By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
Fans joined actors from both Broadway and Hollywood to vent their rage about the lack of roles for both Asian Americans in film and on stage.
Two Twitter hashtag campaigns have gained momentum in the last few days.
Broadway actors shared their stories about dealing with challenges in their profession using the hashtag #MyYelllowFaceStory.
That time when my Agent called for feedback and they said ‘She is a GREAT singer, but she is too fat for an Asian’ #MyYellowFaceStory
— Erin Quill (@Equill) April 30, 2016
That time everyone in Madame Butterfly had “geisha makeup base” on except for me and my mom. #MyYellowFaceStory pic.twitter.com/hzCzsVYGez
— Lynn Chen (@MsLynnChen) April 30, 2016
That time I was told I couldn’t be seen for My Fair Lady because I was Asian. And I already won my Tony. #MyYellowFaceStory
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) April 29, 2016
The campaign against the recent whitewashing of roles in Doctor Strange, Ghost in a Shell and Iron Fist gained renewed momentum when Margaret Cho sparked a discussion under the hashtag #WhiteWashedOut.
We are just the ‘sidekick’. I’m sick of it. #whitewashedOUT https://t.co/vlCATO484R
— Margaret Cho (@margaretcho) May 3, 2016
#whitewashedOUT means I never really identified as Asian-American as a kid because I so desperately wanted to blend in. No more!
— Hannah Bae (@hanbae) May 3, 2016
Huge love to all the AsAm writers, artists, & filmmakers who ever said to hell with it and made their lead characters Asian. #whitewashedout
— Greg Pak (@gregpak) May 3, 2016
In a statement to kick off the #WhiteWashedOut campaign, Nerds of Color wrote:
We want Hollywood studios, producers, and casting directors to stop casting white people in Asian roles — or any roles that should be filled by people of color. We also want white actors to stop ACCEPTING these roles. We are asking that people realize that whitewashed movies, well-intentioned or not, are racist movies. It’s time for us to support the Asian American film community and share the real faces of being Asian American in this country. We want films that accurately represent the depth and breadth of cultures in our American communities. Movies depicting Asian culture without actual Asian actors are not only harmful to us and our children, they are bad art. We will not tolerate being ignored and erased by our media.
The #MyYellowFaceStory campaign comes as a new survey by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) shows there’s hope that things are beginning to change.
The survey found 30 percent of all available roles on Broadway went to actors of color in the 2014-2015 season. That’s a jump from 24 percent in the previous season, according to Playbill.
Asian American representation increased to 7 percent from 5 percent.
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