<p>While female Asian actresses are not rare on screen, what is, however, are male Asian actors. In addition, the few Asian guys we see on tv and in the movies are often people like “Long Duck Dong” from “16 Candles”, William Hung on “American Idol” and “Hiro” on “Heroes”… a little dorky and stereo-typed.</p>
<p>So it’s cool that Dan Dae Kim (HC '88) plays the closest resemblance to a normal Asian male figure on TV… even though he plays a foreigner and a gangster… </p>
<p>Dan Dae Kim was also on Angel the series,(has tons of fans from there even though he played an eevil lawyer), he’s a very talented actor and from all accounts a really nice person. Haverford should be proud.</p>
<p>Thank you for your post. It has taken Hollywood a long time to realistically portray non-white characters. I think of movies in the 30s in which blacks were portrayed as Steppin-Fetchits or anonomyous, sterotypes (almost like set pieces). Even more infuriating was the fact that black characters with any depth, were portrayed by a white actor in black face (e.g., Al Jolsen in the Jazz Singer). Of course, sometimes black characters were made vivid, but as degrading stereotypes (e.g., Amos and Andy). I actually think that actors like Sydney Poitier (and even Jim Brown, the ex-football player) were among the first to portray black men in heroic roles. Eventually, black actors could actually portray strong black characters. What is encouraging now, is that black actors can portray roles that are not racially-type cast. In particular, I think of some of the roles played by Denzel Washington or Samuel L. Jackson. They are often playing characters who happen to be black.</p>
<p>Asians have to deal with the legacy of Charlie Chan and Fu Man Chu which again were played by white actors. The Flower Drum Song, South Pacific, and the King and I started a trend towards portraying realistic Asian characters on stage and screen. I actually think that Bruce Lee was one of the first Asians presented by Western mainstream media in a positive light. He crossed over in the Green Hornet television series and in some of his later films. He has been followed by a number of other martial artists, notably Jackie Chan and Jet Li. However, aside from action films, I have not seen many heroic Asian characters sensitively or realistically portrayed (believe it or not, I think Pat Morita’s character in the Karate Kid is one exception). I</p>
<p>Another Hollywood movie, in which an Asian character was realistically portrayed was Haing S Ngor’s role in the Killing Fields. However, these “realistic” characterizations by mainstream Hollywood are far and few between. I also think there currently are no Asian or Asian American actors that play roles like those of Washington and Jackson that transcend racial type-casting. Perhaps Daniel Dae Kim, or other talented Asian actors like him will be able to break this barrier.</p>
<p>Although, there is a robust film industry in Asia, from Bollywood to Hong Kong thrillers to Japanese/Korean cinema, and an emerging Chinese film industry, many of these movies (with the exception of a few action movies) do not cross over to Western audiences. Movies by the Indian director Satyajit Ray or Japanese directors Kurosawa or Ozu are watched by film enthusiasts with rarefied tastes- they do not generally appeal to mainstream American audiences. Interestingly, Hollywood has remade some of Kurosawa’s movies (e.g. Magnificent Seven, Star Wars) to cater to Western tastes.</p>
<p>As an Asian-American who is trying to break through certain glass ceilings in my own field of endeavor, I am cheering for Kim.</p>
<p>You may be rooting for Kim, but I’ll be cheering for you.
I think there were 2 other Asian male figures who did not play distorted caricatures on TV/movies… but a very long time ago.</p>
<p>1) The character “Sulu” on Star Trek
2) Dustin Nguyen from 21 Jump Street. I believe he actually played a character who only “happened” to be Asian. </p>
<p>Also, when I re-read my intial post, I didn’t mean to sound like I was suggesting that Asian women don’t have any issues with stereotypes as well. I am always a little nonplussed when I see an Asian woman play the “dragon lady” on TV like all of Lucy Liu’s characters. Also, while I definitely have no issues with inter-racial dating, I always shake my head when I see Asian women on TV only in romantic relationships with non-Asian guys (except for DDK in LOST)… what’s wrong with the “brothers”? :)</p>
<p>HC Alum, thanks for your comments and additions. Agree with the “positive” Asian male characters you mentioned. Your point about Hollywood portraying white men having romantic relationships with Asian women rather than Asian men with Asian women is interesting and revealing. This contrasts with its difficulty in portraying black men having relationships with white women in the past. The movies “Guess who’s coming to dinner, The Great White Hope, and Jungle Fever” come to mind, and each were quite controversial when released as they dealt with what was then perceived to be a taboo subject. It also is telling that Hollywood’s portrayal of White/Asian relationships is unidirectional as I am not aware of a single feature movie that has portrayed an Asian man romantically involved with a white woman. It is somewhat surprising since Asian men are generally not thought to be sexually threatening to white men. Some French films (Hiroshima Mon Amour and Indochine) have portrayed such relationship but so far Hollywood seems afraid to do so.</p>
<p>I was waiting at the airport several days ago and saw a variety of interacial couples: White man/Asian woman; Asian man/white woman; Black man/Asian woman. On T.V. in the waiting area, I watched former Defense Secretary Cohen and his black newscaster wife being interviewed about their book on interacial relationships (I believe it was entitled “Love in black and white”). In some parts of the country, at least, it seems like our multiracial society has outpaced Hollywood’s persistent stereotypes and taboos.</p>
<p>By the way, since this is College Confidential, I realize I have gone way off topic. </p>
<p>Just want to say that Haverford is a great school for the many reasons you and others have enumerated here. My second son applied there this year and we are keeping our fingers crossed!</p>