“It was always an asset that I wasn’t white,” says actress Diane Mizota in regards to her hosting gigs. “I started working as a host way more than I was working as an actor. I thought it was it cool that I was getting cast as the main host for networks.”
Mizota has a comprehensive résumé when it comes to this. She’s hosted red carpet events, game shows, Filter, HDTV, E!, Yahoo!, Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls, Three Wishes on NBC Primetime and various other shows. Here is her host reel:
*If video does not work, click on this link (I did not produce this video)
“In theatrical acting, it was less of an asset,” she says. “Or I felt like I was seen as less of a full human with full human experiences.”
Of all of the actors who have sounded off on this issue, Aaron Takahashi believes he has benefited most from being Asian-American in the industry. Many of the roles he has booked commercially have not been specifically Asian roles. Here is his comedic reel:
*If video does not work, click on this link (I did not produce this video)
“For commercials, when I go into a casting session, usually it’s a bunch of white people… and then a few black guys or maybe one or two Latino guys, and then me. And I’m sitting there, and it’s like all the ethnic people there are the wild cards,” he says.
He sees it as an advantage because, right off the bat, he looks different and stands out. In his mind, it gets him to a level above everyone else — he feels more noticeable among the “sea of white people” at these auditions.
“You need to stand out. You absolutely need to stand out,” he says. But he also says there has to be something special about you beyond your race in order for you to be successful.
“Once you figure out what that is, you can use that to your advantage,” Takahashi advises. “I’m Asian and I’m funny and I’m talented, so I use all of that to my advantage.”
Here are some of the varied commercials that Takahashi has starred in:
*If video does not work, click on this link (I did not produce this video)
*If video does not work, click on this link (I did not produce this video)
*If video does not work, click on this link (I did not produce this video)
While Takahashi says he was never hired on specifically due to diversity reasons, he still thinks his race has played a small part. This applies to screenwriter Sono Patel, who was staffed on the NBC show “A to Z” partly due to the show’s diversity efforts.
“The way it works is that most studios will pay for one ‘diversity staff writer’ who has not worked on a show before outside of the show’s regular budget,” she says. “Therefore, from the show’s point of view, I was free. This is hugely helpful for diversity writers getting their first gig.”
She believes this is largely positive; that it gives diverse writers the ability to cultivate new voices, and gives young writers visibility at networks and studios.
“However, I think the danger is that the label of ‘diversity writer’ can be a way of pigeonholing people. Once you’re labeled, some people will expect all your writing to be about ‘the Indian experience,’ ‘the black experience’ or ‘the Asian experience.’ It can become a term that reduces writers down to one thing.”
You can watch the “A to Z” episode Patel co-wrote here.