ALOHA AND CASTING ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE AS ASIANS

The Aloha Brouhaha

A lot of casting Asians to play Asian roles controversy has come up in the last year. When I saw the poster for Aloha and saw blonde hair blue eyed movie stars standing in front of the Hawaiian landscape pleading with their eyes for us to all give a shit about their romantic mishaps and misunderstandings I rolled my eyes and thought about how another opportunity to put beautiful brown people got eaten up by the machine. Then people started freaking about how a character in there played by Emma Stone (blonde/blue) is actually called Allison Ng is part chinese and reps Hawaiian culture. They bitched about it so much that Cameron Crowe said whoops my bad then pointed to all the native Hawaiians he gave jobs by shooting there. It reminds me of british colonials saying how grateful the Indians were that they had jobs being their servants. It also reminded me of people in turn of the century france and En saying where is MY all American and they are not wrong.  But Hollywood is a business. They look at numbers As I said on facebook:

gland putting on chinesey looking dresses and decorating with enamels and that beginning the orientalist craze. The brouhaha about casting is also about just generally feeling unseen. If I describe the cast of Aloha as typically “all American” the Asian americans who have been paying taxes and buying movie tickets and getting fat off fast food just like everyone else are

“Just as banks are a business. a bank doesn't care if you achieve your life's dream to own a house with a white picket fence. They care about fees bonuses and their personal portfolios. Hollywood does not care about your dream to be represented or have your story told. They care about selling tickets and the way they do that is by making you "aspire" to something (something more beautiful than your humdrum life somemething more noble, rich, etc.) Once in a while by accident an artist peeps through with a story that "matters" but mostly its a cash proposition. Emma stone did not audition for the role of Allison Ng. It's a lead. It was an offer and the conversation was like "who can we get on this list who will sell tickets." And by the way the foreign sale, the sale of the american dream to all the ticket buyers overseas is an Abercrombie and Fitch type play-- the utopian white unattainable romantic white america. You think my relatives in indonesia care if the cast of the movie looks like them? Nope they WANT to see white people because they have been taught for decades that THAT is beautiful and desirable. so listen all ye outraged artists and activists. You want to see more roles for asians? You want Hollywood to expand its terribly narrow view of what is beautiful START COMING TO SEE MY SHOWS. START GOING TO SEE ASIAN PLAYS IN GENERAL. BUY TICKETS TO MOVIES STARRING ASIANS. GO SEE GEORGE TAKEI ON BROADWAY. HIT LIKE ON MY SLANTY EYED MAMA FACEBOOK PAGE. HIT LIKE ON ANY ASIAN ARTISTS PAGE. VOTE FOR THE ASIAN CONTESTANTS ON THE VOICE. STAND THE FUCK UP AND VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLARS. this is America. Money talks bullshit walks. Get involved by supporting writers who write asian stories. DO IT

Www.facebook.com/slantyeyedmama “

Asian American directors make white people movies for Sundance

Well what can I tell ya. I went to Sundance with a movie I was in.My first time at the festival and it was delicious and gorgeous. After a year trapped in a cubicle (ok 6 months but it feels like ten fucking years) I was gratified to be in an artistic environment where new thoughts are encouraged, independent spirit applauded, badasses given a voice and people open to sharing ideas and their work. Everyone was very vulnerable and very confident at the same time which is how art really flourishes.

I made sure to see two features by A/PI director/writers. I feel like we are at a time where every ticket sale counts, every bit of support we can offer matters. There was also a short by a Korean director about two gay dudes going to a "Dol" (first birthday partner) that was shot in LA and made me happy at the SAG brunch to see the cast milling around proudly repping. But I digress. So these two films, feature length, to some degree supported, fund raised for, entered in the competition and showcasing young A/PI artists lacked something really significant, 2 things actually. Asian actors and Asian American stories.

I was shocked in the talk back periods to hear that both scripts were based on the auteur's actual families. Can you imagine a black director setting his film in whitey white whiteville, based on his own family. Can you imagine a Latino American writing a story about making it in America but using a lens of an Ohio farm fed whitebread family to do it? I was so very sad. And mad. Not at the film makers. I get it. We all want hollywood to look at us and say "You belong. Your voice is interesting and relateable and you are a good director" etc. I also get that Asian America is still very very culturally no man's land, with a diaspora of distinct national identities (Chinese American, Filipino American) etc riding out in front of our shared identity as Asian Americans. That is because generation to generation, culture to culture we all have different stories about how we got here, and our experiences in America lack the kind of cohesion, history or shared mores that African Americans and to some degree Latin Americans can share in unify around. However. Whether or not you are from Hawaii, or a daughter of a Japanese immigrant, or a FIlipino living in Queens NY, you are an American. And your stories matter. To all of us.

I guess we are looking for some common cultural experience to express asian-american-ness. I personally am reacting to the self effacement and refusal to take a distinct place at the American table that many Asian americans eschew in order to fit in, feel accepted, be heard. The part of me that was outraged quickly turned into inspired. We have to write stories, fearlessly. We have to give asian actors a chance to be expressive. We have to represent whatever part of Asian America is true to us. Nobody else will. We belong here. You dont have to write me a movie about a white guy searching for his identity through alternative rock music to show me that you are an american. You don't have to align yourself with the majority to be heard. There are kids all over america WAITING for movies and stories and plays and music that speaks to them. Trust me. I have been to colleges all over this great nation, and I have heard the pain of feeling unseen and I have participated in the talk backs enough to know that now is the time. NOW.

I am encouraging all Asian American writers and directors to get courageous. Look at the messages you have internalized both from the "man" and from your own parents that tell you that American succes=white. I cant tell you how many times my mom said "Why cant you be more like Gwyneth Paltrow" to me while I was studying at Juilliard. And I know we all feel it, because unless we are telling the story of some chinese fishing village or three generations of asian women weaving their family tree into a silk fan, nobody wants to listen. Make them listen. Be brave. We are all behind you.