Social Asian-American Actors: "Why Won’t Hollywood Cast Actual Asians for Asian Characters in the Script?"

[MicroBrew]

I read some of the books but the posters here constantly reference his Scottish heritage as a reason to maintain a specific ethnic look.

Should he be Ginger then? Is Ginger considered an epithet? Most Scots aren't redheads but Scots , along with Ireland and Wales, have the high % of redheads.

 

[panamaican]

Should he be Ginger then? Is Ginger considered an epithet? Most Scots aren't redheads but Scots , along with Ireland and Wales, have the high % of redheads.

He's dark haired in the books. The argument is that the character should resemble the author's written description as closely as possible. I think it's silly but I don't think it's racist.

 

[MicroBrew]

i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems that in my opinion, hollywood views asian features as less attractive than western features. people in general, from every race, would rather see western features in their actors, hence why you have western actors playing asian roles to give those asian roles western features. don't mean to offend anyone, am simply saying it how i see it.

Yeah I tend to agree. There is a general perception in most of the world- especially MidEast, North Africa, South and East Asia, Latin America and to an extent in the West also - that the fair skinned Northern Euro phenotype is the most aesthetically pleasing. One only has to look at the popularity of plastic surgery in the MidEast and Asia to notice the preference for the Northern Euro nose and the Caucasoid eyes. In Iran and Lebanon, women who get nose-jobs, do so to look Northern European.

 

[Lord Commander Palis]

WTF? Anybody can be a racist including African Americans.

This is one of the stupidest post I've ever read...

He is playing a character. Just like his post and laugh that he has avoided ban.

 

[IIIIIIII]

Yeah I tend to agree. There is a general perception in most of the world- especially MidEast, North Africa, South and East Asia, Latin America and to an extent in the West also - that the fair skinned Northern Euro phenotype is the most aesthetically pleasing. One only has to look at the popularity of plastic surgery in the MidEast and Asia to notice the preference for the Northern Euro nose and the Caucasoid eyes. In Iran and Lebanon, women who get nose-jobs, do so to look Northern European.

if having to specify, i would say that the blonde, nordic look is most attractive to men, while the southern european look is most attractive to women.

 

[MicroBrew]

if having to specify, i would say that the blonde, nordic look is most attractive to men, while the southern european look is most attractive to women.

Would depend on which women I think. My impression from reading HBD articles and living in Arabia, is that women from the MidEast and Asia go for the blonde blue eyed Northern Euro male as most attractive. In the West, the "tall, dark, handsome" male is a cliche.

 

[ineverpost]

How come they don't cast ugly people? I'm not asking for myself, I'm asking for a friend....

 

[IIIIIIII]

Would depend on which women I think. My impression from reading HBD articles and living in Arabia, is that women from the MidEast and Asia go for the blonde blue eyed Northern Euro male as most attractive. In the West, the "tall, dark, handsome" male is a cliche.

yeah, that's a good point. it's true that women in those parts of the world, i would say generally go for the male nordic type, like you mentioned. i know that when i travel scandinavia, i receive a decent amount of looks when i walk around. i have mostly southern european blood. so it's a bit of an opposites-attract, within the western world and western features.

 

[MicroBrew]

yeah, that's a good point. it's true that women in those parts of the world, i would say generally go for the male nordic type, like you mentioned. i know that when i travel scandinavia, i receive a decent amount of looks when i walk around. i have mostly southern european blood. so it's a bit of an opposites-attract, within the western world and western features.

Yeah to an extent the grass is greener on the otherside is true, but I think there is a general agreement in Asia that dark skin and broad features are unattractive and that light skin, sharp features and Caucasoid eyes are the best.

In places like MidEast, Korea, Japan, China etc.. the vast majority are fair skinned people yet they don't automatically prefer dark skinned people. The vast majority of people in the MidEast and South Asia do not have the East Asian epicanthic eyes and they don't prefer those eyes either. So I think the feeling that opposites attract is true, but to a small degree and depends on what features are being judged.

 

[TSO]

That isn't the standard definition though. The standard definition requires a belief in racial superiority. Absent the superiority/inferiority component, it's just racial discrimination.

It's an important distinction.

Sure...

 

[panamaican]

Sure...

don't stress. Not everyone understands it on the first pass.

 

[Ice That Jaw]

The Last Samurai is in my top 10 films of all time. Edward Zwick is underrated as hell. The film was emotional as fuck. Sure, It had the white savior storyline but the japanese actors were portrayed as strong, weak, evil, and honorable. Essentially, as they would have been.

But if we are talking about leads in your average popcorn flick, sorry, but get the fuck over it.

 

[Arkain2K]

Btw guys did you know that the hero (Rico) from Starship Troopers was supposed to be a Filipino?

There goes @ShinkanPo 's chance at stardom.

 

[SaiWa]

The Last Samurai is in my top 10 films of all time. Edward Zwick is underrated as hell. The film was emotional as fuck. Sure, It had the white savior storyline but the japanese actors were portrayed as strong, weak, evil, and honorable. Essentially, as they would have been.

But if we are talking about leads in your average popcorn flick, sorry, but get the fuck over it.

Wha? It's a good movie but top 10 of all time???

 

[indo80]

Yeah to an extent the grass is greener on the otherside is true, but I think there is a general agreement in Asia that dark skin and broad features are unattractive and that light skin, sharp features and Caucasoid eyes are the best.

In places like MidEast, Korea, Japan, China etc.. the vast majority are fair skinned people yet they don't automatically prefer dark skinned people. The vast majority of people in the MidEast and South Asia do not have the East Asian epicanthic eyes and they don't prefer those eyes either. So I think the feeling that opposites attract is true, but to a small degree and depends on what features are being judged.

a big reason why light skin is considered attractive is because people associate light skin with wealth. People with the darkest skin colour historically worked outdoors as farmers or manual laborers thus were the poorest. Even prior to european arrival light skin was considered attractive in south asia.

 

[indo80]

i personally hate it when characters arent authentic racially. I dont want to see asians or black guys in a movie regarding historic europe just like how i dont want to see a white guy calling himself the last samurai in a movie about historic japan.

 

[Arkain2K]

a big reason why light skin is considered attractive is because people associate light skin with wealth. People with the darkest skin colour historically worked outdoors as farmers or manual laborers thus were the poorest. Even prior to european arrival light skin was considered attractive in south asia.

http://forums.sherdog.com/posts/116367385/

 

[MicroBrew]

a big reason why light skin is considered attractive is because people associate light skin with wealth. People with the darkest skin colour historically worked outdoors as farmers or manual laborers thus were the poorest. Even prior to european arrival light skin was considered attractive in south asia.

That's the often stated rationale - that dark skin meant you worked outdoors and thus poor- but it is a misleading explanation, not in South Asia atleast. Lots of dark skin people didn't do manual labor and or lived in mild regions. The preference for light skin in South Asia goes back to barbarian invasions into the SubContinent, almost 4 millennia ago. At the time dark skinned people were way more advanced than the incoming light skinned invaders. Over the millennia all the invaders have been lighter skinned than the locals. Invaders imposed themselves as rulers and or integrated into the ruling dynasties and castes.

 

[Ice That Jaw]

Wha? It's a good movie but top 10 of all time???

I said my top ten, douche.

 

[GtehMVP]

I understand why certain people are cast, it's all about name recognition. Even China brought in Matt Damon to sar in The Great Wall, pretty much an all Chinese film (I think he was the only American actor). TV shows can afford to be more experimental, so I'm glad we're seeing more diverse casting, but we're also seeing diverse casting just to be diverse.

The biggest offender was Riverdale making Melody a black chick, and unattractive. I didn't care about the rest of the Pussycats, but Melody was a hot ditzy blonde and Moose wasn't gay!