Lack of Asian actors in American cinema?

[CyberCubed]

So I've been thinking about the lack of Asian actors in mainstream movies aside from the obvious Kung-fu flicks. With the exception of Jackie Chan, Sulu from Star Trek and a few others, I can't think of many Asian actors in big American movies.

Seeing Pacific Rim with the Asian woman and some Godzilla movies made me realize how little Asian actors there are in the other movies I watch. Shredder being whitewashed into Eric Sachs instead of being Japanese makes this even more obvious. Well there was also the guy who played Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat movie 20 years ago.

Does anyone else notice this? In the Marvel movies as well.

[AT-Man]

Well... isn't that one guy in Thor Asian? Even though he's not an earthling at all. And agent May in AoS. Chloe Bennet is half Chinese.

[Candy Kappa]

Although, Hogun was quickly "retired" in Dark World.

[electric_sheep]

Oroku Saki is japanese? We can't have that, that's not in a good taste. Eric Sach noooow that's awesome...

[Candy Kappa]

BLASPHEMY!

Everyone know THIS is the true face of a ninja.

[electric_sheep]

Please....
Everyone know that this is what the real ninja master looks like

[chrisdude]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

So I've been thinking about the lack of Asian actors in mainstream movies aside from the obvious Kung-fu flicks. With the exception of Jackie Chan, Sulu from Star Trek and a few others, I can't think of many Asian actors in big American movies.

Seeing Pacific Rim with the Asian woman and some Godzilla movies made me realize how little Asian actors there are in the other movies I watch. Shredder being whitewashed into Eric Sachs instead of being Japanese makes this even more obvious. Well there was also the guy who played Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat movie 20 years ago.

Does anyone else notice this? In the Marvel movies as well.

It's hard to pick at comic book movies, for this. Because people get pissed when characters are changed.

Agent May was mentioned, as was the guy from Thor. One of Captain America's Howling Commandos was Asian. That's all I can think of, for Marvel.

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

So I've been thinking about the lack of Asian actors in mainstream movies aside from the obvious Kung-fu flicks. With the exception of Jackie Chan, Sulu from Star Trek and a few others, I can't think of many Asian actors in big American movies.
Does anyone else notice this? In the Marvel movies as well.

Just because an actor doesn't look Asian doesn't mean they aren't. Dean Cain's part Japanese, Rob Schneider is Phillipino, Keanu Reeves is part Chinese....

Here's a list of just SOME actors of Asian descent:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...#Entertainment

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Originally Posted by AT-Man

Well... isn't that one guy in Thor Asian? Even though he's not an earthling at all. And agent May in AoS. Chloe Bennet is half Chinese.

That never made sense to me. Asgard is a very small place; shouldn't everyone have been one race?

[electric_sheep]

Originally Posted by TheSkeletonMan939

That never made sense to me. Asgard is a very small place; shouldn't everyone have been one race?

He isn't asgardian in the Thor the dark world he stays on his home planet of asian people...

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by TheSkeletonMan939

That never made sense to me. Asgard is a very small place; shouldn't everyone have been one race?

Asgard's a planet and there's other worlds (9 realms) in the system. Sides in the comics it's established that Hogun is not Aesir. He's from another realm/land/world that was conqured by a guy named Mogul.

[CyberCubed]

Its funny, the only time you see a lot of Asian people in movies is when it takes place in Japan or China.

Such as "The Wolverine" where Wolverine went to Japan and thus the majority of the cast was Asian. But if we're not in an Asian country, there are hardly any Asian actors in a movie or TV show.

[Leo656]

It goes back to a long-established line of thinking in Hollywood that audiences only want to see "themselves" on the big screen. America is predominantly white males as far as the general public goes. Past that, the people working in Hollywood who actually get movies made are 99.9% white, upper-class males (with a very small number of white, upper-class females as well), so the "whites only want to see whites" idea gets perpetuated further.

What it really comes down to is more about what the suits want. *They* don't particularly want to see or cast minority actors in movies, so they spin it as, "The Public" doesn't want to see minority actors in movies." Obviously, the public could care less, and in the case of Shredder the majority would greatly prefer an Asian actor play the role. But that means little to the people who actually make the decisions.

It's like that "Lone Ranger" movie. For as bad as that movie did at the box office, they should have just saved the cash they spent hiring Depp and spray-tanning him to pass for an Indian, and actually gotten someone who fit the part. But Hollywood doesn't think like that. Even though that particular movie tanked, I promise you, if they could do it again, they'd make the exact same casting choices. "They" feel like minority actors can't carry a film, so it becomes "We", the audience, "Don't want to pay to see minority actors carry a film." It won't change.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Leo656

It goes back to a long-established line of thinking in Hollywood that audiences only want to see "themselves" on the big screen. America is predominantly white males as far as the general public goes. Past that, the people working in Hollywood who actually get movies made are 99.9% white, upper-class males (with a very small number of white, upper-class females as well), so the "whites only want to see whites" idea gets perpetuated further.
e.

Very true, that's why in the older days of cinema you rarely saw black actors. Nowadays it seems like every movie always makes sure to include a black character. Even characters are purposely turned black who were white in the comics, like Nick Fury, the Human Torch, Perry White, and the guy who sees everything in Asgard.

Its funny, the phrase, "the token black character" was coined after every movie/tv studio made sure to have at least one non-white character in their series. I think we need to coin the phrase, "the token Asian character" next.

Let alone you rarely ever see Indian/Hindu characters in major films.

[XERO]

Nobody mentioned Ernie Reyes, Jr.

Shame on you.

[Leo656]

Why would we? Who really remembers he ever did anything? I got nothing against the guy, but he never exactly set the world on fire.

And, he absolutely ruined the Red Sonja movie. So, no, shame on HIM.

[XERO]

Psh, he MADE that Red Sonja movie.

[Leo656]

If by "made", you mean, "somehow turned a movie where pre-crack Brigitte Nielsen in her prime, in a bikini, has a sword-fight with Arnold while battling the lesbian overtones of the main female villain, into a boring, awful pile of cinematic cheese," then... yeah, sure, he did all that.

[XERO]

Like it would've been a "Martin Scorsese" requisition if he wasn't in the film.

But, I digress. Ernie still rocks, and I think he deserves a spot in this list. He's freakin' Donatello.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by XERO

Corey Feldman is freakin' Donatello.

Fixed it for ya.