first Marvel movie directed by a woman. Chan also celebrates “what Prabal Gurung’s been doing — putting models on the runway who are plus-size, who are transgender,” she says. “I love opening up a magazine and seeing a whole mixture of body types, gray hair, dark skin, wrinkles — we’re saying that we find these things beautiful.”

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COLOR COATED MARC JACOBS COAT. GIVENCHY SHOES. DRIES VAN NOTEN RINGS. MAKEUP COLORS: HIGHLINER GEL EYE CRAYON EYELINER IN BLUE ME AWAY, AIR BLUSH SOFT GLOW DUO IN KINK & KISSES, AND LE MARC LIP CRÈME LIPSTICK IN SLOW BURN BY MARC JACOBS BEAUTY

Chan could talk about this all night. We nearly do. And don’t get her started on U.K. politics (I do anyway) — it’s such a mess, she tells me. “My issue with politicians like David Cameron, of the Conservative Party, whose fault all of this Brexit stuff is — he went from Eton to Oxford, then I think he worked for a time in communications before going straight into Parliament. He’s lived such a privileged life without any real interaction with anyone who’s having to live under his government’s policy. And I think that distance, that disconnect, is so damaging,” Chan says. “I’m so grateful for my work. But sometimes it feels almost absurd to be going onto a set to play kind of make-believe. There are so many things that demand our attention.”

Like Time’s Up — Chan is involved with the Justice and Equality Fund, the U.K. equivalent of the movement’s Legal Defense Fund. “You have to attack [the problem] on a regulatory level while also trying to change the culture,” she says. “This is all going to take time.” She also partnered with fellow British actress Ruth Wilson and the British Film Institute to do educational workshops with more than 400 drama-school students on how to protect yourself from compromising audition situations, understand nudity clauses, and recognize other abuses of power. “What’s going to be expected of you if you have to do a sex scene? What if you get asked to do something you’re not comfortable with? How can you say no?” Chan says. “These are things they don’t teach you in drama school.”


“What’s going to be expected of you if you have to do a sex scene, [or] asked to do something you’re not comfortable with? How can you say no? These are things they don’t teach you in drama school.”

Between aiming to shift industry norms and taking on superhuman roles, what could be next on Chan’s list of things to do? Being vulnerable, it turns out. In an as-yet-untitled Dominic Savage drama coming out later this year, she’s playing an ordinary (OK, ridiculously beautiful) woman “who is feeling very under pressure to start a family,” Chan says. “Everyone she knows is having babies, settling down, becoming a mother, and, um, she feels like she’s an anomaly for not being sure whether she wants that.”

She doesn’t share details about her own relationship, but it’s been widely reported that Chan is dating actor Dominic Cooper after splitting from longtime beau Jack Whitehall more than a year ago. She and Cooper made their first public appearance together at the British Fashion Awards in December. Something about Chan’s tone of voice, the way she talks about this role, makes it feel a little nearer than fiction. But I don’t have to ask. “It’s drawing on a lot of me in it,” Chan admits. “It’s exciting and terrifying in equal measure.”

Fashion stylist: Karen Kaiser. Hair: Kevin Ryan. Makeup: James Kaliardos. Manicure: Casey Herman. Set design: Juliet Jernigan. Production: Heather Robbins.

A version of this article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Allure.

THREADS:
yellow face/white washing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)
Crazy Rich Asians (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70914-Crazy-Rich-Asians)
Captain Marvel (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70953-Captain-Marvel)

[GeneChing]

https://video-images.vice.com/articles/5c7e583c6657b20008ec61e6/lede/1551787336713-unbenannt-89479.jpeg

RACISM
|
By Marvin Xin Ku
|
Mar 28 2019, 4:53am
What I Learned About Racism as the Only Chinese Person at a 'Chinese' Festival (https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/eveqjk/what-i-learned-about-racism-as-the-only-chinese-person-at-a-chinese-festival)
Every year, 20,000 people come together to wear eyeliner and shout "Ni hao" at each other at a Chinese festival in the Bavarian town of Dietfurt.

This article originally appeared on VICE Germany

It's everywhere. The local butcher shop has been renamed "The China Butcher Shop", while the bakery has transformed into a "Chinese Bakery" selling fresh "Chinese donuts and pretzels". There's light beer, dark oak furniture and red Chinese lanterns. The phrase "Ni hao!" is being shouted out at will.

Amid all this, I am the only real-life Chinese person in sight.

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Dietfurt locals in "traditional Asian outfits" enjoy a drink.

The source of my confusion lies in the small German city of Dietfurt, situated along the Altmühl river in the south-east of the country. Every Thursday before Ash Wednesday, the city is transformed into "Bavarian China", and its inhabitants become "Chinese", dressing up in "traditional" clothing and wearing yellowface makeup. This annual festival is not some niche sideshow – around 20,000 people flock to Dietfurt every year to take part.

I grew up in northern Germany as the child of Chinese immigrants, and had experienced racism by the time I was in kindergarten – before I even knew what it was. I've come to Dietfurt to get an understanding not only of this bizarre tradition, but also the people behind it. What motivates the people of Dietfurt to hold this seemingly racist celebration year after year? And can "tradition" ever be a good enough excuse?

The Wake-Up Call

It's 1AM on the morning of the carnival. Thirty locals dressed in fur vests, red wigs and colourful face paint are gathered in a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of the city. Loud, celebratory singing can be heard coming from inside. This is the traditional wake-up call. From here, the group of clowns will noisily make their way through the town to wake everyone up and officially inaugurate the carnival.

One of these clowns is Franz, a Dietfurt native with a strong local accent, tattooed arms and a flashy metal necklace. He's wearing a yellow bathrobe embroidered with flowers and a wig that looks like a giant piece of candy floss. His beard is braided into two pigtails tied with colourful bobbles. Franz is 56 years old, and for the last 38 of them he's participated in the carnival wake-up call.

"In the past, we've covered over 24 kilometres in a day," he tells me, adding that he and his fellow clowns take their roles very seriously – promising that nothing will stop them from completing their duties. "It doesn't matter if we get blitzed by ice or 15 centimetres of snow."

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Franz.

Instead of the racist Chinese jokes I had expected, they're serving hot and sour soup with rye bread today. Franz beckons to the Chinese chef, Yuen, and orders another bowl for me. "Want some more bread, lad?" he asks. I've been at the table with Franz for less than 30 minutes, but I already feel like I belong here.

At 2AM we set off to wake up the local celebrities – the mayor, the dentist and the carnival's organising committee. Some play trumpets and trombones, and two men push a giant antique double-barrel cannon. "Whenever it goes off, the neighbouring town stands to attention," says Franz. Together, we march towards the city centre.

Dietfurt has 6,000 inhabitants but looks much smaller. There are more butchers than supermarkets, more inns than kebab shops. The one main street is called "Main Street", and there's a street named after the town's train station – though there's no longer a train station. A bus leaves five times a day and residents delight in telling me that it's easier to get out of Dietfurt than in.

So how did this festival wind up here?

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Legend has it that long ago, the Bishop of the nearby town of Eichstätt sent his treasurer to Dietfurt to collect taxes. The people of Dietfurt got wind of it, so they barricaded the city gates and left the treasurer outside. He stomped back in a rage and complained that the Dietfurtians were hiding behind their walls "like the Chinese". If and when this might actually have happened isn't exactly clear.

Either way, Dietfurt has chosen to identify itself with Chinese culture ever since. In 1928, the Dietfurt City Orchestra were the first to play dress up – 16 men and women wearing rice hats, Chinese plaits and robes. In 1954, Dietfurt chose its first emperor.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

The Emperor

Sixty-five years later, Manfred Koller looks into his bathroom mirror and carefully applies some eyeliner. The 51-year-old bricklayer is leaning over the sink holding a small bottle of golden glitter with a pot of kohl and an eyeliner pencil nearby. In a few hours he will become "Emperor Fu-Gao-Di".

The emperor has a full day planned: a visit to a kindergarten, a lunch of traditional white sausage, a press reception and a podium gala. He picks up the pot of kohl and dabs a bit of colour into the corner of his eye.

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Koller putting on his makeup.

I ask him what he's doing. "I'm trying to make the shape of my eyes look like slits," he says. I see.

If he thinks it's awkward to paint on slitty eyes while I'm standing right next to him, he doesn't show it. "Have you ever stopped to think that you might be offending some people with all this?" I ask. "Nah, not at all, because it's just a way of emphasising facial contours, so it's not that bad," he says.

The emperor licks a cotton swab and fills in his facial hair – which is already shaped like a Fu Manchu beard – with black makeup. He finds this subject matter "a bit tough" to talk about. His intentions aren't bad, he says – on the contrary, in fact. "We think Chinese culture is very interesting," he says. "There's never been a real Chinese person who had a problem with it."

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The emperor is ready.

The emperor believes he's making more of an effort to pay homage to Chinese culture by importing his costumes from China. When he can't, for whatever reason, he wears custom-made replicas.

In his "carnival corner", a sort of shrine to China, stands a stone statue of Guan Yu protected by three samurai swords. Guan Yu was an ancient general who is seen today as a symbol of strength. At first, the emperor claims the statue and swords were "a gift from China", but later admits "they're not from China, but they sure look like it".

For his emperor name he wanted something "authentic", he says. A Chinese friend helped Manfred do research and decided upon the name Fu-Gao-Di. "'Spot on,' I thought at the time. 'I can pronounce that!'" the emperor laughs.

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Dietfurt school children perform in a gymnasium.

Two hours later, the name roars through a school gymnasium. "Fu-Gao-Di! Fu-Gao-Di!" The gym is lined with Hulks, clowns and Princess Elsas.

"Greetings to you, my offspring!" the emperor roars into a microphone. The children scream "Fu-Gao-Di! Fu-Gao-Di!" in delight and stomp their feet on the floor. At the front door there are two Chinese camera crews capturing every moment of this display.

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It's 11AM and a journalist from a local Bavarian TV station is besieging anyone who looks Asian to ask what what they think of the whole thing.

Next, it's time for a morning pint. The Sheippl Tavern is overflowing and smells of beer and fresh pretzels. I squeeze in at the emperor's table and greet him with a hearty "Ni hao!" He's wearing a golden robe and an oblong hat with pearls, which makes him look like a Bavarian version of the emperor in Mulan. He orders white sausage with mustard, which we share with a man dressed as a Buddhist monk.

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Enjoying some bratwurst with the emperor.

This doesn't really feel right, but it doesn't feel completely wrong either. Yes, the streets are teeming with visitors in yellowface and people dressed as Chinese caricatures. And yes, this is all clearly utter nonsense, justified with claims that no harm is meant. But at the same time, there are a few people from Dietfurt who are trying to make an honest effort. There's Pia, who works at the tourist office and brings speakers who are actually Chinese to take part in the festival. There's Horst, who is wearing a changshan, a traditional men's tunic that he bought in Beijing in 1996. There's Max, who spent 110 hours carving the dragon's crown for the emperor.

Dietfurt has a cultural partnership with the city of Nanjing, which holds a Bavarian-Chinese Friendship Festival every summer. The Chinese Consul General is invited to Dietfurt's Carnival every year. Of course, there is no excuse for yellowface, but deep down, in some parts of Dietfurt, there does seem to be a genuine appreciation of Chinese culture.

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The Parade

By 1PM, the people of Dietfurt are out in full force. Next to me, a group of Chinese people from Munich take photos, astonished. "How can an entire town love Chinese people so much?" one of them asks me.

When the parade begins, it's so crowded you can hardly move. Soon, I'm being hit in the head with sweets thrown from floats to the crowd below. But I'm too much in the zone to be annoyed, and I roar back: "FU-GAO-DI!" The emperor is coming.

He climbs off his dragon float, makes his way up to his throne and starts reading from a golden book, telling the crowd about the eternal friendship that exists between China and Germany. Dietfurt goes ballistic.

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20,000 people turned up to greet the Emperor.

The next day, the town is recovering from a collective hangover. The streets are littered with noodles and broken glass bottles. I walk into a butcher's shop and bump into six drunk men who are still celebrating.

"Konnichiwaaa!" one shouts.
"Good god! A real Chinese person, what's he doing here?" another adds.
"You know, being Chinese isn't a very good costume," a third says.

Comments like these don't make me angry anymore, unfortunately. I know them all too well, which is exactly the problem. If you look different, racism remains a constant part of your life. The question is how you choose to live with it.

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The author in his natural habitat.

For me, racism means writing people off based entirely on their origin or skin colour. Or when people think a "Chinese costume" consists of a kimono and chopsticks, "because it's all Asian anyway". But how devaluing is it when a whole city celebrates their perception of Chinese culture? Calling themselves Chinese, having a Chinese landmark in their town and regularly receiving guests from China?

In Dietfurt, I learned that intent and appreciation play a role in all of this. To me, there's a big difference between people who put on yellowface or wear a clumsy outfit, and those who show a genuine interest in Chinese culture. The qipao and changshan are traditional Chinese garments that aren't worn much anymore in modern China. Cultural appropriation? Maybe. But it's somewhat touching to see some people in Dietfurt more concerned with "my culture" than I am.

Yes, considerable portions of Dietfurt's Chinese carnival are racist, but that doesn't reflect on everyone taking part. I was welcomed warmly during the festivities – as a Chinese person, and as a human being in general. The racism I experienced didn't necessarily come from the people dressing up in awkward cultural clichés. It came from the people – often visitors from outside of town – who couldn't or didn't want to distinguish between what's fake Chinese and what's genuinely Chinese.

This article originally appeared on VICE DE.

This takes 'yellow face' to a whole new level.

[GeneChing]

We are Siamese if you don't please


MAY 6, 2019 8:00AM PT
‘Lady and the Tramp’ Will Reinvent Problematic Siamese Cat Song, Feature New Music From Janelle Monae (EXCLUSIVE) (https://variety.com/2019/film/news/lady-and-the-tramp-janelle-monae-revamp-siamese-cat-song-1203204041/)
By MATT DONNELLY and CHRIS WILLMAN

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/lady-and-the-tramp.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1

Grammy winner Janelle Monae will contribute new music to the Disney Plus streaming title “Lady and the Tramp,” in addition to her voice role in the live-action reboot.

Monae will perform two original songs for the film, led by Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux. Monae’s artist collective Wondaland is also “reinventing” a track from the original 1955 animated movie, individuals close to the project said.

That would be “The Siamese Cat Song,” originally recorded by Peggy Lee for the feline duo Si and Am in the animated version. Those characters and their famous refrain — “We are Siamese if you please / We are Siamese if you don’t please” — have long been considered a cringe-worthy depiction of Asian culture.

Wondaland contributors Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur are working on a different take for the pair, who in the new film are not Siamese cats, the insiders added. Walt Disney Studios confirmed Monae’s musical involvement, as did a rep for the singer.

“We’re dealing with Wondaland, her team of incredibly creative writers and producers that she works with. So our director has engaged with her in terms of what the storytelling [of] the song needs to be,” Kaylin Frank, a vice president in Creative Music and Soundtracks at Disney, said at the recent MUSEXPO Creative Summit in Burbank, Calif.

Frank reassured the conference that while the film is set in 1910 and has a blues-ragtime vibe, Monae’s personal sound will be represented. There’s also a possibility Wondaland will do a pass on the film’s signature song “He’s A Tramp,” another individual added.

In a 2013 analysis of the cat song at culture blog Flavorwire, one author found the depiction of Si and Am a result of a post WWII anxiety America had about the foreign “other,” saying they came to represent a duplicitous and seductive team with shady motives.

“They have no individuality; their innocent blue eyes bend into a sinister glare as they cave at the slant. They are jaundiced and sly; sick and feral; domesticated, though nevertheless propelled by their mischievous, impish nature to deceive and intimidate,” wrote author Marcus Hunter, who called them a “colonist nightmare.”

A retooling of the cat song would not be the first upgrade Disney has given to an animated classic seeing live-action translation. Who among us will soon forget the noise around the “exclusively gay” moment director Bill Condon added to Emma Watson’s “Beauty and the Beast” — in service of Josh Gad’s character Le Fou, who in that original animation pined for the beefy alpha male Gaston with no clear motivation.

Upcoming live-action takes like “Aladdin” and “Mulan” will also accurately represent the racial makeup of their respective characters.

The OTT service Disney Plus is expected to launch in mid-November, and “Lady” soon after.

I confess, I kinda luv that song. :o

[GeneChing]

Photograph of Miss India finalists stirs debate over country's obsession with fair skin (https://www.cnn.com/style/article/miss-india-fairness-intl/index.html)
Published 31st May 2019

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Credit: Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photograph of Miss India finalists stirs debate over country's obsession with fair skin

Written by
Tara John, CNN
Swati Gupta, CNN

What began as an innocent collage of this year's Miss India finalists has evolved into a heated social media debate about India's obsession with fair skin.
The image, published in the Times of India newspaper, had 30 head-shots of glossy-haired finalists who all appeared to share the same fair skin tone.
In a country with 1.3 billion people, hundreds of languages and myriad ethnic groups, Twitter users suggested that beauty pageant organizers were only choosing contestants that perpetuate Eurocentric beauty ideals.
"They all have the same hair, and the SAME SKIN COLOUR, and I'm going to hazard a guess that their heights and vital stats will also be similar," another Twitter user Prasanna Ratanjankar wrote.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7jpbLbUcAATZkr?format=jpg&name=medium
View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/labellagorda/status/1132911972968673280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132911972968673280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fstyle%2****icl e%2Fmiss-india-fairness-intl%2Findex.html)

labellagorda
@labellagorda
Miss India contestants. They all have the same hair, and the SAME SKIN COLOUR, and I'm going to hazard a guess that their heights and vital stats will also be similar. So much for India being a 'diverse' country.

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While the contestants' skin tone looks particularly light and appearance especially uniform in the collage that caused a stir online, other photographs and videos of the contestants reveal them to be not as fair-skinned as the Times of India's image. The Times of India and Femina, the organization that hosts the pageant, have the same parent company -- Bennett, Coleman & Co.
The controversy around the Times of India's photograph, however, highlighted a sensitive issue in India, where Miss India is a huge cultural event.
The competition helped to launch the careers of actress Priyanka Chopra and Bollywood icon Aishwarya Rai, and has become a beacon of national pride when winners go on to bring home international titles, such as Miss World.
The winner of Miss India titles are typically "groomed for the global beauty stage," said Radhika Parameswaran, a professor at Indiana University's Media School. "There is a perception they have to emulate Western beauty standards to win."
The organizers of Miss India declined to comment.
The fact that India has won the Miss World contest six times could have convinced pageant organizers to stick to a type, says Kavitha Emmanuel, founder of the Indian NGO Women of Worth, which campaigns for gender equality and against the bias toward lighter skin.
The infatuation with fairness now goes much deeper than pageants. "It is a toxic belief that has become part of our culture," Emmanuel explained.
Parameswaran is currently researching the backlash against colorism, a term that means "a form of skin color stratification and skin color discrimination that assigns lighter-skinned individuals and particularly women greater worth and value." It's an issue, she said, that is very much alive in India.
"Colorism and racism are Siamese twins and cannot be separated," she added.
National obsession
The obsession with fairness can begin before a baby is even born in some parts of India, with some pregnant Indian women drinking saffron-infused milk to make their infant's skin fairer. Others avoid iron supplements in the misplaced belief it will make their unborn child darker. These practices, however, have become far less common in areas where wealth and education levels have improved.
"We still have matrimonial adverts in newspaper which say, 'wanted: fair, slim brides,'" Emmanuel said.
Escape the corset: How South Koreans are pushing back against beauty standards
It is a problem that primarily affects women, as men's financial worth is generally deemed more important than their beauty. "Women's bodies are their currency," Parameswaran said.
Cosmetic brands globally have profited from the insecurity, cashing in on a multi-million dollar industry of creams, skin bleaches and invasive procedures that promise to lighten skin. The demand for whiteners is projected to reach $31 billion by 2024, up from $18 billion in 2017, especially in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, according to market intelligence firm Global Industry Analysts. Routine skin whitener use ranges from 25% in Mali to 77% in Nigeria, and it's 40% in China, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea, according to the World Health Organization.
"Very little of the world is untouched by colorism," Parameswaran said.
A 2017 study found that more than half of 1,992 men and women surveyed about product use in India had tried skin whiteners and close to half (44.6%) felt the need to try such products due to media such as TV and advertisements.

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Priyanka Chopra won Miss World when she was 18 years old. Credit: HUGO PHILPOTT/AFP/Getty Images

The country's enduring legacy of caste is often credited as a root cause of the problem, with those from the lower caste group, known as the Dalits, being associated with darker skin, Parameswaran said.
"That is because caste is an occupational-based hierarchy with the lowest of the caste being assigned the tasks of manual labor," she added, which is often outdoor work. The Dalits are discriminated against as being "unclean," are considered untouchable by the higher castes, which are associated with fairness.
There are also regional differences, especially between North and South India, at play as well.
Both Parameswaran and Emmanuel said the obsession with fair skin could lead to a range of socio-economic problems, including low self-worth and mental health issues, as well as have an impact on job and marriage prospects.
"A small survey we did found children are affected the most," Emmanuel said, adding that some three-year-olds were being told they were "not fair enough" at school.
Paradigm shift needed

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The demand for whiteners is climbing and is projected to be worth more than $30 billion in the next five years. Credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images

Within this landscape, there are voices pushing for change. Emmanuel founded the Dark is Beautiful campaign, which includes advocacy programs to address color bias and has been endorsed by Bollywood actor Nandita Das.
In a series of posts in 2017, another Bollywood star, Abhay Deol, called out his fellow actors for endorsing skin-whitening brands. Since then, a number of Instagram influencers and brands have jumped on the inclusivity bandwagon.
"There is no one face that represents India," Anushka Kelkar, the 22-year-old photographer behind the Instagram account browngirlgazin, which won plaudits for its honest portrayal of Indian women from different backgrounds.
"I have friends from Kashmir who are asked if they are Indian and friends from Kerala who have been asked if they are African. People look different and it is time we started embracing that," she said.
But the fact there is a conversation about color bias in India means things are moving forward, Kelkar added.
Still, Emmanuel and Parameswaran said they believe the country is a long way off real change. "We need a paradigm shift in the way we think about what people look like," Emmanuel said.
"Indians have not only misrepresented what Indians should look like to themselves, they have misinterpreted Indians to the rest of the world," Emmanuel added. "We have not represented our country well."

CNN's Marian Liu and Tanzina Vega contributed to this report.


THREADS
Beauty Pageants (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57280-Beauty-Pageants)
yellow face/white washing. (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)

[GeneChing]

Asian Art Advocates Accuse the Shed of ‘Yellow-Face Casting’ in Its Kung-Fu Musical. But Its Director Says the Character Is Actually White (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/asian-american-groups-criticize-the-shed-1607908)
Advocacy groups wrote a letter calling the "Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise" casting "offensive and unacceptable."
Taylor Dafoe, July 24, 2019

https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2019/07/GettyImages-1134680942-1024x683.jpg
Dancers from Dragon Spring Phoniex Rise attend a rehearsal at the Tisch Skylights inside the The Shed. Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images.

Asian American advocacy groups are accusing the Shed of promoting racial stereotypes in its new “kung fu musical,” Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise. The production follows a twin brother and sister who uncover a secret group in Queens that has developed the power to extend human life. It was directed by Chen Shi-Zheng and co-written by Kung Fu Panda creators Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.

Last week, the Asian American Performers Action Coalition laid out its complaints in an open letter submitted to the Shed’s director, Alex Poots, and its board of directors. (The letter was co-signed by the Asian American Arts Alliance and eight other cultural groups working in theater and the arts.)

“Your production appropriates Chinese culture, mixing it with western pop influences, relying on the most reductive tropes of the kung fu genre while providing no cultural context,” the letter reads. “It makes little effort to humanize or add nuance to the Chinese American characters, but instead, relies on stereotypes for characterization.”

The letter castigates the museum for employing white writers, musicians, and production teams, and for casting a white actor in one of the show’s main roles, a Grandmaster named Lone Peak. “The decision to use yellow face casting is offensive and unacceptable to us and we demand a public explanation,” the letter reads.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz7aWE5ucO4

Poots offered that response this week in an email to group leaders: “We value your raising important issues. One of our primary goals is to be inclusive, and respectful to all. We will take into account your thoughts as we continue to commission works and would be happy to meet with members of your organization.”

The Shed has also released a statement, credited to Poots, that further addresses the concerns raised in the letter. “This new work, which was commissioned by The Shed and privately funded, uses multiple art forms—kung fu, dance, music, song, and text—to create an allegory for the immigrant experience, transforming iconic Chinese images, movement, and ideas into a contemporary American context and modern-day fable,” the statement reads.

It goes on to “acknowledge that some important aspects of Dragon need clarification.” Most significantly, that the character of Lone Peak, played by and written for David Patrick Kelly, was intended to be white and was “actually based on a Caucasian American instructor” who taught the actor during his own 30 years of martial arts training.

“This feels to us like whitewashing, using Asian tropes to tell a story that is not really about Asians at all,” a representative of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition told artnet News, referring to Poots’s statement.

The organization is in the process of putting together a response to the Shed’s director, but has no other plans for action at this time.

THREADS
Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71341-Dragon-Spring-Phoenix-Rise)
yellow face/white washing. (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)

[GeneChing]

So is this Parasite (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71321-Parasite) TV series going to be whitewashed (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)?


Mark Ruffalo Talks 'Parasite' TV Role & Disney+'s 'She-Hulk' (https://hypebeast.com/2020/3/mark-ruffalo-parasite-tv-role-she-hulk-disney-plus-martin-scorsese)
As well as addressing Martin Scorsese’s thoughts on the MCU.

https://image-cdn.hypb.st/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2020%2F03%2F mark-ruffalo-parasite-tv-role-she-hulk-disney-plus-martin-scorsese-1.jpg?q=90&w=1400&cbr=1&fit=max
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images For Disney
Entertainment
2 Hrs ago
By Eric Brain

Mark Ruffalo, who recently appeared at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo to answer a number of fan questions, has alluded that he may be taking a roll in the TV adaptation of Parasite.

Addressing the speculation that he would be joining the HBO series, Ruffalo said “We’ve met. I love him [Bong Joon-ho], I love that movie… I might be playing the father in Parasite on a television show. I would love to do it. We’re sort of waiting on the script and all that, but yeah, that’s pretty much true and in the works.”

Ruffalo also addressed rumors surrounding Disney+‘s She-Hulk, and although he was considerably quiet on the matter, he did say that “preliminary talks” were in place in reigniting his character, the Hulk, in the new series. Other notable moments from Ruffalo’s panel discussion include him discussing Martin Scorsese, who recently told Empire in an interview that the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are not “cinema.”

At the time, Scorsese said, “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

According to Comicbook and despite Scorsese’s thoughts, Ruffalo answered an audience member’s question about who he’d like to work with on an MCU movie. He said, “That hasn’t done any Marvel movies? Martin Scorsese? I have worked with him, but I think he would make an amazing Marvel movie. It would be so dark. It would look a lot like Joker. That’s a great question, I need to put more time into that.”

[GeneChing]

May 20, 2021 7:27am PT
Kevin Feige Admits Marvel Shouldn’t Have Whitewashed Tilda Swinton’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Character (https://variety.com/2021/film/news/doctor-strange-whitewash-tilda-swinton-kevin-feige-1234977525/)

By Jordan Moreau

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tilda-swinton-doctor-strange.jpg
Courtesy of Marvel
Marvel film “Doctor Strange” courted some controversy when it cast actor Tilda Swinton, a white woman, in the role of The Ancient One, who is typically portrayed in the comics as an Asian man. Marvel Studios defended the casting leading up to the release, but now president Kevin Feige has addressed the controversy and admitted the company could have handled it differently.

In 2016, Marvel Studios released a statement about Swinton’s casting, saying “Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life. The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic. We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast.”

On Wednesday, Feige spoke to Men’s Health for a cover story on the upcoming Asian-led Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” saying that “Doctor Strange” could have cast an Asian actor.

“We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge,” he said. “We’re not going to do the cliché of the wizened, old, wise Asian man. But it was a wake-up call to say, ‘Well, wait a minute, is there any other way to figure it out? Is there any other way to both not fall into the cliché and cast an Asian actor?’ And the answer to that, of course, is yes.”

At the time, “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson and co-star Benedict Wong defended Swinton’s casting, while other Asian actors and visibility groups criticized it.

In a major push for diversity, “Shang-Chi” will be the first Marvel film to feature a predominantly Asian cast, with the lead role being played by Simu Liu. The film hits theaters September 3.

threads
yellow-face-white-washing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)
Doctor-Strange (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69097-Doctor-Strange)
hShang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

‘Bullet Train’ Director, Writer and ‘Maria Beetle’ Author Explain Choice to Cast Non-Japanese Actors: The Characters Are “Not Real People” (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/bullet-train-casting-author-kotaro-isaka-whitewashing-criticism-1235187480/)
Author Kōtarō Isaka says his story's ragtag crew of killers are maybe "not even Japanese," in response to criticism of how the film cast most of the assassins from his popular novel set in Japan.

BY ABBEY WHITE
JULY 28, 2022 9:45AM
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DF-02494_rv2.jpg?w=865&h=485&crop=1&resize=681%2C383
Bryan Tyree Henry and Brad Pitt in 'Bullet Train' SCOTT GARFIELD

The Maria Beetle author, alongside the director and writer of its big screen adaptation Bullet Train, have opened up about the film’s decision to cast non-Japenese actors in the upcoming Sony feature film.

In an interview with The New York Times, author Kōtarō Isaka was asked about how his story — which was originally published in Japan in 2010 and had its English language debut in print last year — has been adapted by Hollywood.

According to the Times, the author regards his characters as “ethnically malleable,” and maintains his original Japanese setting and context do not matter as much, as the story’s ragtag crew of killers are “not real people, and maybe they’re not even Japanese.”

Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, said Isaka’s stance on Bullet Train‘s casting “gave us comfort in honoring its Japanese soul but at the same time giving the movie a chance to get big giant movie stars and have it work on a global scale.”

For Bullet Train screenwriter Zak Olkewicz, the decision to cast beyond Japanese — or even more broadly with different Asian talent — “just shows you the strength of the original author’s work and how this could be a story that could transcend race anyway.”

The decisions around the film’s casting choices have been heavily criticized online, including by Asian American media and cultural groups, who have argued that the movie whitewashes the original story’s ensemble of Japanese assassins by casting non-Japanese actors in many of the film’s most prominent roles. (The exception is Japanese actor Koji, who plays Kimura, one of the main assassins in the movie out in theaters on Aug. 5.)

Speaking to AsAmNews in March, David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, echoed sentiments that the movie’s casting was an act of whitewashing, as Bullet Train is a story that remains set in Japan and is based around characters that were originally Japanese.

“Foreigners, or gaijin, remain a distinct minority in Japan, and to populate the movie with so many in the leading roles is ignoring the setting,” he said, before speaking to how the film undermines recent progress made in Hollywood around casting Asian and Asian American talent. “This movie seeks to affirm the belief that Asian actors in the leading roles cannot carry a blockbuster, despite all the recent evidence indicating otherwise, beginning with Crazy Rich Asians and extending to Shang Chi.”

While speaking to the New York Times, Bullet Train director David Leitch noted that a discussion around whether to keep the story in Isaka’s original setting of Tokyo was broached, but he ultimately decided that “Tokyo is as international of a city as anywhere.”

“We had conversations like, ‘Maybe it could be Europe, maybe it could be a different part of Asia,'” Leitch said. “Where could we see all these international types colliding?”

And while the movie remains set in Japan, it wasn’t actually filmed in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it was captured on a sound stage, shifting it into “Japan’s future or like a Gotham City,” according to Isaka, who says he was “relieved” Bullet Train is now based in “a world that people don’t know.”

As for how the movie features its Japanese characters, according to the Times, Olkewicz said the team worked to “preserve” the three generations of one Japanese family featured in Isaka’s novel — though they are not at the center of the film like many of the other characters are.

“People who haven’t necessarily seen the movie will be surprised to find out that the plot pretty much kind of is about the Japanese characters and their story lines getting that resolution,” Olkewicz said. “We were all really aware and wanted to make it super inclusive and international.”

Bullet-Train (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71900-Bullet-Train)
yellow-face-white-washing (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)

[GeneChing]

Read my latest pieces for Den:
How Bullet Train Pulled Off a Brad Pitt and David Leitch Reunion Years in the Making (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bullet-train-brad-pitt-david-leitch-reunion/)

Is Bullet Train Guilty of Whitewashing? (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/is-bullet-train-guilty-of-whitewashing/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/bullet-train-brad-pitt.jpg?resize=768%2C432

Bullet Train (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71900-Bullet-Train)
Whitewasing (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)

[GeneChing]

An Asian MIT student asked AI to turn an image of her into a professional headshot. It made her white, with lighter skin and blue eyes. (https://www.businessinsider.com/student-uses-playrgound-ai-for-professional-headshot-turned-white-2023-8)
Sawdah Bhaimiya

https://i.insider.com/64c8e38dcf07780019683f83?width=1000&format=jpeg&auto=webp
Rona Wang tried to use Playground AI to created a professional LinkedIn photo. Courtesy of Rona Wang

An Asian MIT student was shocked when an AI tool turned her white for a professional headshot.

Rona Wang said she had been put off using AI-image tools because they didn't create usable results.

A recent study found that some AI image generators had issues with gender and racial bias.

An MIT graduate was caught by surprise when she prompted an artificial intelligence image generator to create a professional headshot for her LinkedIn profile, and it instead changed her race.

Rona Wang — a 24-year-old Asian American student who studied math and computer science, is completing a graduate program at MIT in the fall, and whose identity was verified by Insider — had been experimenting with the AI-image creator Playground AI. The Boston Globe was the first to report on the news.

Wang tweeted images of the results on July 14, saying: "Was trying to get a linkedin profile photo with AI editing & this is what it gave me."

In the first image, Wang appears to be wearing a red MIT sweatshirt that she uploaded into the image generator with the prompt: "Give the girl from the original photo a professional linkedin profile photo."

The second image showed that the AI tool had altered her features to appear more Caucasian, with lighter skin and blue eyes.

"My initial reaction upon seeing the result was amusement," Wang told Insider. "However, I'm glad to see that this has catalyzed a larger conversation around AI bias and who is or isn't included in this new wave of technology."

She added that "racial bias is a recurring issue in AI tools" and that the results had put her off them. "I haven't gotten any usable results from AI photo generators or editors yet, so I'll have to go without a new LinkedIn profile photo for now!"

Wang told The Globe that she was worried about the consequences in a more serious situation, like if a company used AI to select the most "professional" candidate for the job and it picked white-looking people.

"I definitely think it's a problem," Wang said. "I hope people who are making software are aware of these biases and thinking about ways to mitigate them."

Suhail Doshi, the founder of Playground AI, responded to Wang's post: "The models aren't instructable like that so it'll pick any generic thing based on the prompt. Unfortunately, they're not smart enough."

He added, "Fwiw, we're quite displeased with this and hope to solve it."

A recent study by researchers from the AI firm Hugging Face found that AI image generators like DALL-E2 had an issue with gender and racial bias.

The study found that 97% of the images DALL-E2 produced when prompted to generate images of positions of power like "director" or "CEO" were of white men.

The researchers said this was because the AI tool was trained on biased data that could amplify stereotypes.

Playground AI and its founder didn't immediately respond to a request comment.

I kinda wanna do this just to see what AI thinks I'd look like if I were a white dude.

[Jimbo]

I don’t like this whole AI thing. It’s creepy, IMO.

Interestingly, I’ve had several people over the years who assumed I’m mixed race. Or something other than what I am (Japanese ancestry). I’ve had people assume I must have some Italian or Portuguese mix in me, which I do not. It’s definitely the Jomon (Japanese aboriginal) admixture in my genes. My dad’s side of the family had heavy “Jomon” characteristics (i.e., did not look like what most people stereotypically think Japanese people look like). Come to think of it, my mom didn’t have the stereotypical look, either.

[GeneChing]

'3 Body Problem' cast addresses whitewashing criticism from fans of the original Chinese novels (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/3-body-problem-cast-rcna144545)
The new Netflix series changes the setting from China to England, with flashbacks to the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-1240w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-03/240322-3-body-problem-al-1140-9018c8.jpg
From left, Eiza González, Jess Hong, and Benedict Wong in "3 Body Problem".Ed Miller / Netflix

March 25, 2024, 6:05 AM PDT
By Tony Lee
Amid early criticism and fears of whitewashing, the cast of the highly anticipated sci-fi series “3 Body Problem” says it does justice to the original Chinese novels.

The Netflix series, developed by writer Alexander Woo and “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, follows a group of London-based scientists and authorities who band together to fight a seemingly ​​all-powerful extraterrestrial threat after a slew of suicides alarms the scientific community.

When the Netflix series was announced, many fans voiced concerns that the novels would be culturally and thematically diluted in the adaptation.

Based on Liu Cixin’s acclaimed “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy, the eight-episode show is a departure from the source novels, which set the time-spanning story in China beginning during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, a time of violent upheaval.

On Reddit, one user noted that separating the setting from the cultural context seemed “unnecessary and flagrant.” Another commented they had doubts about the adaptation being led by non-Asian creators who were “rightfully criticized for their treatment of both women and [people of color]” on “Game of Thrones.”

But actor Benedict Wong, who plays Detective Da Shi in the Netflix adaptation, told NBC News the creators got the go-ahead from the author.

“Cixin gave Dan, Dave and Alex the blessing to move this story into a global story,” Wong said. “My character’s from Manchester, Jess Hong’s [is] from New Zealand, and we have Ye Wenjie [played by] Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng, just to kind of show how global we all are telling this world story.”

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-03/240322-3-body-problem-al-1139-24b16e.jpg
Yu Guming, left, and Zine Tseng in "3 Body Problem". Maria Heras / Netflix
The series, like the book, starts from the point of view of astrophysicist Ye Wenjie, who witnesses her father’s murder by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. The incident gives rise to her disdain for humanity and her subsequent decision to invite an alien civilization to conquer Earth.

Hong, who plays physicist Jin Cheng, said the show leaves the beginning intact while the changes broaden the story’s focus.

“Everything in the books that was referencing the Cultural Revolution has been essentially untouched,” Hong said. “But the rest of it is a way to globalize a story that was very heavily Eastern-focused into a Western perspective, a global perspective. Because we’re all from different countries, for the actors, you get to pull in all of these different storylines into one emotional core, which I think is quite brilliant.”

Chao, who portrays the older version of Ye, says the show doesn’t shy away from the lingering trauma of the Cultural Revolution.

“The seed is still that time period. It’s a period of trauma, emptying out of all hope, and great division. I do think they honored it,” Chao said. “My parents are immigrants. I’ve heard about it since growing up. And somehow the way they imparted that in this series made it more, you know, I could understand the trauma.”

Tseng, who plays the younger Ye, recalled remarks from the series’ Hong Kong director Derek Tsang, who “gathered every single one of us, saying, ‘It would be so great if we can do this and bring the honesty to the audience, to the story.’”



Tony Lee
Tony Lee is a producer for Stay Tuned and NBC News.

The-Three-Body-Problem (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69592-The-Three-Body-Problem)
yellow-face-white-washing (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)