Furore over claims Asian actors ‘not very expressive’
LOS ANGELES: Hollywood executives and directors have come under intensified scrutiny for claiming Asians aren’t “bankable” to saying there aren’t any who “speak perfect English.”
The latest excuse has set off more debates.
According to an article in Paste magazine, an unnamed casting director once gave sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen this reason for why Asian-Americans are so egregiously under-represented:
“I work with a lot of different people, and Asians are a challenge to cast because most casting directors feel as though they’re not very expressive,” the unnamed casting director allegedly said. “They’re very shut down in their emotions … If it’s a look thing for business where they come in they’re at a computer or if they’re like a scientist or something like that, they’ll do that; but if it’s something where they really have to act and get some kind of performance out of, it’s a challenge.”
Initially, there was optimism with the emergence of ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat and Dr Ken and Netflix’s Master of None, all starring and focused on Asian-Americans, said Nancy Wang Yuen, a Biola University associate professor and one of the study’s authors.
“It felt like, ‘Oh, we’re finally making it,’” Yuen said in an interview. “But even ( Dr Ken star) Ken Jeong said, “Of this many shows, we only have three?’”
The cancellations of Jeong’s sitcom and the Netflix historical
They’re (Asian actors) very shut down in their emotions … If it’s a look thing for business where they come in they’re at a computer or if they’re like a scientist or something like that, they’ll do that; but if it’s something where they really have to act and get some kind of performance out of, it’s a challenge.
drama Marco Polo, which featured a hefty number of Asian characters, showed how tenuous the hold on representation is, the study said.
A third ( 34.5 per cent) of all Asian or Asian-American characters were found to be on just 11 shows – with the 14 characters on Marco Polo alone making up 10 per cent of the total – which sets up a “risk of greater decimation when networks decide to cancel even one show,” according to the report.
There’s a lot to unpack here — a lot of which even has been explored and debunked in the past, including Jennifer de Guzman’s personal essay on whitewashing and Chloe Bennet’s decision to change her name from Wang in order to get more roles.
Unnamed Hollywood casting director