#aapi in hollywood

[joshualunacreations]

The US and its propaganda arm, Hollywood, have always been anti-Asian. Although opportunities are opening up for Asian actors, the underlying messaging—that divides and hurts Asians—hasn't changed.

Not too long ago, AsAms seemed united in outrage against racism and white-washed casting such as Scarlet Johannsen in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, or Netflix’s Deathnote. Yet as more projects with AAPI leads and casts were produced, this so-called unity proved to be a lie.

The illusion of AsAm unity fell apart with To All the Boys I Loved Before—which was widely celebrated despite its blatant white-worship. The most recent blow comes from Hulu's The Company You Keep, a U.S. remake of a k-drama that replaced the male love interest with a white man.

Once it seemed like AAPI women were getting roles and being “humanized” (i.e. garnering attention and approval from white men on-screen and off) AAPI with media power were satisfied. It didn't matter that AAPI men were still erased and dehumanized—even in supposedly pro-AAPI projects.

Not only do AAPI with media power not care about the continuing harm against AAPI men, they exacerbate it. When AsAms critique anti-Asian narratives—especially ones erasing or targeting AsAm men like TATBILB—they're gaslit, harassed, censored and even permanently blacklisted.

This is because AsAm media is held hostage by the racist framework of the U.S. government's 1942-43 Mixed Marriage Policy. White men's hierarchy—based on perceived threat levels and receptiveness to white assimilation—still dictates Hollywood narratives.

Research confirms that the MMP persists today. A 2015 study shows how gendered racism leads to severe under-representation of Asian men (and Black women). Whereas monoracial Asian men face significant barriers in dating, a 2014 study shows mixed-white Asians get a "bonus effect."

This is why Hollywood execs know there will be less uproar if monoracial Asian men aren't represented—it's been the status quo for decades. In the few roles made for Asian men, they still fall into two categories: pathetic loser or toxic man/villain. In some cases, both.

The hatred and erasure of Asian men is so deeply embedded that it's led to the widespread erasure of AAPI men as victims of anti-Asian hate crimes in recorded stats and media narratives. AAPI journalists know this, yet continue to do nothing to correct it.

So what's next for AsAm representation? In 2022, Janet Yang became president of the Oscars. She's co-founder of Gold House—an AsAm Hollywood collective—and executive producer of Joy Luck Club, a seminal work bashing Asian men as irredeemable misogynists compared to "good" white men.

Many AsAms like Yang want more of Joy Luck Club and similar stories. Amy Tan, author of JLC, has been pushing for years for a sequel with the original cast. A TV series was optioned in 2017, and as of 2022 a movie sequel is to be written by white male screenwriter, Ron Bass.

Stories like Joy Luck Club aren't just bad media—they're dangerous. Arthur Martunovich randomly hammered three AsAm men to death because he saw a movie depicting Chinese men as abusers and he wanted to "protect Chinese women". There's a high chance that movie was JLC.

Hollywood has figured out it’s easy to make anti-Asian films and stifle criticism by hiring Asian tokens to give stamps of approval. An article from 1986 (40 years ago) about AsAm criticism of racism in Big Trouble in Little China shows there's a history of sowing division among AAPI and using government resources to do it. I understand the allure of the Hollywood dream because I used to believe in it myself. From an early age, all marginalized groups—POC, women, LGBTQ+—are taught to fantasize about how we'll finally be accepted and heal the hurt once we get on a big stage and give an award speech. Having experience in Hollywood as a comic creator, I know how people in power (esp. white men) behave. Their goal is to wear you down until you internalize their bigoted messaging, regurgitate it yourself, and then thank them for it. They hate the word "no." Awards don't matter if the content that gets you there ultimately serves bigoted and harmful purposes. In 2020, I made a test for AAPI media. None of the projects so far have passed. That's by design. We think we’re holding the statue, but really, it’s holding us.

Correction: I just noticed a typo in the comic. Inside the Hollywood sign's letter "Y" I meant to say "non-Asians" not "non-whites." Sorry, it was a lot of drawing and writing, and I got tired 🥴 (Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal.

https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304 https://patreon.com/joshualuna https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

[californiastatelibrary]

Tom Kobayashi, pictured here at the Manzanar Internment Camp in 1943, went on to become a respected sound engineer who ran George Lucas’s postproduction facility Skywalker Sound. After Manzanar, Kobayashi went on to serve in the US Army from 1946 to 1951, and later graduated from USC in 1953 with a business degree. His Hollywood career began inauspiciously as an accounting clerk at a film lab.

After over 20 years of running audio postproduction at Glen Glenn Sound, George Lucas recruited Kobayashi to his new Skywalker Sound division under Lucasfilm in 1985. Kobayashi finished constructing a 700,000-square-foot postproduction facility north of San Francisco equipped with top-notch technology developed by Droidworks (another Lucasfilm division), which was an R&D arm that would jumpstart Pixar.

Kobayashi passed away in 2020 but left behind a legacy of postproduction innovation that changed the sound and film landscapes.

[lejazznik]

I am a featured artist in the New York City exhibit NOT YOUR CHINA DOLL: ART INSPIRED BY ANNA MAY WONG curated by Katie Gee Salisbury, author of the new biography, “Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong.” Come see my ink and charcoal art during the entire month of May in celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month! Presented by Pearl River Mart, Chelsea Market and the Meatpacking District 🎥✨

On view May 1 to May 31 • Chelsea Market: the corridor gallery across from Amy’s Bread • 75 9th Ave

You can follow me on Instagram  / Twitter / Substack / Official Site

Buy prints: Shop

[opencallcasting]

How #StarringJohnCho Changed Hollywood At a time where Hollywood was turning a blind eye to diversity, #StarringJohnCho challenged the notions of American casting. In 2017, Scarlett Johansson was cast as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell, igniting major uproar. “The original film is set in Japan, and the major cast members are Japanese. So why would the American remake star a white actress?” William Yu, the creator of the movement, started posting his #StarringJohnCho creations on Twitter. Soon, the internet ran with it. The hashtag is flooded with brilliantly photoshopped movie posters that made John Cho the star lead. From action films such as The Avengers, to rom-coms like 500 Days of Summer, the renditioned posters showcased a new perspective on casting and pointed out the fatal flaws of the industry. From internet meme to global movement, #StarringJohnCho amplified the demand for Asian representation. "The timing of this campaign was so perfect, in the sense that Asian Americans were ready to assert themselves and the public at large was probably primed to accept the idea in a way they hadn't before." -John Cho "The campaign wasn't just about John, and it wasn't just about money. Yes, diverse films do better finacially and are better returns on investment. But it's also the case that great films and built around great characters [that also showcase our humanity.] Our passions. Our pains. Our dreams. All of us deserve to see our flaws and joys depicted on screen," said Yu. Which is your favorite #StarringJohnCho poster?

[sosefinamovie]

#sosefinamovie #polynesian #movie #pi #aapi #representationmatters #sosefina #pacificislanders #aapicommunity #hollywood #pacificculturesrepresent #pacificislander #samoa🇼🇸 #samoans #aapicommunity #tongangirls #tongans #pasifika #pasifikafilms https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpwm6kzOmlK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tvandfilmconfessions]

The majority of Americans can’t name a single famous Asian American, according to a recent survey. And for the fourth year in a row, the most common answer besides "I can't think of one" was the actor Jackie Chan, who's not American.

The report, released Tuesday by the nonprofit Asian American Foundation, surveyed over 6,200 people above the age of 16 across the U.S. on their attitudes toward the Asian American community.

A majority of respondents, 52%, said they couldn’t think of any famous Asian American. Nine percent named Chan, who is from Hong Kong, and 5% named actor Bruce Lee, who is Asian American but who died in 1973. Just 2% named Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Asian descent.

Asian Americans made up nearly 26% of survey respondents, while 49.5% were white, 12.6% Hispanic and 9.4% Black.

This year's findings represent a significant change from last year, when 26% of respondents answered “I don’t know” when asked the same question. Researchers said the jump might be attributed to the way the question was framed this year — namely the introduction of the option “none come to mind.”

“The main takeaway is that many continue to be unable to name a famous Asian American, pointing to the invisibility of our communities,” said Sruthi Chandrasekaran, director of data and research at TAAF.

Americans often confused Asian nationals with Asian Americans, the study notes, and when they did name someone, it was rarely a woman.

“I think it reflects our invisibility in American society for hundreds of years,” said Norman Chen, TAAF's CEO. “It’s been four years in a row now that Jackie Chan has been the number one answer. … Our question is, who’s going to be the first person to replace Jackie Chan as a famous AANHPI? When is that going to happen? Is that going to happen in five years, 10 years, 20 years, or longer?”

[in-sufficientdata]

I heard this segment about Anna Mae Wong on the radio this afternoon. It's very interesting. For some reason when I had heard the name before I thought she was contemporary.

[superfitbabe]

this is my baby and I am so excited to share part 2 this year soon!

[summerlinenss]

Forgive me for bringing this situation up again but I find it fascinating and infuriating. The whole Charlyne Yi thing made me curious because as you said I believe that they really were hurt and maybe it traumatized them, but most of their claims after that all seem to be either exaggerated or completely made up.

I didn’t know much about the TB cast or crew members besides Taika & Jemaine but the idea that literally everyone was a vocal Zionist/pro-genocide supporter and specifically targeting them for being Asian and non-binary and neurodivergent makes zero sense already. But I decided to do a bit of basic research into more of the cast and it pretty much immediately disproved their claims or at the very least contradicted them.

The thing that upset me the most is that one of the lead actors, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, is actually a refugee from Rwanda after fleeing the genocide. Not only that, but his father was killed in the Rwandan genocide. I obviously don’t know his personal stance on I/P but I can make a good guess that he doesn’t support genocide.

I find it so disgusting and ignorant to make a claim like that when they clearly have no idea what their other castmates have experienced or currently have to go through. I hate to downplay their pain but it seems really self-centered.

the more i’ve learned about this whole thing the more it’s irritated me, honestly.

like you said, what bothers me is that the things they’ve alleged are just blatantly untrue and can be disproven with a google search. many of the cast are refugees of countries that have endured (or are still enduring) genocide. many are disabled. many are people of colour (including several who are specifically AAPI). many are openly LGBTQ+. many are women. and this includes the cast as well as the directors, writers, producers, and other additional crew.

i also learned one of the writers is a former lawyer/lobbyist turned emmy-nominated writer who is highly respected and considered one of the most prominent up-and-coming black female comedy writers in hollywood. so again, i feel confident that there were quite a few people on set even beyond the hr department who would’ve had no issue speaking up about potential misconduct or discrimination.

i don’t doubt the original complaint was legit, if potentially exaggerated. and on a set that really did have a majority white, cishet, neurotypical, and male cast/crew, i’d 100% understand the paranoia. but it definitely feels like they have some sort of persecution complex that runs far deeper than this one show if they truly believe everyone was an evil monster that was out to get them.

[natlacentral]

DANIEL DAE KIM: BEACON OF FIRE

Daniel Dae Kim, a paragon of versatility in the entertainment industry, continues to enchant audiences with his rich and compelling character portrayals. Esteemed for his significant roles in landmark television series such as Lost and Hawaii Five-0, Kim has also made waves with his reflective insights on the finale of the Good Doctor, where he served not only as an actor but as an executive producer. As speculation mounts about his character's return in the show's concluding season, Kim's artistic reach extends further with his riveting performance as fire lord Ozai in the much-anticipated live-action adaptation of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. In addition to his work on screen, Daniel Dae Kim's return to Broadway in the production of Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang is a venture into the comedic genre, offering a fresh perspective on relevant cultural themes with a timeless appeal. 

In the heart of Hollywood's ever-changing landscape, Daniel Dae Kim stands out not just as an actor and producer but as a visionary leader dedicated to reshaping the narrative around Asian American stories and beyond. Founding 3AD, a production company that underscores his commitment to amplifying diverse narratives within the industry, Kim ignited a movement towards inclusivity and representation, drawing inspiration from the overlooked and undervalued voices at the proverbial high school party of life. His mission, grounded in the belief that entertainment should both captivate and challenge, has already borne fruit with successes like the Good Doctor. Yet, Kim emphasizes, 3AD's scope transcends any single community, aiming instead to spotlight a mosaic of untold stories, thereby enriching our collective cultural tapestry.

Kim's commitment to portraying multifaceted characters that challenge stercotypes and his explorations beyond acting into producing reflect a continuous pursuit of artistic growth and contribution to the cultural dialogue. Beyond his on-sereen prowess, Kim's advocacy for greater diversity and inclusion in Hollywood has made him a pivotal figure in the push for a more equitable entertainment landscape.

With a career that spans critical acclaim and a fervent dedication to cultural change, Daniel Dac Kim remains a beacon of inspiration and a force for progress in the ever-evolving world of entertainment. Read on and get inspired by this slice of Daniel Dae Kim's thoughts on his life as a father, an actor, a producer, and more.

How's the Sunrise House Event at Sundance? How did it go?

They were really fantastic. We had some really informative panels with some industry leaders from every sector. We had a great fireside chat with Steve Yeun. And we had another one with Lucy Liu and that seemed good. 

The Fireside Chats seemed to go really well. The feedback was really good. We threw some banging parties. And so you know, it was a little bit of substance and a little bit of fun.

 

And it's really great and inspiring that you guys are doing this, because I'm seeing a lot more mainstream visibility, especially in Sundance as well for AAPI.

Yes. 

It's really cool. 

What's funny is that AAPI filmmakers have been on it for a while at Sundance, they just have never had a home, you know, somewhere where they can be celebrated and their achievements can be spotlighted. And also, I think there's just a broader movement toward multiculturalism. And that's an emphasis of our house as well. It's not just for the AAPI community, we took specific efforts to do outreach to other communities of color and I think that's really important.

 

That's amazing. Especially how you guys are extending your arms to the communities, building and growing it.

That's what it's about, that's what it's about. We had a dinner one night where we invited all the other major communities of color, and we broke bread together, we talked and hopefully, that's just the beginning of broader initiatives among our houses. 

How did you approach the complex character of Fire Lord Ozai?

As a dad. You know, I have two kids and just thinking about the ways that he's actually in his own way trying to guide his children to their best future is what I kind of keyed into. We may make mistakes as fathers, some intentional, some unintentional, but it doesn't mean... I don't think Ozai doesn't love his children. I think he does, but his love comes out in ways very different from the way I express it.

 

The intention is there. It's just expressed in its own ways.

Yes. And, they can be damaging. They are damaging- physically, in the case of Zuko, but we damage our children without knowing it. We've been damaged by our parents without them knowing it. It's part of the cycle of life and that's kind of how I found Ozai's humanity.

Now, speaking of Zuko and Iroh, and Ozai's family dynamics. How were you all able to explore this complex family relationship on screen?

One of the ways that we did it was to just get to know one another. I've known Paul Sun-Hyung Lee for a while, and I'm a big fan of his work. And so there was a natural bond between us right from the start, and I really enjoyed seeing Lizzie's work as Azula, and watching Dallas' work as Zuko was fantastic, and just seeing what they brought to the table allowed me to kind of see who my children were. Because we were coming together as actors, and we were seeing what each actor brought to the table. But I was able to use that to inform my relationship with the children. What are they good at? What do they need help with? Where do we want to guide their future? Where do I want to guide their strengths and their weaknesses? So things like that, and a little off-camera bonding was really important.

You played pivotal roles that defied stereotypes. How important is it for you to portray complex characters that go beyond just one archetype?

It's just interesting as an actor, you know. I never want to be doing one thing forever, I've been in situations where I played a character for six years, seven years, but, in the case of Lost, I'm so grateful that there was so much growth in that character. So it never became boring. But if I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to work a lot, I want to use those opportunities to explore things I'm interested in as an artist. And part of that is just kind of finding a variety of kinds of people to play with.

And you've produced, you've acted, and you've explored all these other avenues in terms of creating art. What other things do you want to explore in the near future, aside from those realms?

Producing has been really interesting, the process of creation of television and film and theater has been something that has intrigued me for a while. Yes, I think, to have a holistic view of how one makes entertainment and how it affects us as a society and vice versa, I think it's a really interesting question. How entertainment reflects the cultures of our time and at the same time, pushes it in one direction or another.

What's the most valuable piece of advice you received from someone either in the industry or out of the industry that you always still carry with you?

That there's no room in show business for you, you have to make room. I keep that in mind because it encourages me to think that nothing is a given, nothing should be taken for granted and anything that I'm looking to do will probably require work because no one is asking me to do it.

What's the one thing people will  remember you after the credits roll? What do you want to be remembered as?

First and foremost, a good actor, because that's my life's passion, and I would say, second of all, someone who tried to use his platform to bring us together as a society.

What kind of book will Daniel Dae Kim be?

Well, I will tell you that I'm working on a project right now based on a book by Chang-Rae Lee, his first major novel - Native Speaker that came out in the 80s. And I have a real connection to that novel, because Chang-Rae and I are of the same generation as Korean Americans, and a lot of the issues he wrestles with in that book are issues that I've wrestled with my whole life. It's a beautifully written book. His prose is so eloquent and poetic. And it was the first time I'd ever read a book that kind of felt like he was talking to me.

[choicescommunityevents]

Choices AAPI Event 2024 Masterlist

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event! Below are everyone’s submissions. I hope you all had a good AAPI Heritage Month ♡

Characters

@inlocusmads

Alison Rose (Crimes of Passion)

@storyofmychoices

Laura Day (Mother of the Year)

Textfics

@aces-and-angels

Nangan Kan? (Enid, Laws of Attraction)

Art

@storyofmychoices

Dance With Me (Bryce x Olivia, Open Heart)

Geometric Bryce Lahela (Open Heart)

Edits

@storyofmychoices

Aiden Zhou (High School Story)

Kaitlyn Liao (The Freshman)

Manu Nakeli (Shipwrecked)

Tom Sato (It Lives series)

Crash Yamaguchi (Red Carpet Diaries & Hollywood U)

[999-roses]

@niteshade925 :

Because sinophobia is now fused with political scapegoating. A very dangerous combination. Now that we are seeing deliberate genocide in Palestine, I do wonder how long it will be before the camps start opening for business again #:)#i mean internment camps were a thing. there is a precedent for this kind of bs.#sorry to op for taking it there#but I do think some things need to be said. before it's too late.

in all seriousness, while I don't want to completely dismiss internment as a future possibility, however, imo there are marked differences between modern-day aapi/sino diaspora landscape and previous forms of yellow peril, which would make a revival of some kind of internment project unlikely, at least on a large and public scale. (of course there's no telling for secret disappearances and/or trussing up the ol' sinophobic trope of spy accusations - which have in recent times prompted some reversal of brain drain at the very least)

between now and then was McCarthyism and widespread systemic project of anticommunism... like literally, the PRC wasn't even established yet when the last japanese internment camps were closed.

The form of assimilation we see today is the project of "diversity & inclusion" - in the American project. In similar hypocrisy as idealizing "free speech" (in which only acceptable speech is tolerated in narrow parameters regardless of factuality), inclusion is predicated on alignment to US American interests. The diaspora (not just Chinese) who openly denounce and make a show of "I left my home country because it was communist which is bad" get platformed in mainstream media. I can't remember the last time I heard of anyone who says "I love my motherland [not the US]" spread in mainstream media (or films propped up and lauded in the west), it's completely unheard of. Films made in China that remotely have a message of national pride get smeared as "propaganda" (laughs in Top Gun & other DoD hollywood), and often do not receive screenings in the US. This is essentially a requirement now in order to assimilate into the predominant US culture. As an Asian diaspora you can opt out of "yellow peril" by denouncing it yourself, thereby aiding in legitimizing "yellow peril" as a real threat to "real Americans" or capitalism or whatever. (This isn't to say it won't bite people in the butt, but by and large, the victims of hate crimes are marginalized folk like elderly or [assumed] sex workers, and not the ones who make a show to be anti-China/pro-USA who are more likely to come from backgrounds of relative privilege.)

the american empire wouldn't need internment camps anymore, in fact it would be detrimental to their optics and mythos (from "land of opportunity" to "melting pot"). over 70 years of effort put into converting would-be sympathizers of communist kinsmen into staunch supporters of liberal democracy - a different type of cage if you ask me - wasted

borrowing from from "Can the Chinese Diaspora Speak?" (recommend checking out the whole article wrt overseas chinese history btw) ::

In an era of renewed Cold War aggression towards China, historicizing the workings of multicultural empire and the strategic inclusion of the Chinese diaspora therein reveals the justifying discourses of U.S. imperialism. ... By the mid–1950s, the State Department and CIA had both identified the overseas Chinese as a strategic target for psychological warfare and anticommunist propaganda. .... Identifying the “critical importance” of overseas Chinese to U.S. Cold War efforts, ethnic Chinese in the United States were mobilized to produce and disseminate testimonials of U.S. exceptionalism to encourage Chinese diasporic allegiance to their host countries and not “Red China.” For instance, the USIA launched a popular Chinese-language magazine called Free World Chinese, which featured success stories of Chinese and other Asians in the United States as evidence of free world liberal exceptionalism. ... In differentiating “friends and enemies,” Cold War Chinese American inclusion was premised on a binary between “model minority” anticommunist allies and “yellow peril” communist sympathizers. While Cold War racial liberalism afforded new opportunities for civil inclusion for Chinese Americans willing to embrace the legitimizing fictions of U.S. imperialism, it also created conditions for state-sanctioned anticommunist repression for those alleged to have the wrong international sympathies.

[scavenger-cinephile]

I can't believe it's May already! Welcome back to the Cinephile's Monthly Movie Scavenger Hunt! In it, I'll give ten prompts a month for movies to watch, and your challenge - if you choose to accept it - is to try and watch a movie for each.

This is just an all-for-fun monthly scavenger hunt for people who love movies and want the chance to watch something they maybe wouldn't have. Feel free to share what you're watching, or just pick a couple of prompts to get you started. :-)

It's AAPI Heritage month! Watch a movie by an Asian or Pacific Islander filmmaker. Some suggestions.

Last month, The Hollywood Reporter picked the 50 best films of the 21st century (so far!) Pick one to watch.

It's also Mother's Day this month. Watch any movie in any genre about motherhood.

Watch any movie off the Beginner's Guide to Global Cinema.

Watch a movie set on a train. Some suggestions.

King Charles is unfortunately being coronated this month. Watch a movie about any royal family.

Watch a movie referenced in Gilmore Girls

Find a movie you've seen on this list and watch the associated recommendation.

The Little Mermaid comes out this month: watch any movie based around fantasy sea creatures.

The colour of the month is purple - watch any movie that has a predominantly purple poster. Some suggestions.

[ellsieee]

The indie Filipino BL Stay shows promise after the first episode. Andre is a filmmaker from the Philippines who travels to LA to make it big but ends up getting scammed. In order to find the scammer and get his money back, he needed to find a place to stay in LA for a few weeks. He finds a roommate to rent a room from and of course there's shenanigans and falling in love. (I'm terrible at summaries, but this is the general gist of it.)

The racist confrontation was a bit too on the nose, but this is the first BL that I've seen address the racism and violence against the AAPI community. Appreciate that the writers brought up this issue.

Hollywood Elite Club? That's the scammiest name ever. Alarm bells should have gone off the minute someone you just met asks you for money. Andre is seriously too naïve to survive in LA.

They didn't use the There's Only One Bed trope! 😭 Though it wouldn't have made sense to rent out a room with only one bed. Still, nothing says love like inflating an airbed together.

[sosefinamovie]

#sosefinamovie #polynesian #movie #pi #aapi #representationmatters #sosefina #pacificislanders #aapicommunity #hollywood #pacificculturesrepresent #pacificislander #samoa🇼🇸 #samoans https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp6HFOmrIfE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=