Been seeing links up to this post by Roger Fan a lot lately and definitely wanted to post it on up as if you haven't read it yet it's a great read on being an Asian American actor in Hollywood, why he turned down a "read" for Tom Cruise, and his thoughts on the new remake of Red Dawn:
So this past Friday my phone rings and it’s my agent. My agent tells me that the Red Dawn production wishes for me to be present for the studio, all-cast table read. Big budget, Hollywood movies usually have a studio, all-cast table read a few days prior to the beginning of principle photography…it’s a very big deal. It’s usually the first time all the stars get to meet and be in the same room as the heads of the studios (it’s also the last time until the world premier). Needless to say I was very, very excited. I thought I was being offered a role in the movie. Now, just FYI…I’m not a big fan of the Red Dawn remake and after reading the script I am even less of a fan. That being said, it’s pretty damn cool to be offered a role for a movie even though you don’t think much of the project. You can always turn it down, right? Well, to my surprise, it was an offer – an offer to sit in and read for the main Asian bad guy (already cast but he’s in Africa on another project and can’t make the studio, all-cast table read) and to read every other Chinese role in the script (all my dialogue would be in Chinese). Totally, totally retarded.Check the post out in full here.
h/t TMM
