A couple of days ago the above sat down and talked about their views of Asian Americans in film today during a presentation an Asian American Film and Video class.
Here's a little of what they had to say:
Justin Lin, who directed “Better Luck Tomorrow” and the two most recent films in the “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, said he could see the rationale of putting certain ethnicities in certain roles, but he does not agree with it as it limits talent and equality.While the article is heavy on Lin versus the rest of the panel, there's some great reads, and you definitely have to give it up to them for taking the time out of their busy schedules to help out and give their voices to the community and students interested in film.
“It doesn’t really make sense,” Lin said. “I don’t know if this white kid is going to draw in more people. And that’s something that you find out, that the studio system, the networks, and stuff like that, they’re very backwards, you know. They’re very conservative.” [...]
Ho said that roles as gangsters, prostitutes and cleaning ladies were the most common ones she was getting, and she saw that these seemed to be the limitations placed on Asian American actors. Recently, she found fulfillment in a new play she had come to promote, “Grace Kim & the Spiders From Mars.”
“It’s a great play,” Ho said. “I’m really proud of the work that everyone has done, it’s been a great experience in the community.”
