James Hong Interview

Monday, May 19, 2008

Last week there was a good article and interview on veteran actor James Hong who talked about how he got into acting, the frustration of being an Asian American actor, and his push for diversity. Here's a quick snippet:

Hong has been active in fighting discrimination in the film industry since his early days as an actor. When the 1962 film Confessions of an Opium Eater was going into production, he organized a group of concerned actors to speak to producer Albert Zugsmith.

"The film was full of those Fu Manchu types, sneaking around, eating opium," Hong recalls. "So we went in to see Albert, who didn't like me leading that protest. In essence, he warned me I might not work again."

Asked if he feels the roles have gotten better for Asian actors today, Hong pauses.
Read the full article here.