The page has since been locked for editing as a result of this racist barrage, and Tran herself has also been driven off social media for the same reasons. Rose’s name on the “Wookiepedia” page was edited by fans to read “Ching Chong Wing Tong” and her homeworld to “Ching Chong China,” among other deeply racist comments. Intense online harassment and a petition to ban the character from the Star Wars canon made headlines. It is impossible to ignore the outright racism that characterizes much of the backlash against Rose. As the Huffington Post reported, “Tran is the first woman of color to play a leading role in a ‘Star Wars’ movie.” She is the first Vietnamese woman I’ve watched fight in a blockbuster movie, yet a critical examination of fans’ reception shows us the limits of accepting diversity in Hollywood. To evaluate the portrayal and reception of an Asian hero requires looking at a character with a bit more screen time - someone like Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. īut what of the Asian heroes that do exist on Hollywood’s big screen? In the Marvel franchise today, Guardians of the Galaxy ’s Mantis, Spider-Man ’s Ned, and Doctor Strange ’s Wong are worth acknowledging, but their characters are framed as sidekicks and rarely developed independently of the protagonists. It must be noted that even when given the chance to feature Asian characters Hollywood has often failed, as in the case of Tilda Swinton’s casting as the originally Tibetan Ancient One in Doctor Strange. Delving into polls of favourite fan heroes over the past few years further shows how the target audiences of such films have little attachment to the few Asian heroes that exist in the Western canon. Historically, Marvel comics did not feature many A-list Asian superheroes - in fact, negative portrayals of Asians as villains, such as the Mandarin, are far more common - and therefore any Asian character introduced lacks the established reputation offered to longer-running white heroes. The road to Asian superheroes especially does not look promising, in part due to the lack of source material to work with. Of the top 100 highest grossing films in 2016, a grand total of two Asian actors, both male, were cast as leads or co-leads. A 2017 study by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism shows only 1% of lead roles in film go to Asians, with “no meaningful change” in representation over the past decade. We have never been the heroes in these stories - but after #OscarsSoWhite and the subsequent talk of diversity in cinema, it would seem that Hollywood audiences are demanding more inclusion and nuanced representation.Ī look at evidence, though, does little to support that idea. These latest instalments, practically devoid of Asian representation, are just a couple of examples that highlight the rarity of Asian actors on the big screen, particularly in popular action movies.
Though I largely enjoyed my viewing experience I left with a familiar sadness that, yet again, there was not one person on-screen who looked like me.
Like millions of people across the globe, I headed to theatres to see Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story and revel in the films’ charismatic heroes. These past couple months held no shortage of kick-ass action movies.
0 kommentar(er)
