Progress of Asians in Entertainment
SECTIONS
Representation
Percentage of Asian-American Speaking Characters in Top 100 Films | Create infographics Breakdown of Percentage of Speaking Parts by Race | Create infographics What we see onscreen, with Asian-American actors who are getting recognition, does not represent the demography of the U.S. and world. But what about Asian-American actors as a whole? Are there[…]
Stereotypes
Notoriously misguided Asian stereotypes have been a problem in the media. They run the gamut from “Yellow Peril” archetypes, overly sexualized females, emasculated males, the perpetual foreigner and the model minority. Here is a timeline spanning from the 1920s until recently that explains some of these stereotypes in film: Many similar stereotypes have occurred in[…]
How Can This Be Reversed?
“There just aren’t a ton of roles being written out there — for Asians or by Asian-Americans,” says actress Diane Mizota. She’s friends with actor Aaron Takahashi, who was in Kevin Hart’s “The Wedding Ringer.” While that is not a movie she would normally see, she went out to see it opening night with him and[…]
Diversity in Television: ”Fresh Off the Boat”
“Fresh Off the Boat” is an ABC sitcom about the Huang family, including first-generation Taiwanese-American Eddie Huang, navigating life through a particularly white Orlando suburb. It is the first network television show in 20 years to feature an Asian-American family. Prior to that, Margaret Cho’s “All-American Girl” aired for a season from 1994-95. “It’s incredibly exciting…[…]
The Rise of Asians on YouTube
Steven Lim is a rising YouTube sensation, and he’s at it full-time. He currently has close to 9,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, which shares compelling stories about the Asian-American community. He started out making videos as a way to reconnect with college friends; however, he quickly fell in love with the process and began[…]
Can Being Asian Help Those in the Industry?
“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[…]
About
Belinda Cai enjoys immersing herself in pop culture (read: Netflix and Hulu, of course) and consequently writing about it. She likes exploring issues such as race and gender in her reporting. Living in Los Angeles has given her a firsthand glimpse at Hollywood’s inner workings and the chance to directly interact with those in the[…]
Introduction
“Where are Asians in the entertainment industry?” This question was asked decades ago and is still asked today. When you watch films and TV, it’s hard to miss the lack of Asian-American diversity. But it’s really no shock that — like all racial minorities and women — Asian-Americans are underrepresented in Hollywood. And whether they[…]