In recent years, progress has been made on the small screen in Asian representation. Productions like ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ were groundbreaking for the Asian community in Hollywood. However, the majority of roles offered to Asian-Americans are limited to stereotypes and Hollywood remains narrow-minded when it comes to casting.
Historically, Asians depicted on screen in Western media fulfill the stereotypical Asian standard. One of the earliest examples of this involves how Asian women have been portrayed since the early years of Hollywood. Asian females have been fetishized and oversexualized, especially by white men. They are often perceived to be small, docile and submissive. Another example is the model minority myth that many characters adhere to, such as being geeky or nerdy. Many Asian characters are also subjected to a role where their character is skilled at martial arts. These kinds of portrayals in the media only perpetuate stereotypes and generalize Asians.
Another example is the model minority myth that many characters adhere to, such as being geeky or nerdy. Tiger parenting in Asian culture has led to the belief and generalization that all Asian parents are strict when it comes to academics and they want their child to pursue a professional career in medicine, law, engineering, and other fields. As such, there is a stereotype that Asians study 24/7 and do not have a social life - they are perceived to be nerds or geeks.
Asian representation in Hollywood also tends to focus on only a certain “type” of Asian, or what nationality they identify as, which has affected how audiences perceive Asia. Hollywood’s perception of Asia is inauthentic on screen, as East Asians are more frequently depicted as opposed to other Asian nationalities.. It prioritizes East Asian narratives, despite there being a significant South Asian and Southeast Asian population in the US. This is detrimental to the Asian community because most Asian ethnicities are underrepresented in the industry, resulting in an inaccurate association of all of Asia with solely East Asia. Furthermore, because the US and China have a rocky relationship, China’s influence is not so present in American culture, and this is reflected in media portrayal.
Whitewashing is also a common practice in Hollywood up until today, in which white actors are cast into roles that originated as Asian characters. It goes hand in hand with yellowface, the practice of such actors using makeup and digital tools to alter their physical features to appear having “Asian” characteristics, such as slanted eyes. It is offensive because it defines Asian bodies Oriental and highlights negative stereotypes. For example, Scarlett Johansson was cast as the cyborg Motoko Kusanagi in ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ based on the Japanese manga of the same name. Tilda Swinton was cast as a Tibetan male mystic in ‘Doctor Strange,’ donning a clean-shaven head and mystical Asian garments. There are a plethora of Asian actors to play these characters, so why are they not cast in major roles?
Directors argue that Asian-American actors were not cast because the majority of them do not have a box office track record. Very few Asian-American actors are considered to be A-list actors. But audiences want to see diverse leads – a study conducted by UCLA’s Social Sciences department concluded that films with a diverse cast perform better in the box office and result in higher returns of investment for the studios and producers. Minority communities are also more likely to watch a film if their ethnicity is represented on screen, whether it be out of curiosity, intrigue, or support. The media’s representation of diverse cultures and ethnicities is important because it gives people, especially those identifying to minority groups, a greater sense of purpose and belonging.
Many Asian-American actors have made strides in Hollywood for their portrayals in movies centered around Asian casts, which are reluctantly becoming more common nowadays. ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ (2015) was the first network television sitcom in the US to feature an Asian-American family as the main characters in more than two decades. ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ was the first major Hollywood film to feature a majority Asian cast in 25 years since ‘The Joy Luck Club’ and was also the most successful romantic comedy in nearly a decade. ‘The Farewell’ was additionally praised for its authentic depiction of a narrative that many viewers (who came from minority groups) could relate to. Hollywood has adapted to this new day and age by featuring other types of Asians – Netflix’s coming-of-age story ‘Never Have I Ever’ about an Indian-American teenager received overwhelmingly positive reviews because of its raw portrayal of South Asian representation. The upcoming Disney film ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is a fantasy adventure based on Southeast Asia. Looking forward, ‘Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ stars Awkwafina and will make Simu Liu (known for his main role on ‘Kim’s Convenience’) Marvel’s first Asian superhero. Though progress may be slow, the fact that there is progress is a feat in itself.
Asians have traditionally been cast into roles that conform to stereotypes. When Asians were not cast, white actors frequently took the helm and replaced true Asian characters. Hollywood is beginning to diversify its castings, but East Asian dominance still trumps over other Asian ethnicities. The 21st century has witnessed major progress in the portrayal of Asian-Americans on screen. USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reported that 8.2% of characters in the top 100 highest grossing films of 2018 were Asian and this is the highest it has ever been in 12 years. But the progress should not stop there - Asian representation still has a long way to go in Hollywood.
