Better Roles for Asian Actors
Title
Better Roles for Asian Actors
Description
This image shows a man holding a sign that reads in part: “We Demand Better Roles for Asian Actors''[1] at a demonstration at the opening of the film Rising Sun at the United Artist Theatre in Times Square. On July 30th, 1993, CAAAV, along with several other organizations, gathered to protest this film due to its stereotyping of Asian characters and xenophobic message.[2] Rising Sun was an addition to a long list of films that represent Asian Americans in a way that fans the flames of prejudice and hate towards Asian Americans and Asian nationals.
The sign at the center of the photo calls for better representation of Asians in films due to the overwhelming presence of negative portrayals in the media that reinforce pre-existing prejudices. In the case of Rising Sun, Japanese men largely are portrayed as sexual deviants and threats, specifically to white American women, which further reinforces “Yellow Peril” -- the idea that Asian Americans pose a threat to White people.[3]
In other films, Asian characters are frequently portrayed as foreigners who are unable to assimilate into American culture, particularly in regards to learning English.[4] Asian women are often depicted as either humble and obedient or hypersexualized, evil, and “ruthless dragon ladies.”[5] Conversely, Asian men are often portrayed as isolated and ignorant, but also cunning and villainous.[6] Over time roles have evolved to show Asian characters in a seemingly more positive light, but these roles typically promote the model minority stereotype by portraying Asians as quiet, nerdy, and passive.[7] Moreover, Asian actors are more often cast as supporting characters rather than in main roles. In a study of Asian American media representation: “70 Asian characters [were] identified among the 25 films in the analytic sample. Fourteen characters served lead roles, while 56 served supporting roles.”[8] There have even been instances in which Asian characters were played by white actors, most notably Mickey Rooney’s offensive role as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.[9]
While fictional characters may not appear to be directly harmful at first, the inaccurate portrayals of Asian-Americans and Asian nationals in the media have been shown to negatively impact Asian identity [10] and lead to an increase in violence and harassment against Asian Americans.[11] Violence against Asian Americans is worsened by misrepresentations of Asians in popular culture that lead many people to view Asian Americans, whether consciously or subconsciously, in a negative light. The anti-Asian violence that has been shown to stem from these misrepresentations in the media, as well as directly from US policies of systemic and institutional racism, are exactly what CAAAV was founded to stand up against.[12] Protesting films like Rising Sun gives the Asian American community the opportunity to combat directly the negative racial stereotypes that stem from, and perpetuate, institutional racism in the United States. Actions like this protest not only raise awareness for the issue, but bring CAAAV and others one step closer in their fight towards racial justice.
Notes
[1] “Better Roles for Asian Actors,” CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Digital Archive, accessed March 17, 2021, http://maggie.hosting.nyu.edu/caaav/admin/items/show/1042.
[2]“The CAAAV Voice: Newsletter of the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence.” CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, 1993. https://caaav.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Voice_Fall_1993.pdf.
[3][4][5][6][7][11]Zhang, Qin. “Asian Americans Beyond the Model Minority Stereotype: The Nerdy and the Left Out.” Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 3, no. 1 (2010): 20–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513050903428109.
[8][10] Besana, Tiffany, Dalal Katsiaficas, and Aerika Brittian Loyd. “Asian American Media Representation: A Film Analysis and Implications for Identity Development.” Research in Human Development 16, no. 3-4 (2019): 201–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2020.1711680.
[9] Force, Thessaly La. “Why Do Asian-Americans Remain Largely Unseen in Film and Television?” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 6, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html.
[12]“History of CAAAV.” CAAAV.org. Accessed March 17, 2021. https://caaav.org/about-us/history-of-caaav.
The sign at the center of the photo calls for better representation of Asians in films due to the overwhelming presence of negative portrayals in the media that reinforce pre-existing prejudices. In the case of Rising Sun, Japanese men largely are portrayed as sexual deviants and threats, specifically to white American women, which further reinforces “Yellow Peril” -- the idea that Asian Americans pose a threat to White people.[3]
In other films, Asian characters are frequently portrayed as foreigners who are unable to assimilate into American culture, particularly in regards to learning English.[4] Asian women are often depicted as either humble and obedient or hypersexualized, evil, and “ruthless dragon ladies.”[5] Conversely, Asian men are often portrayed as isolated and ignorant, but also cunning and villainous.[6] Over time roles have evolved to show Asian characters in a seemingly more positive light, but these roles typically promote the model minority stereotype by portraying Asians as quiet, nerdy, and passive.[7] Moreover, Asian actors are more often cast as supporting characters rather than in main roles. In a study of Asian American media representation: “70 Asian characters [were] identified among the 25 films in the analytic sample. Fourteen characters served lead roles, while 56 served supporting roles.”[8] There have even been instances in which Asian characters were played by white actors, most notably Mickey Rooney’s offensive role as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.[9]
While fictional characters may not appear to be directly harmful at first, the inaccurate portrayals of Asian-Americans and Asian nationals in the media have been shown to negatively impact Asian identity [10] and lead to an increase in violence and harassment against Asian Americans.[11] Violence against Asian Americans is worsened by misrepresentations of Asians in popular culture that lead many people to view Asian Americans, whether consciously or subconsciously, in a negative light. The anti-Asian violence that has been shown to stem from these misrepresentations in the media, as well as directly from US policies of systemic and institutional racism, are exactly what CAAAV was founded to stand up against.[12] Protesting films like Rising Sun gives the Asian American community the opportunity to combat directly the negative racial stereotypes that stem from, and perpetuate, institutional racism in the United States. Actions like this protest not only raise awareness for the issue, but bring CAAAV and others one step closer in their fight towards racial justice.
Notes
[1] “Better Roles for Asian Actors,” CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Digital Archive, accessed March 17, 2021, http://maggie.hosting.nyu.edu/caaav/admin/items/show/1042.
[2]“The CAAAV Voice: Newsletter of the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence.” CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, 1993. https://caaav.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Voice_Fall_1993.pdf.
[3][4][5][6][7][11]Zhang, Qin. “Asian Americans Beyond the Model Minority Stereotype: The Nerdy and the Left Out.” Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 3, no. 1 (2010): 20–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513050903428109.
[8][10] Besana, Tiffany, Dalal Katsiaficas, and Aerika Brittian Loyd. “Asian American Media Representation: A Film Analysis and Implications for Identity Development.” Research in Human Development 16, no. 3-4 (2019): 201–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2020.1711680.
[9] Force, Thessaly La. “Why Do Asian-Americans Remain Largely Unseen in Film and Television?” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 6, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html.
[12]“History of CAAAV.” CAAAV.org. Accessed March 17, 2021. https://caaav.org/about-us/history-of-caaav.
Date
circa 1993.
Contributor
Nicole Font
This post was completed as coursework for HIST-GA 3901 Community Archives, taught by Maggie Schreiner, in the Archives and Public History MA program at New York University.
This post was completed as coursework for HIST-GA 3901 Community Archives, taught by Maggie Schreiner, in the Archives and Public History MA program at New York University.
Rights
Copyright is held by CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities.
Format
Photograph.
Identifier
CAAAV_1452
Files
Citation
“Better Roles for Asian Actors ,” CAAAV Digital Archive, accessed May 19, 2024, https://archives.caaav.org/items/show/1726.