“I think having us visually on TV is just so striking for a lot of people that it takes them out of whatever reality the TV is trying to portray, therefore we're not that cast-able.”īoth Du and Yoo say that the lack of diversity is also related to cultural attitudes within the Asian population. “I think for some reason we've built up that Asians in American culture are so different, an ‘exotic race,’” Yoo says. I kick myself out of the game too.”Īnother reason Asian Americans are ignored for comedic opportunities is because audiences may find their presence in traditional white roles “distracting.” I don't know why I'm kind of just like, ‘Well, I'm already Asian, so I don't get to be British,’ which is maybe me limiting myself. “Or maybe that's me limiting myself in my thinking because there's a lot of Asians in Australia, actually. “I love doing a Cockney accent like Michael Caine, or like an Australian accent, but I just know that I'm not the person that you're going to ask to be an Australian person in a skit.” She quickly changes tack. “There's just not that many recognizable Asians in media in order to do an impression.”ĭu herself favors accents over impressions, but often wonders if this skill will fall by the wayside. “I don't think an Asian man playing a white man is anymore inappropriate than Bobby Moynihan playing Kim Jong-un,” she says. But Du disagrees that an Asian American man would be limited to playing Asian roles, especially when white cast members have played people of color. Dan Lee, a Korean American who performs at UCB Theatre East Village, says that an Asian male would possibly have to subject himself to playing Kim Jong-un every weekend, given the show’s attention to political satire. One reason may be the show’s emphasis on celebrity impersonations. So why is it SNL - perhaps the most influential comedic variety show that has spearheaded many comedians’ careers - has yet to even cast a token Asian American cast member? “I’d rather they say, ‘Hey, let’s put someone of color on this show,’ than make it all white.” “I guess I have mixed feelings about tokenism being a necessary thing.” She laughs halfheartedly.Įven though tokenism doesn’t necessarily solve the lack of diversity problem, she agrees it still presents an opportunity for representation. Some casting calls specifically call for the sassy, supporting character to be Asian, which Du describes as a double-edged sword. “I feel like I’m fighting that all the time.” It’s weird that that blows people’s minds,” says Yoo, who has appeared in Gotham and Death Lives. “And you’ll hear it with managers or casts: ‘Great, we have one Asian, let’s check that box.’ While it is progress, it’s still kind of calculated.”įellow comedian Ann Marie Yoo, who is Korean American and performs with the group AzN PoP, has also experienced the absurd logic of attempting to include Asian American actors in casting calls for TV shows. They’ll be like, ‘I can’t imagine ABC having a second show about an Asian American immigrant family,’” she says, referring to Fresh Off the Boat. “But I think people are still very limited in the way that they view demographics. “I think Asian women definitely have more visibility in comedy right now than they have had for a while,” says Chinese American New York City comedian Lily Du, who tours with the Upright Citizens Brigade and has had small roles in Broad City and The President Show. And very recently, there seems to be a cultural shift with Asian American women in pop culture, with funny ladies Ali Wong, Constance Wu, and Awkwafina becoming popular. Margaret Cho, Ronny Chieng, Ken Jeong, Bobby Lee, to name a few, have paved the way in representation. Via Twitter/ not like there’s a lack of successful Asian American comics. In a show that uses Asians as props for comic relief, an Asian cast member is long overdue. And earlier this year, a photo of Will Ferrell with an Asian family was shown as a closing shot. It was the fourth time Yoshimura had been outsourced for the role since 1976. Last year, SNL production designer Akira Yoshimura played Asian Star Trek character Sulu. And while critics may decry this argument, citing that Fred Armisen and Rob Schneider are both one quarter Asian, the fact remains that their Asian-ness is, for lack of a better word, invisible. In its 40-plus years, save for hosts Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan, SNL has never featured a player of East Asian descent.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |