Steven Spielberg missed an opportunity for inclusion when casting Chino in 'West Side Story'

The dance-off between the Jets, left, and the Sharks, right in Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story.'

West Side Story has always been one of my favorite films. As directed by Robert Wise, from its opening overhead shot of Manhattan, cinematically, it  was creative, groundbreaking and breathtaking to watch.

But it also had a soft spot in my heart because, back in 1961 when the film debuted, it featured one of the few Filipino American actors in a major Hollywood production.

Jose de Vega is not a household name and you won't find him in history books, but before Bruce Lee debuted as Kato in the Green Hornet, de Vega, who played the  pivotal role of Chino in the movie version of West Side Story, offered one of the few representations of an Asian male that didn't rely on the subservient, sexless stereotype.

Chino, in Mexican Spanish slang, is a nickname or adjective attached to anyone who has Asian features, although in certain contexts, could be interpreted as a racial slur. 

From today's perspective, the glaring error in Wise's version is the casting of non-Latinos for the Puerto Rican roles: Natalie Wood as Maria? C'mon.

Josh Andres River, left, is the new Chino. Jose de Vega, right, was properly cast as Chino in the Robert Wise's 1961 movie, West Side Story.

It is fully believable that like other Filipinos who grow up in communities or neighborhoods where there are not a lot of other Asian Americans, Chino would have  more in common and feel more comfortable with other people of color like the Puerto Ricans as embodied by the Sharks gang, than with the Jets, a white gang, which would probably have rejected someone like Chino.

So when it was announced that Steven Spielberg would do a reboot of the movie, it was assumed that he would cast an Asian as Chino, or at least someone who might appear to have Asian features.

I wrote an article about de Vega a few years back before the Spielberg cast had been announced.  It is a post that people keep on calling it up for some reason. This new post is to offer closure or answer the question posed by that original posting: Who would play the role Chino.

With the growing awareness of representation or inclusion and the wealth of talent within the AAPI community, I was sure that Spielberg would have no problem in casting that important role.

Alas, Spielberg whiffed. In his eagerness to be politically correct by recasting the film with real Latinos instead of brown-facing non-Latinos (aside from Oscar-winner Rita Moreno) to play the Puerto Ricans, the director missed a chance for further representation when he cast a newcomer, Josh Andrés Rivera in the role of Chino. It would be Rivera's first movie role and the limited info on him doesn't reveal any Asian heritage in his background.

Casting was before the 2018 success of Crazy Rich Asians and the cross-over acceptance of a number of Asian and Asian American projects by U.S. audiences since then. Any pressure for casting Chino with an Asian American would have been at that time.

I don't mean to cast dispersions on Rivera, I'm sure he's a fully capable actor and I hope his role as Chino brings him more roles. But to my mind, he ain't (my) Chino.

Be that as it may, filming is done. Bahala Na.

Spielberg's West Side Story was set to be released December 2020 but due to the pandemic, its premiere has been delayed. It is now set a Dec. 10 theaterical release. Most likley it will be on streaming network, too but it is uncertain when the movie would be made available on Disney+ or Neflix.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.