The Walking Dead: Glenn

After mentioning Daniel Wu, I also have to mention Steven Yuen's portrayal of Glenn Rhee in AMC's hit show, "The Walking Dead," as he also smashes Asian male stereotypes in the show. I began watching this show last year because I love apocalyptic survival themes but I soon was rooting for Glenn's survival in each episode.

To start, Glenn, is anything but a stereotypical Asian. He does not play a computer whiz or a kung fu master or a nerd of any kind. He is not portrayed as weak in any way. On the contrary, he is one of the fighters in the show. Previously a pizza delivery boy, his character does not have anything to do with a stereotypical Asian at all. In addition, he also gets with a girl. In season 2, he begins a romantic relationship with Maggie Greene, a white Southern girl from Georgia. Their love and feelings for each other blossoms throughout the show and they are currently married in the latest episode. When was the last time you saw an Asian male having a sexual and romantic relationship on television? Probably not in a very, very long time. Just a few weeks ago, the show's viewers were anxious to find out whether or not Glenn died. Steven Yuen's portrayal of Glenn has created a big fan base behind the character that the possibility of killing such a character was downright impossible to take in and comprehend. That is why the show cannot kill off Glenn; the character is one of the most interesting Asian males on television right now and is breaking so many stereotypes for Asian males.

"The Walking Dead" is the highest rated show in cable television history, and Steven Yuen's portrayal of Glenn Rhee definitely plays a role in that.

Into the Badlands-Article

This will be an extension to my previous post on Daniel Wu. I decided to write an article for AO (Asian Outlook) further examining Daniel Wu's lead role in AMC's new show, "Into the Badlands." Enjoy!

Daniel Wu: Breaking Down Stereotypes

         Does the name Daniel Wu sound familiar to you? Well, it should! He is a Hong Kong-based Chinese American actor who has been featured in more than 60 films and is now the main lead of AMC’s new show, “Into the Badlands.” The martial arts drama, inspired by the classic Chinese tale “Journey to the West,” takes place centuries into the future in a feudal society called the Badlands where seven Barons compete for access to the Badland’s resources. In the midst of their struggle for power, Daniel plays Sunny, a regent to the Badlands’ most powerful baron, Quinn. They also rescue a teenage boy, M.K. from captivity and gradually understand the importance and value of him.

          There was some hype prior to the premiere of “Into the Badlands” due to the fact that an Asian American was chosen as a main lead for a show. Not since ABC recently launched a new comedy series called “Fresh Off the Boat,” which featured an all Asian American family cast, has there been another Asian American as the main lead. Although there was more publicity behind “Fresh Off the Boat” than “Into the Badlands,” the latter is just as important in terms of the overall portrayal of Asian Americans in media.  

         “Fresh Off the Boat” was a comedy series that mainly exaggerated and poked fun at Asian American stereotypes, such as the well-known “tiger mom” stereotype. “Into the Badlands,” on the other hand, is a show with a much more serious tone that incorporates realistic martial arts and Kung Fu. In order to get a true understanding of this art fighting, the actors had to undergo intense training sessions led by martial arts coordinator, Master Dee Dee, who has contributed to many popular martial arts films including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “The Matrix.”

          To some, “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Into the Badlands” represent a step forward in the much needed progress for Asian American portrayal in media. However, recently on the social media site Twitter, someone by the name of Victoria tweeted, “#intothebadlands looks great. Pivotal mistake is that lead actor, Daniel Wu’s character has no Chinese accent. Bad choice. Too American…” Daniel Wu responded perfectly, “Not all people who do Kung Fu speak like fortune cookies.” This encounter raises the question why Victoria believed that Daniel needed a Chinese accent or what “too American” even means. Ironically enough, Daniel was born and raised in California. Whether Victoria’s remark was ill-intentioned or not, such an example goes to show that despite what progress we make and continue to make towards breaking down such well-built barriers and stereotypes regarding race, it will be a long and slow process.

          It is important to note that Daniel Wu’s character in the show “Into the Badlands” did not necessarily have to be Asian American as the script did not call for such. AMC choosing to go with an Asian American male as the main lead is undoubtedly a huge step forward in Asian representation in media and television shows. The character Sunny is also not a stereotypical Asian role that has been so often portrayed in the media ranging from the Asian nerd to the Kung Fu master. Yes, Sunny does know Kung Fu (and is very good at it, for that matter), but his Kung Fu does not define his character.          

          The portrayal of Asian Americans in the media has come a long way. It is refreshing to see more Asian Americans as the lead characters in various shows, but there is still much progress to be made. Hopefully with the help of Daniel Wu and his lead role in his new show, the stereotypes that have so often constrained Asian Americans in the media, can finally be dismantled, leading to more diverse roles for Asian Americans.      

Into The Badlands

Yesterday, AMC's new show, "Into the Badlands" premiered. which features Daniel Wu, a Chinese American actor as the lead role playing Sunny, a regent to a powerful Baron named Quinn. I have not had time to watch it yet, but I am excited to hear that the lead character is an Asian American actor. After "Fresh Off the Boat," there hasn't been a new Asian American lead.

In today's television shows, it is rare to find an Asian American male as the lead character. Although there was not as much hype for this show as "Fresh Off the Boat" had, this is a show that I would want to watch. Daniel Wu is a Hong Kong based Chinese American actor that has been in numerous martial arts films. "Into the Badlands" incorporates martial arts and wuxia in the show. The directors even hired a martial arts coordinator, Master Dee Dee, who has coordinated many fights in "Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2" and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon."

In addition to Asian American audience that are craving for a new Asian lead, "Into the Badlands" also tries to capture audiences who are interested in fantasy and mythology.. Besides the fact that I need a new show to watch, it also brings something different from what I have watched in "Fresh Off the Boat."  I am excited to start watching this new show!

Hollywood Whitewashing

I was talking to one of my friends last week and he told me how a white actor was cast as Light Yagami in the upcoming American film adaptation of Death Note. For those who don't know, Death Note is about a Japanese teenager who finds a special notebook that can kill anybody as long as you write someone's name in the book. I remember it was the first manga I ever read, and I got swept immediately. Death Note was the one that got me hooked into the manga craze and has a special place in my heart. I enjoyed it so much that I watched all three Japanese movies on Death Note.

I was very shocked when my friend told me that a white actor was going to play Light Yagami. Nat Wolff, a talented actor who was in The Fault in Our Stars was chosen to play Light. There is nothing wrong with Nat, but it just doesn't feel right for a white actor to play a Japanese character. Given, it is an American adaptation of the manga, but I would still expect the directors to pick a Japanese person to play Light. Especially since there aren't even that many Asian roles in Hollywood to begin with, the picking of a white actor to play Light decreases the availability of Asian roles even more. I will be looking forward to watching this movie not because I want to see it, but because I want to see how Nat portrays Light Yagami.  

Yellowface

Let's start from the very beginning. I am sure many of you have heard the term "yellowface," but let me briefly discuss about this term and how it came to be. Yellowface is a form of makeup to make Non-Asians appear more Asian by making their faces more yellow.

Probably the most famous incident of yellowface is in the Charlie Chan movies. Charlie Chan was a fictional Chinese American detective. However, in the 1930's and 1940's, instead of an Asian actor playing the character, white actors Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, and Roland Winters played the role instead. This was at a time when anti-Asian sentiment was running high in America because of World War II and Japanese involvement in the war.

However, there have been many other instances of yellowface after Charlie Chan. To name some, Micky Rooney played a stereotypical Japanese landlord and neighbor in Breakfast at Tiffany's and Marlon Brandon played a Japanese interpreter for the American army in The Teahouse of the August Moon.

Why are people so upset about yellowface? If a director thinks a white actor can play an Asian role best, then is it acceptable to have him/her play the character by using yellowface? No, because there are actual actors to play the role. In both the characters that Micky Rooney and Marlon Brandon played, their representation and acting seemed ridiculous and offensive, to say the least. In addition, yellowface reinforces harmful stereotypes toward Asians and Asian Americans. Yes, you can have white actors playing Asian characters, but where is the humanity in that? It is harmful toward an entire community and all this can be avoided by simply not casting white actors as Asian characters.

 

Welcome!

My first post is going to be a short introduction of who I am and why I am doing this.

My name is Frankie Choi and I am a senior at Binghamton University majoring in Accounting and minoring in Chinese Studies. From 2009-2012, I was part of Chinatown Youth Initiatives, and specifically part of an ESL learning program called Chinatown Literacy Project. Other than teaching people English, we also had discussions on issues that Asians and Asian Americans faced, which ranged from gentrification to Asian stereotypes. One of the issues that interested me was the racism of Asian portrayal in media. Specifically this term, after going to several Asian Outlook's general body meetings, I wanted to do my final project on something related to Asians and Asian Americans. In the end, I chose to write a blog as a means of getting my thoughts and ideas out. I hope whoever reads my blog enjoys what I write! Thank you.