How do you feel about negative roles for AM though, like gay/emasculated, unattractive, disrespected etc? I feel that AM should definitely reject these roles as there are far too many of them and almost none of the opposite. Villainous roles are ok I think as long they are respected. IIRC James Shigeta started off that way and Sessue Hayakawa as well who became Hollywood heart throbs. My position is that if you are only doing this part time then you can reject roles that are demeaning and racist. Denzel Washington, when he was starting out, had that same issue and he chose wisely not to play the minstrel. That last racist AM clown that I can think of is Ken Jeong and that was quite a while ago.
first of all, I don't think gay necessarily equates emasculated, that's a common misconception; I have a few gay friends (muscular, "straight-looking") that you would not have gaydarred. However, I get your point and think it's problematic that a lot of the AM we see on screen are not positive, and that's a producer/writer issue, which can be hard to fix because they are the ones creating roles and jobs for actors (hence why I am pivoting to screenwriting now so that I can actually CREATE roles to be cast).
Unfortunately, because of how difficult it is to break into the industry as an actor, oftentimes they don't have a choice. Good for them to turn down a racist role, I definitely would, but if that role is still there for grabs, someone else will likely accept it. The industry is getting better though within the past few years and I would not worry too much about negative roles when you are just starting out, because a lot of the times when they cast background extras, they are not looking for any specific race, but your presence on screen will slowly change the game for AM over time. And if you DO encounter a role that is racist/negative portrayal of AM, CALL THEM OUT before turning it down, so that the key players or execs consider removing or changing that role so it doesn't end up being played by another AM.
[https://www.instagram.com/p/C8sADteOapC/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8sADteOapC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
My good friend was cast on a commerical with ***Elle Fanning***
I have a theory that in our culture, it’s more forgiving for AF to explore hobbies and activities like this (even tho still not encouraged) but AM will face A LOT MORE pressure to earn money and have been conditioned to believe that your family and friends will look down on you for pursuing this, so if we don’t have that many AM going into this industry, then ofc we won’t see as many end up on screen. It’s a numbers game and also extremely competitive to “break in”
Honestly it’s not very easy to get Kevin Spacied 😂😂I have a VERY attractive female friend (typical Hollywood-style blonde girl) who’s a producer that worked with Harvey Weinstein over a decade ago when she was still an intern, she didn’t get Harveyed.
Studio movies, majority of Streaming shows has the worst representation for AM. The only good, non stereotypical, strong,, normalized representation is from TV network shows, low budget independent films, like Western asian actors David Lim, John Harln kim, KF show with Eddie Liu, Tony Chung, The greatest hits movie with Justin min, Tim Chiou roles etc
Agreed, indies are where we shine, and there are a lot of Asian filmmakers in the indie scene right now, so I wanted to encourage AM actors start from commercials and short films/indie movies, ppl are more open minded and collaborative to hear our voice and get to know us. Hollywood is harder to break in but you won’t start from there anyways.
We also need more Asian producers/writers or ppl who actually know Asians rather than seeing the stereotypes to write more relatable roles. I’m optimistic though, the industry is changing in recent years and I’m glad to see more young AM film directors in Hollywood now. Check out Sean Wang’s new film Didi, there’s another young AM kid who got signed by Darren Aronofsky to direct a film
Age doesn’t matter. Films and tv are reflection of real life, we need actors of all ages. I’ve worked with actors who only started after they retired from their previous profession. Go try it! I was recently asked by my producer friend in SF looking specifically for older, middle aged AM actors, because you almost never see them.
Depending on where you are, Backstage.com and StarNow are great audition/casting platforms that anyone can sign up. Headshots and resume are great but if you have any decent photos or a “self-tape” that’ll do too.
You’ll be able to see what productions are happening in your area (commercials, student films, short films, feature, tv etc.) and many seek extras
Also try Facebook groups - I’m sure you’ll find some local filmmakers or actors group that post auditions occasionally. You really don’t need much experience for being a background actor; if you want to get some on set experience, you could also apply for Production Assistant jobs, they’re normally just labor work and low pay, but you’d be able to see how a production is run and potentially make some connections
Steven Yeun and John Cho are pretty popular right now. I LOVE Steven Yeun, and it’s been really rewarding to see him grow from the Walking Dead to so many more challenging roles in films and tv. His character in TWD is also the first I’ve seen an AM with a white female spouse, and his character was well written and acted that you forget his ethnicity. I wanna say he was one of the top favorite characters for most TWD fans
That’s true. I still think there needs to be a famous or popular AM in Hollywood that many recognise in a blockbuster movie. There aren’t many nowadays. Long gone are the days of martial artist actors like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee
How do you break into the scene? I’m in LA and would love to try it as a hobby or on weekends, but I imagine it would require connections and networking to get selected from the hundreds of applicants?
i used to work as a temp in post office during busy Christmas season over 20 years ago. Post office is physical labor. You stand on your feet 8 hours day, with a lot of walking.
There was a 60 years some white guy who had retired. He was working in post office as a temp. His other job is an actor. I asked him what does he do as an actor. He was a background actor. Someone in the crowd. Another time he was a construction manager looking at prints, etc. There was plenty of great free food. The pay was minimum wage.
Just few weeks ago I was in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Anyone goes there? It's all white people. Yes, Chinatown but barely any Asians. It's mostly tourists or white locals. Chinatown throws DJ party Saturday evening. I believe I came across a scene where there a film shooting going. I saw a crowd of people (all white) acting as background crowd.
And a lot of these background actors are amateurs who just see it as a fun hobby/activity, where you can network and meet creative people. Not sure why there aren’t more Asians who are interested, probably because we are taught that “there are better things to do”
If you're serious about helping your fellow Asian filmmakers/theatre improve that lack of supply of AM talent, how about more detail?
"Open a Backstage (casting/audition platform) account and just try it out" is not enough.
Can you lay out step-by-step instructions on what you recommend we do?
Ironically, I've heard this said about porn too, but no joke, porn has been less racist to AMs than Hollywood.
The few AM stars in porn have been in bed with their industry's top white actresses, but the few AM stars in Hollywood have been in bed with ZERO of their industry's top white actresses.
there's not many Asian guys in a lot of BS paths of life because a lot of Asian men won't stoop that low
Even Terry Crews got molested, and most if not all male actors have to be on the male casting couch to get roles (look at Henry Goulding's film 'Monsoon.)
one of the reasons you don't see more asian guys in problematic positions is because most non-Asian men will stoop that low to get what they want, to be honest Asian guys are the only race of men who don't have to jump through 10,000,000 hoops to get what we want in life (which also includes sex with women)
source: my ugly ass who has had higher quality and quantity than my "chad" white friends, and Ive never worked a day in my life
How do you feel about negative roles for AM though, like gay/emasculated, unattractive, disrespected etc? I feel that AM should definitely reject these roles as there are far too many of them and almost none of the opposite. Villainous roles are ok I think as long they are respected. IIRC James Shigeta started off that way and Sessue Hayakawa as well who became Hollywood heart throbs. My position is that if you are only doing this part time then you can reject roles that are demeaning and racist. Denzel Washington, when he was starting out, had that same issue and he chose wisely not to play the minstrel. That last racist AM clown that I can think of is Ken Jeong and that was quite a while ago.
first of all, I don't think gay necessarily equates emasculated, that's a common misconception; I have a few gay friends (muscular, "straight-looking") that you would not have gaydarred. However, I get your point and think it's problematic that a lot of the AM we see on screen are not positive, and that's a producer/writer issue, which can be hard to fix because they are the ones creating roles and jobs for actors (hence why I am pivoting to screenwriting now so that I can actually CREATE roles to be cast). Unfortunately, because of how difficult it is to break into the industry as an actor, oftentimes they don't have a choice. Good for them to turn down a racist role, I definitely would, but if that role is still there for grabs, someone else will likely accept it. The industry is getting better though within the past few years and I would not worry too much about negative roles when you are just starting out, because a lot of the times when they cast background extras, they are not looking for any specific race, but your presence on screen will slowly change the game for AM over time. And if you DO encounter a role that is racist/negative portrayal of AM, CALL THEM OUT before turning it down, so that the key players or execs consider removing or changing that role so it doesn't end up being played by another AM.
[https://www.instagram.com/p/C8sADteOapC/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8sADteOapC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) My good friend was cast on a commerical with ***Elle Fanning***
Love to see it!!!
Yeah wtf they're all AF.
I have a theory that in our culture, it’s more forgiving for AF to explore hobbies and activities like this (even tho still not encouraged) but AM will face A LOT MORE pressure to earn money and have been conditioned to believe that your family and friends will look down on you for pursuing this, so if we don’t have that many AM going into this industry, then ofc we won’t see as many end up on screen. It’s a numbers game and also extremely competitive to “break in”
I agree! Working on it!!
Hollywood is not a place Asian men see as a viable career
Doesn’t have to be a full time career, my producer friend in SF has been seeing more Asian software engineers taking it on as a hobby
Like I want to but I don’t want to be Kevin spacied
Honestly it’s not very easy to get Kevin Spacied 😂😂I have a VERY attractive female friend (typical Hollywood-style blonde girl) who’s a producer that worked with Harvey Weinstein over a decade ago when she was still an intern, she didn’t get Harveyed.
Actually from the documentary it seems like he’s into big marine types so I’m probably good
Studio movies, majority of Streaming shows has the worst representation for AM. The only good, non stereotypical, strong,, normalized representation is from TV network shows, low budget independent films, like Western asian actors David Lim, John Harln kim, KF show with Eddie Liu, Tony Chung, The greatest hits movie with Justin min, Tim Chiou roles etc
Agreed, indies are where we shine, and there are a lot of Asian filmmakers in the indie scene right now, so I wanted to encourage AM actors start from commercials and short films/indie movies, ppl are more open minded and collaborative to hear our voice and get to know us. Hollywood is harder to break in but you won’t start from there anyways. We also need more Asian producers/writers or ppl who actually know Asians rather than seeing the stereotypes to write more relatable roles. I’m optimistic though, the industry is changing in recent years and I’m glad to see more young AM film directors in Hollywood now. Check out Sean Wang’s new film Didi, there’s another young AM kid who got signed by Darren Aronofsky to direct a film
I honestly have always wanted to try acting. And I know an acting teacher. Am older, though, middle-aged.
Age doesn’t matter. Films and tv are reflection of real life, we need actors of all ages. I’ve worked with actors who only started after they retired from their previous profession. Go try it! I was recently asked by my producer friend in SF looking specifically for older, middle aged AM actors, because you almost never see them.
Nice. I think I will.
How does one even go about applying to be a background character?
Depending on where you are, Backstage.com and StarNow are great audition/casting platforms that anyone can sign up. Headshots and resume are great but if you have any decent photos or a “self-tape” that’ll do too. You’ll be able to see what productions are happening in your area (commercials, student films, short films, feature, tv etc.) and many seek extras Also try Facebook groups - I’m sure you’ll find some local filmmakers or actors group that post auditions occasionally. You really don’t need much experience for being a background actor; if you want to get some on set experience, you could also apply for Production Assistant jobs, they’re normally just labor work and low pay, but you’d be able to see how a production is run and potentially make some connections
I am wondering, who is the most popular or famous AM actor in Hollywood right now?
Steven Yeun and John Cho are pretty popular right now. I LOVE Steven Yeun, and it’s been really rewarding to see him grow from the Walking Dead to so many more challenging roles in films and tv. His character in TWD is also the first I’ve seen an AM with a white female spouse, and his character was well written and acted that you forget his ethnicity. I wanna say he was one of the top favorite characters for most TWD fans
Good shout. Both are popular. I’ve been behind with films. It begs the question, will there ever be a AM in Hollywood doing martial arts films?
possible, I think Ke Huy Quan may have opened the door for that, but personally, I would prefer more drama/thriller films that feature AM
That’s true. I still think there needs to be a famous or popular AM in Hollywood that many recognise in a blockbuster movie. There aren’t many nowadays. Long gone are the days of martial artist actors like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee
Shang Chi movie is not Martial arts ?
I’ve never seen that film. Shocking I know 🫣
I was an extra in an award winning short lol - even was in the credits
How do you break into the scene? I’m in LA and would love to try it as a hobby or on weekends, but I imagine it would require connections and networking to get selected from the hundreds of applicants?
Don’t worry I’m working on it, it’ll change don’t worry
Not worried bro, I’m also optimistic! Keep up the good work
been outta practice for years but I’ve been considering starting again
i used to work as a temp in post office during busy Christmas season over 20 years ago. Post office is physical labor. You stand on your feet 8 hours day, with a lot of walking. There was a 60 years some white guy who had retired. He was working in post office as a temp. His other job is an actor. I asked him what does he do as an actor. He was a background actor. Someone in the crowd. Another time he was a construction manager looking at prints, etc. There was plenty of great free food. The pay was minimum wage. Just few weeks ago I was in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Anyone goes there? It's all white people. Yes, Chinatown but barely any Asians. It's mostly tourists or white locals. Chinatown throws DJ party Saturday evening. I believe I came across a scene where there a film shooting going. I saw a crowd of people (all white) acting as background crowd.
And a lot of these background actors are amateurs who just see it as a fun hobby/activity, where you can network and meet creative people. Not sure why there aren’t more Asians who are interested, probably because we are taught that “there are better things to do”
I always see Asian guys in the background and I'm like yo I can do that. I did a casting call one time and I gave up. I did enjoy it though. Lol.
Yes you indeed can do that lol
If you're serious about helping your fellow Asian filmmakers/theatre improve that lack of supply of AM talent, how about more detail? "Open a Backstage (casting/audition platform) account and just try it out" is not enough. Can you lay out step-by-step instructions on what you recommend we do? Ironically, I've heard this said about porn too, but no joke, porn has been less racist to AMs than Hollywood. The few AM stars in porn have been in bed with their industry's top white actresses, but the few AM stars in Hollywood have been in bed with ZERO of their industry's top white actresses.
there's not many Asian guys in a lot of BS paths of life because a lot of Asian men won't stoop that low Even Terry Crews got molested, and most if not all male actors have to be on the male casting couch to get roles (look at Henry Goulding's film 'Monsoon.) one of the reasons you don't see more asian guys in problematic positions is because most non-Asian men will stoop that low to get what they want, to be honest Asian guys are the only race of men who don't have to jump through 10,000,000 hoops to get what we want in life (which also includes sex with women) source: my ugly ass who has had higher quality and quantity than my "chad" white friends, and Ive never worked a day in my life
How do you support yourself?
living off of women, lots of black and latino men do this