Doctor Strange. Iron Fist. Ghost in the Shell. It’s hard out there to be an Asian American actor. Or an Asian American consumer of media. Or someone who would prefer to see more Asian Americans on screen (and behind the scenes). That’s why guest host Valerie Complex (whose #IAmMajor clapback recently went viral) gathered an all-star panel to talk about being Asian in Hollywood: feminist pop culture writer Clara Mae, Geeks of Color Creative Director (and Finn Jones’ favorite person on Twitter) Asyiqin Haron, Man in the High Castle actor Lee Shorten, and (the man who should’ve been) Iron Fist’s Lewis Tan.
Topics covered on the show include:
- Reactions to Scarlett Johansson as the Major in Ghost in the Shell
- Hollywood’s “bankability” excuse for justifying whitewashing (and how it doesn’t hold up to facts)
- Asyi describes her twitter interaction with Finn Jones and the backlash she’s since received
- Lewis reveals how he auditioned for Iron Fist and why he wanted to play the lead
- How “racial ambiguity” always seems to translate to “white”
- Lee and Lewis explain what it’s like to be Asian in Hollywood
- The importance of solidarity between all communities of color and the support the Black community has shown AAPI actors throughout the process
All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit “play,” and check this.
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