Breakthrough Asian Actress Update
We offered up a modest opinion about the status of Asian actresses in Hollywood these days. We pointed out that so many actresses seem to play either “tough” or “kick ass” roles in order to be seen at all. A few of you in the posting area mentioneed Chibo Mato, Joan Chen and Puffy as examples of entertainers who have broken through. I wondered if Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls would cause any change in Hollywood to take place with regard to how Asian actresses and entertainers are perceived.
Now comes word that the beautiful actress Gong Li has been cast in several high profile parts. Lainey, who is of Chinese descent, writes:
Per Just Jared, Gong Li has been cast in several high profile upcoming Hollywood features and – joy of joys – she won’t just be hopping around kung fu fighting or giving head to some crimelord when a shooting takes place.
I hadn’t ever read Lainey before I wrote about the Harajuku girls, but I found it interesting that another Asian female living in the West has noticed the whole “kick-ass” typecasting that falls upon Asian actresses.
Looking at IMDB so far, it appears that Gong Li’s roles will be for Autumn Remembrance, Miami Vice, and Young Hannibal Lecter: Behind the Mask.
I have no idea how meaty these roles really are, and I certainly wouldn’t try to interpret Gong Li’s casting as the direct result of anything that Gwen Stefani has done. But one does wonder if the wind is changing.
Photo via JUST JARID
Lainey wrote:
You hear me complaining about Bai Ling and Hello Kitties all the time. About how too often, the pop culture portrayal of Asians consists only of massage parlour whores and emotionally stunted morons jumping around with pink backpacks and bad hair.
Finally. The whiteys in Hollywood are finally giving the spotlight to a deserving Asian. My people have long admired Gong Li as a wonderful representative of Asian talent. And while she’s quite well renowned on the international stage, her star power in North America has been hitherto overshadowed by her younger counterpart, Zhang Ziyi. Until now. Per Just Jared, Gong Li has been cast in several high profile upcoming Hollywood features and – joy of joys – she won’t just be hopping around kung fu fighting or giving head to some crimelord when a shooting takes place.
But unlike Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li actually knows how to pose without looking like a ching-a-ling idiot. This, my friends, is la Grande Dame of Asian cinema. A huge improvement, non? Just a friendly public service announcement on behalf of my people to let you know that most of us are more Gong than Bai. I promise.
November 18th, 2005 at 10:49 amHmm maybe, take a look at the films.
November 18th, 2005 at 9:54 pmAutumn Rememberance, directed by Zhang Yimou is prolly not a hollywood film at all.
Miami Vice, it’s a TV to film adaption, and while it does have a decent director, let me repeat, IT’S AN ADAPTION OF A TV SHOW.
Young Hannibal Lechter, a sequel in a series which prolly peaked at the first film.
I think this is more of a case of Hollywood taking good foreign actors are then putting them in mainstream dreck.
[...] are famous across Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc, and not just in their home country. So when, I wonder, will someone break through to the US? Certainly many have tried, and just about as many h [...]
January 31st, 2006 at 1:46 amGong Li is my favorite Asian actress. More power to her!
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:32 pm