People may not realize it, but Asian narratives have finally broken through years of stereotypes in Hollywood cinema. We have started to see Asian characters as characters, without the tag of them being Asian. We are seeing Asian leads, Asian stories, in big-budgeted projects, finally getting known for their worth as actors. But this is, by no means, an easy win. This comes from years of silent struggles that the Asian acting and creative community have been facing since decades.
This establishment of Asian cinema within Hollywood was made possible through the success of Crazy Rich Asians. Since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club, Crazy Rich Asians is the first major Hollywood film to feature an all Asian cast. The film is also the first Asian story to be produced solely by a Hollywood studio (Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon was a co-production between Hong Kong and the USA). Not only did the film create ripples about its starry lineup, but it also delivered in terms of quality. The film is, quite simply, by, for, and of, Asian culture. Crazy Rich Asians also does Asian representation best – of both Asians in the far-East, and Asian-Americans. No Hollywood film had quite championed Asian-American detachment like this one. Another breakthrough character was that of Eleanor Sung-Young (Michelle Yeoh), the poised, no-nonsense, and affluent woman. America had never seen Asian portrayals like these, and this is why Crazy Rich Asians has to be credited for being the pioneer of Asian Cinema, within Hollywood.
Representation matters tremendously in an industry that is catering to the whole world. This industry, furthermore, is home to a country that boasts of its extremely diverse population on paper. But in reality, it is seldom owned up to, and members of that specific ethnicity have to step up to fight injustices. This is why Hollywood needs to better its representation act, and do right by its culturally-varied audience. Cooked-up depictions of these are what perpetuates racism in the USA, which leaks out into the whole world. When you do it right, you have an Asian-directed, Asian-cast film sweeping Oscars, and changing perceptions about Asians for good.
Sadly, these feats come after long-standing struggles. Stereotypes and Hollywood have had a relationship that spans decades. Arabs, Latinas, women – you name it, and it has a typecast treatment in Hollywood. But the worst suffering of them all are the Asians – the studios simply jumped from one stereotype from the other when it came to Asian roles. The best known Asian actor in Hollywood remains Bruce Lee, who is testament to the previous line.
Before Lee, Asian roles were all grimly pictured, with evil and rotten mindsets – perpetuating the image that Asians are a disgusting race. They were also pictured as backward people, who were rooted in traditions, while the world advanced in science and society. Even today, the first image of a Chinese man in an American’s head would probably be that of a martial arts teacher, in his customary clothes. Bruce Lee, came with a force to be reckoned with (quite literally). Despite breaking a tough barrier, Lee gave rise to another stereotype – the martial arts proficient Asian. It didn’t matter what Asian country you come from (another back-breaking subject for the West), but people assumed you were well-versed in yelling a hai-ya and delivering a kick that had opponents flying, if you were Asian. Hollywood now casted Asian actors in roles that were defined by their martial arts prowess. Jackie Chan himself laments the global audience’s treatment of him as an actor, which only considers Chan as the Chinese martial arts hero, rather than the actor he is.
It takes the new generation a second or two to dissociate Asian stars of the yesteryears as actors. Thankfully, they are seeing current Asian stars with the right gaze, with filmmakers writing better depictions of Asian Americans. These characters have an international element to them, along with the factor of relatability for the Asian community – a necessary evil, as the stereotypes would again follow. It is probably one of the few ethnicities in America to have broken free from its vice-like grip of Hollywood stereotypes. Latin and Arab portrayals are yet to see an establishment like that of Asians in America.
After Crazy Rich Asians, Asian voices have only succeeded further. Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was spot on at Asian-American representation. It also stars the great Tony Leung as Xu Wenwu; his debut Hollywood role. Leung needs no introduction to film geeks – given his longtime association with Wong Kar-wai. Shang-Chi serves as a lesson for Marvel, and the rest of Hollywood on how to get casting right.
The movie shows how this race is wired – having a strong cultural background, but also having an American identity like anyone else. The film has a specific shot that shows Shang-Chi taking off his shoes before entering Katy’s house – the golden rule of all Asian households – even Desi ones. The shot lasts for barely a few seconds, but it has purposely been included in the final cut. It portrays Asian mysticism in a beautiful way, especially the backstory of Shang-Chi’s parents. All this and more lead to Shang-Chi being one of the highest grossers of 2021.
With the success of Everything Everywhere All At Once, people have a newfound respect for Asian actors – which was reserved for those with the martial arts label. Michelle Yeoh took up her first comedy-action role, in a weird world where she meets equally weird variations of herself. The film went on to win all the major titles at the Academy Awards, with Yeoh becoming the first Asian woman to ever win the Best Actress title.
In its history of 95 years, this is the first time the Academy has found an Asian woman worthy of the award. The academy has again only honored two Latina women with its Best Supporting Actress award (Rita Moreno and Arian Debose) who play the same role, in adaptations of the stage musical, West Side Story. These feats are testament enough that Hollywood has so much more work to do, to get representation right.
We need more Hollywood cinema that is culturally rooted, actors that are from the right ethnicity to play the parts. If Asian narrative has found its way as a free one, so can other ethnicities with the right steps. But the decision solely lies with Hollywood biggies, who have the power of influencing the right kind of mentality in the world through entertainment. They have a firm hold on how the world views things in general. If these studios have taken the big leap for an earnest Asian representation, it surely can do the same for other minorities – the least they can do for a better, inclusive, and holistic society.