Asian stereotypes still dominate films, TV

  CBSFOX Video Bruce Lee, shown here in
"The Chinese Connection," was one of the orginal establishments of
the Asian persona in American cinema.

By Mary Dang
Daily bruin contributor
[email protected]

All roads lead to Bruce Lee. With his shaggy haircut, martial
arts prowess, and Chinese accent, Bruce Lee has been permanently
stamped as the quintessential Asian American inside many
people’s consciousness. Along with other Asian stereotypes
like the nerdy foreign exchange student or a hair salon owner,
these images dominate the big and small screen in portraying Asian
Americans.

Given the increased amount of attention to Asian Americans in
the past few years ““ be it anime (“Princess
Mononoke”), martial arts (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon”), and even Asian directors (Ang Lee, John Woo)
““ Asians are becoming more represented in Hollywood. Or are
they?

The lack of realistic representations of Asian Americans in
television and film is alarming to film-maker Tom Huang, who is
troubled by such popular shows like “Scrubs.”

“They have African-American and Latino main
characters,” Huang said. “But it’s in a hospital
and there are millions and millions of Asians working as doctors
and interns in hospitals. There’s not one (in the show). It
kind of upsets me because it doesn’t show real
life.”

The issue of why Asian roles are so scarce in film and
television has been a latent though loaded topic. Actor Eddie Shin
of “That ’80s Show,” contrary to Huang, does not
believe that the entertainment industry is to blame for all
stereotypical Asian portrayals.

“I honestly think the fashionable thing to say is
“˜Yeah it sucks, we got to stick it to the man … we’re
getting crapped on,'” Shin said. “Everyone wants
us to be a ninja or a Chinese food delivery boy.”

Shin would rather people focus on talent and not let being
Asian-American overshadow work and creativity. From his own
outlook, having gained a spot in “That ’80s Show”
within six months in Los Angeles, Shin does not personally see any
additional difficulties in getting the job because he was
Korean-American.

“I have to be honest ““ that was certainly one of my
concerns when I made the decision to pursue acting professionally,
especially the people around me who said “˜Let’s be
realistic about this,’ because there are not that many great
role models of Asian Americans within the entertainment industry.
As far as my personal experience, I can’t say that’s
really been the case at all,” Shin said.

Huang on the other hand, had a difficult time breaking into the
film business, and it was not necessarily because of the inherent
barriers inside the movie industry, but within his own Chinese
American culture.

“It was hard personally because my family were completely
against it,” Huang said. “It was a fight just to become
an English major. I came to UCLA as a pre-law or pre-econ or
whatever and they were fine with that, and then when I decided to
do English they had no comprehension of why I would do that. After
I graduated in English and they thought “˜Oh, maybe you want
to become a lawyer because English majors become
lawyers.'”

For Shin, the action to pursue acting was a cultural barrier as
well since the entertainment business has never been boasted as a
great source of steady income.

“For many years I was pursuing pre-med because I
didn’t know whether it was for me or whether it was for
someone else” said Shin.

The question of whether the “race card” should be
played within the entertainment industry carries a lot of problems
for Asian Americans in film and TV. Any compromises in the quality
of work and standards of talent weighs heavily on Asian Americans
who are trying to balance being Asian and being professional.

“That’s something I struggle with all the time and I
think that a lot of Asian Americans also struggle with,”
Huang said. “It’s nice to have an Asian American
community but the bottom line is that you want to be known as a
good actor, a good director, good writer, not a good Asian American
writer, a good Asian American actor.”

The balance of culture and business has always been a tough call
for Asian Americans. For Thuy Hoang, the program manager for
Vietnam California Radio, who deals with Asian cinema and TV
promotions, the hardest part of being in the entertainment business
is gaining connections.

“I’ve been talking to a lot of Vietnamese or Chinese
Americans and all of them told me that it’s so hard to get
into the industry without anyone backing (them) up.

In Hoang’s opinion, there is still a long way for Asian
Americans to receive recognition in the film/television industry.
He views films like “Green Dragon” or “Three
Seasons” as an improvement but by no means an actual change
within the entertainment industry landscape.