By Petr Navovy | Social Media | September 13, 2017 |
By Petr Navovy | Social Media | September 13, 2017 |
Whitewashing is bad.
Representation is important.
I feel as if these are axiomatic enough statements now that they don’t require further elaboration here.
What’s interesting sometimes though is to peek behind the curtain in order to try and parse whatever nonsense justification is currently being used by the folks behind the camera to ignore the sentiment behind those statements.
For example, a recent Paste Magazine piece quoted Nancy Wang Yuen, sociologist and author of ‘Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism’ and her experience of Hollywood:
“I work with a lot of different people, and Asians are a challenge to cast because most casting directors feel as though they’re not very expressive,” one other casting director told Yuen. “They’re very shut down in their emotions … If it’s a look thing for business where they come in they’re at a computer or if they’re like a scientist or something like that, they’ll do that; but if it’s something were they really have to act and get some kind of performance out of, it’s a challenge.”
Tired and lazy racist tropes abounding in Hollywood! Who’d have guessed it?!
After the article and message spread far and wide the #ExpressiveAsians of Twitter decided to make some glorious noise in response to this gibberish:
Can we start #ExpressiveAsians? pic.twitter.com/PlwnNuxuBQ
— Maurene Goo (@mauxbot) September 8, 2017
Tony Leung can express more complex emotions with just his eyes than many Western actors can with their whole bodies. #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/DWoOZWQlHV
— Decervelage (@Decervelage) September 10, 2017
Ana May Wong literally made her career being expressive…she was a SILENT FILM STAR. Hollywood, learn your own history! #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/V9n8mfrMb9
— Mary Fan ðŸ‰ðŸŽ»ðŸš€ (@AstralColt) September 9, 2017
Im feeling so much right now.. but in case you wanna see what that looks like Hollywood! #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/WZaS4o7xSX
— jo. (@BBMonarch) September 9, 2017
My fave #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/xRRfPA0GcS
— Renee Barrow 📚☕ (@RmBarrow) September 9, 2017
'Asians are not very expressive hey lets make fifteen Twilight movies with a couple of puppets.' #ExpressiveAsians
— David Lo Pun-ch Nazi (@helpmeskeletor) September 9, 2017
Let's make this a meme, this time with actual Japanese Actors. #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/xE0Fu7sLTc
— Davis (@Des_Shinta) September 9, 2017
#ExpressiveAsians Lisa from Blackpink is one of the most expressive people I've ever seen 🤔 pic.twitter.com/4wycAbZBzX
— cherchez la femme (@electrapng) September 10, 2017
too aggro? I like being expressive while holding sharp af knives! #ExpressiveAsians (for reference: https://t.co/HnjXXMmHcp) pic.twitter.com/I3ZkVYR0oe
— sam (@samanthaistan) September 9, 2017
'Asians are not very expressive, lol let's make Steven Seagal an martial arts action hero.' #ExpressiveAsians
— David Lo Pun-ch Nazi (@helpmeskeletor) September 9, 2017
I mean. #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/rSLInBhak8
— Jen Wu (@ILikeTweed) September 9, 2017
'Asians are not very expressive how many declining quality Hemsworths can we cram into everything?' #ExpressiveAsians
— David Lo Pun-ch Nazi (@helpmeskeletor) September 9, 2017
White people don't think we're "expressive" bc they're invested in Orientalist narratives that present us as all the same #ExpressiveAsians
— Ju-Hyun Park (@Hermit_Hwarang) September 9, 2017
this is qwhite interesting #ExpressiveAsians pic.twitter.com/j3cmXTYsIY
— nat (@euphoricnoora) September 9, 2017
And the someone decided to bring out the big guns.
And I mean like the biggest fucking gun:
Easily one of the greatest actors to have ever lived was Toshiro Mifune, expressive doesn't begin to describe him. #expressiveasians pic.twitter.com/clev7K6AH5
— Casey Explosion (@CaseyExplosion) September 9, 2017
Because I mean…
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Petr Knava lives in London and plays music