by Oanh-Nhi Nguyen and Mark Tseng Putterman
When a leaked script revealed that Disney planned to center its live-action Legend of Mulan film around a white merchant who comes to “white knight” the hero of China, the outrage was swift and fierce. After thousands signed 18MillionRising’s petition, Disney quickly responded to assure fans that all major characters would be cast as Chinese. “Don’t worry,” one patronizing headline went so far as to say, everything’s going to be fine. And by and large, the once-raging fire of #MakeMulanRight has cooled to a few glowing embers. Asian America seems to be satisfied to know that Disney won’t turn Mulan into yet another white savior film.
It’s a win, but not exactly the sort of victory you can feel great about. We’ve been through this too many times, haven’t we?
In September, NBC dropped the prospective sitcom Mail Order Family following similar Asian American outrage over a premise that turned the Filipino “mail order bride” industry into fodder for cheap laughs. Last week, Doctor Strange premiered to box office and critical success that largely ignored Tilda Swinton’s logic-defying casting as “The Ancient One.” Recently, Netflix unveiled a teaser trailer for its Iron Fist series, starring a milquetoast Finn Jones in a role that many said would be better suited for an Asian American. It’s enough to make any advocate for Asian American mainstream media representation pessimistic.
At 18MillionRising, we’re working to channel members’ passion for pop culture towards changing media institutions that systematically exclude voices of color. We believe that accountable representation for historically excluded communities means more than having people of color on screen. By metrics of visibility alone, Mail Order Family would be considered a success. We deserve better — and it takes diversity in writers’ rooms and executive offices to make sure that projects like Legend of Mulan’s white savior spec script don’t get greenlighted in the first place.
We know just how much Asian Americans and other creatives of color can do when we don’t have to jump through Hollywood’s hoops. From YouTube superstars to independent film festivals, independent Asian American media makers are changing the game on their own terms. When we were kids, Disney’s 1998 animated Mulan was one of the first nuanced depictions of Asian characters, let alone Asian women, we had ever seen in mainstream American media. And while digital platforms have made it easier for the next generation of Asian American youth to find people that look like them to look up to, representation remains nearly as bleak on the big screen.
Besides being a Chinese historical figure, Mulan has become a cultural touchstone for a generation of Asian Americans. Which is why it’s unsurprising to learn that Chinese American screenwriter Rita Hsiao had a hand in shaping the original script. Knowing the impact that Mulan had for our generation — from “pour the tea” jokes at family dim sum to car-ride singalongs to “Reflection” — we’re determined to have someone who understands firsthand the impact of Asian American representation behind the scenes making sure Disney delivers a film that is accountable to the millions of Asian Americans who, for better or worse, will see a part of themselves reflected on the big screen when Legend of Mulan hits theaters.
The #MakeMulanRight hashtag has always been about more than one film. It’s about taking the fight for media accountability off-screen — and into the writers’ rooms, executive offices, and legislative seats where we can finally harness the power to tell our stories on our own terms.
Sign and share 18MR’s petition to Disney calling for an Asian American writer to work on The Legend of Mulan. Help us hit 20,000 signatures before we deliver the petition!
