What’s happening now
As the first major Hollywood film with a majority Asian cast since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club, Crazy Rich Asians is making waves in the entertainment industry. After decades of underrepresentation in Hollywood, it’s no surprise that there’s been an outpouring of excitement from fans and critics alike.
As more stories featuring diverse casts are told on screen, we’ll see increased diversity across all media platforms—including television, advertising, and even games.
Some recent portrayals of Asians in major films and TV
- Asian actors are often cast as stereotypes
- Asian actors are rarely cast as leads
- Asian actors are often cast as sidekicks, who exist only to help the main character on their quest and then disappear at the end of their story
- Asian actors are rarely cast in a romantic lead role.
Asian actors are rarely cast in a lead role that doesn’t involve martial arts, kung-fu, or another form of hand-to-hand combat Asian actors are rarely cast as the romantic lead opposite a non-Asian actor. Asian actors are often ignored for roles that require any kind of an accent.
Asian storytellers on the rise
As more Asian creators enter the space, they’re bringing a unique perspective to the industry. When you hear that an Asian director or writer is creating content, you can expect it to be relevant to their experience as an Asian person in America. You may even see characters and stories that are inspired by real life events, which can make for a powerful viewing experience.
It’s exciting to see these artists tell their stories and share them with the world—I think this will continue shaping what we see on TV and in theaters for years to come!
There is a growing number of films with Asian leads, created by Asian directors and writers, but there’s still much to be done.
But it’s important to note that the increase in lead roles for Asian actors isn’t the result of a conscious effort, or any real change in how Hollywood operates. In fact, there’s no reason why major studios should suddenly be more willing to invest in films with Asian leads—it’s not like they’re losing money by not making them. It’s become clear that there is a growing number of films with Asian leads, created by Asian directors and writers—but there’s still much to be done.
Asian actors are still not cast in lead roles; they’re often relegated to supporting ones instead (or put into stereotypical roles). And while some progress has been made when it comes to hiring more diverse writing staffs and directorships, it hasn’t translated into actual improvements across the board yet: Asians aren’t getting hired unless their names are “John Cho” or “Constance Wu” (and even then…).
So what can we do about this? Well first off let me say this: if an actor or director makes it public knowledge that she/he/they are interested in working with diverse talent please respond positively! Don’t just ignore us–we’ve been ignored enough already
Conclusion
We find it encouraging that in recent years, films like “Crazy Rich Asians,” “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Searching” have showcased Asian characters at their center. But we still have a long way to go before Hollywood can be considered truly inclusive and diverse.