Asian Depictions in the US Media
Studying the visibility of Asians in the U.S. Media
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Interview with Jeff Adachi
Posted on March 25, 2012 by Tom
Jeff Adachi
Jeff Adachi, the filmmaker behind the 2006 documentary, The Slanted Screen,
is the elected Public Defender of San Francisco, pension reform advocate, and
most recently, a former candidate for Mayor of San Francisco. He wrote,
produced and directed the documentary about stereotypical depictions of Asian
males in American film.
I chose to conduct a phone interview him because as much as I thought I knew
about American cinema, Adachi has provided a comprehensive piece about the
history that few know and talk about, but significant piece of American culture.
When I watched the film, I was amazed about how Hollywood wasn’t always the
racist institution in its beginnings. Before there was a Rudolph Valentino, who
many identify as the first major sex symbol of the silent era, there was Sessue
Hayakawa , a Japanese-American whose popularity rivaled many Caucasian
actors. He successfully transitioned into talking pictures in more supporting
roles culminating to his highest acclaim earning a Best Supporting Actor
nomination in the 1957 film, The Bridge of the River Kwai.
Sessue Hayakawa
Another Asian American actor, James Shigeta, had a number of romantic
leading roles culminating in the Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical (the only
one that focused on Asian Americans) Flower Drum Song (1961).
Unfortunately, he also eventually settled into just supporting roles later in his
career.
Since Hayakawa and Shigeta, there have been a lack of any leading dramatic
roles for Asian men and for a while, any serious roles until Bruce Lee emerged
in the international market.
“I created the film in order to begin a dialogue,” said Adachi. “We showed it in
front of many different groups in Hollywood from the Motion Picture Academy,
Screen Actors Guild, Producers and Writing Guilds, and the Casting Society of
America.”
Adachi asserts we are seeing more Asian faces and there are more developed
stories for them, but he admits they still tend to be token characters in movies
or TV.
“It’s interesting because we went through a period where there were negative
portrayals that were obviously covered in The Slanted Screen and then we went
through a period where there were like no images,” said Adachi. “It was like
there was a reluctance to include Asian Americans out of fear of criticism then
you have the other extreme which is what you sort of see now, which is the
combination of reality TV figures.”
Adachi referred directly to New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and the
appearances of Asians on the TV show American Idol.
“We’re seeing shifts because of reality TV. We’re also seeing characters in TV
shows like Hawaii Five-O and Entourage,” said Adachi. “You’re seeing those
characters pop up and I think it’s a combination of things. you have talented
actors, who carry with them a level of acting ability combined with star power.
The key to success, according to Adachi, to have Asian actors in leading figures
is to have Asians who can have the influence and clout behind the scenes.
Sammo Hung in the CBS show Martial Law
“When you look at what happened with the Black film and television
community, you have stars like Will Smith and Denzel Washington, who carry a
picture,” said Adachi. “You have people who produce like Oprah Winfrey. You
have principals who are in positions of power in Hollywood. We don’t have that
yet. We’re getting there. We’re still 10-15 years behind.”
The way this is starting to happen is through independent films.
“I think we’ll get there, but I think there has to be movement on our end as well
as the Hollywood regime within the independent filmmaking machine. When
you have one but not the other, it’s why timing is so important,” Adachi
explained. “You have the core of people in front and behind the camera who are
engaged in doing this work and you have to hope that they stay engaged. The
independent filmmakers haven’t given up is one positive you can take from this.
They’re continuing to make films and they’re continuing to make better films.”
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as the villain Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat
Photo: New Line Cinema
In The Slanted Screen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa said he would rather be the
strong dominant villain than the puny weakling when it came to Asian
typecasting trends. Adachi noted you are starting to see certain actors breaking
that mold.
“I think it’s partially true in a sense that we’re seeing characters, for example
Ken Leung in The Sopranos, and you’re seeing those certain actors with a level
of charisma and personality who are able to play roles that are not traditionally
not given to an Asian male actor, like Hayakawa or Shigeta (before them),”said
Adachi. “At the same time you have your Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu and Sandra
Oh who are still working. We don’t have our Meryl Streep yet, but we have our
actors who made their mark and continue to make their mark.”
One figure who tried to mold Asians more favorably and universally was Bruce
Lee, who wanted to bridge East and West cultures together using philosophy
and martial arts. The spectacle he created in his abilities some, like comedian
Bobby Lee, have felt, overshadow any accomplishments Asian men can do.
Bruce Lee statue in Hong Kong
“To me there is no question that we would not be where we are in terms of
Asians in cinema, television or even the arts, without Bruce Lee,” said Adachi. “I
don’t want to overstate his significance but he was the first strong Asian male
character and if you think about it, the fact that he was a martial artist, made it
possible for him to do what he did. While he had James Shigeta, he wasn’t
sustainable as a cinema star as supposed to Lee’s case, he would have been. “
Adachi credited Lee for opening the door for martial arts for all races, not just
Asian.
“I think we owe him a great bit of gratitude and at the same time, we’ve grown
beyond that so we’re not relying on martial arts as a calling card to be included
in a movie or a film script,” said Adachi.
While Adachi called Lee an icon, there hasn’t been anyone else who has reached
that status, but they’re starting to come out.
Adachi did a follow up feature which was released in 2009, called You Don’t
Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story. Jack Soo was born on Oct. 28, 1917 as Goro
Suzuki. Suzuki adopted the name Jack Soo after World War II and started his
career as an entertainer appearing in numerous events and nightclubs.
During his touring he was “discovered” by Gene Kelly and later found his big
break in the Rogers and Hammerstein’s Broadway production of The Flower
Drum Song in 1958. He had a successful career having various parts in movies
and film displaying his various talents as an actor, singer and comedian to
American audiences before he landed his signature role as Det. Sgt. Nick
Yemena in the TV series Barney Miler.
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About Tom
Tom Chang is a freelance journalist with a background in multimedia
journalism and web publishing. He is currently pursuing his Masters in
Journalism and Media Studies from the University of South Florida
St.Petersburg. He graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors Degree in Mass
Communications at USF Tampa. Tom's interests include a little bit of
everything from entertainment to sports. He also wishes to delve into
creative writing writing sci-fi/fantasy stories. Tom was recently the Online
Editor for USF St. Petersburg's the Crow's Nest, he joined the staff in
January 2010 where he started freelance writing, photographing, copy
editing and later became a staff writer. Tom’s freelance experience in
journalism amassed a wide range of companies including Creative
Loafing, The Focus Magazine, Lutz News, Examiner.com, and Tampa
Tribune.
View all posts by Tom →
This entry was posted in East Asians and tagged Asian Americans, Asians, Bobby Lee, Bruce Lee, CaryHiroyuki Tagawa, Daniel Dae Kim, Jack Soo, Jeff Adachi, Ken Leung, Lucy Liu, Martial arts, Sammo
Hung, stereotypes, the Slanted Screen. Bookmark the permalink. Edit
← Socially Inept and Romantically Challenged
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3 Responses to Interview with Jeff Adachi
Nancy Yamahiro says:
1.
March 26, 2012 at 4:44 am (Edit)
As a HAPA (half asian, half caucasian) growing up in California late 60′s/early
70′s it was rare to see any other HAPAs. Now, my nieces and nephew go to
school with many multi-ethnic children who look like them and have rich and
varied backgrounds like their own. I would like to see us supporting not only
the asian community in film but also the HAPAs who identify with this
beautiful heritage.
Reply
2. Pingback: Tying It All Together | Asian Depictions in the Media (Edit)
3. Pingback: Asians in Comedy – Redefining the Asian Comedian | Asian
Depictions in the US Media (Edit)
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