Asian Representation in Hollywood
By JENNIFER LIM '20
How many television shows or Hollywood movies have you seen with Asian leads? Of the existing Asian American leads, how many of them were portrayed as a “stereotypical Asian”? We rarely see Asians in television or films, but when we do, they are almost always reduced to a single stereotype, perceived often as the “token asian.” The stereotype of a “model minority” portrays a member of a minority group achieving success despite marginalization. This stereotype raises an issue of higher powers continuing to marginalize the group. In fact, the Asian American stereotype being continuously perpetuated in the arts and entertainment industry leads to the bigger social issues, such as the model minority stereotype.
The first issue with Asians in Hollywood is the lack of representation and misrepresentation. Movies or television shows with Asian characters are few and far between; as of 2015, Asian characters made up only 3-4% of the characters on television, according to The Guardian. Sadly, lead roles are even harder for Asians to land; the top 100 films of 2015 had no Asian leads, meaning that the majority of the 3-4% of Asian characters served as minor characters who often perpetuated existing stereotypes and as a result became two-dimensional.
The Guardian also cites the experiences of Asian actors who constantly feel misrepresented and reduced to just a stereotype; one actor speaks about his roles as a tech computer analyst with no lines, fading into the background of the film. Other Asian actors detail their experiences with being given only stereotypical and offensive roles that utilize them specifically for their Asian looks; in some cases, the only role offered to an Asian actress is that of a silent, obedient sex worker or prostitute. These roles are almost always designated for Asian actresses, a casting choice which not only perpetuates a harmful stereotype but also the fetishization of Asian women.
A study by universities in California, called “Tokens on the Small Screen,” examined the representation and characterization of Asian characters in television. They concluded that Asian actors are “underrepresented,marginalized, and tokenized.” The study echoes the sentiments of many Asian actors, who believe that they were only given the roles so the movie could boast of a “diverse cast.”
The typecasting of Asian characters bolsters the model minority myth. In the past, most recently during the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement, Asian Americans were portrayed as the ‘model’ minority in which they were expected to be silent and academically successful, and from those expectations, the Asian American stereotype was born. The term ‘model minority’ also suggests a secondary status, always seen as foreigners and not quite American. That secondary status, combined with the silent and academically successful stereotypes, formulates the token Asian characters of the obedient tech guy or the unassertive nerd. The model minority stereotype is, for the most part, untrue and even harmful for Asian Americans. Hollywood’s continuation of the model minority through its type casting is long outdated.
Hollywood still has a problem with diversity and representation, but there is also progress being made. Many Asian actors are using their platforms and influence to speak out about their under representation and misrepresentation in Hollywood. Sandra Oh, an Asian actress who played Cristina Yang in the ABC hit show Grey’s Anatomy, landed a lead role on an upcoming BBC show called Killing Eve, which portrays the progression of Asian representation in the industry. Despite Hollywood’s problem with diversity and representation, that is not to diminish the steps they are making to change this issue. Making Hollywood and the entertainment industry more diverse is entirely possible, and hopefully we will see that change in the near future