Constance Wu picked for 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Constance Wu, a far cry from Jessica Huang.

CONSTANCE WU has been tabbed to play the central role of Rachel Chu in the movie adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story today, Wu is under negotiations for the plum role almost all young up-and-coming Asian/American actresses were seeking. It's a role of a lifetime in a movie with an all-Asian cast that will challenge the outdated Hollywood belief that says you need a white lead for a film to be a commercial success.

The movie is based on the best-selling novel by Kevin Kwan.  Wu announced the casting coup on her Twitter account.

The Warner Brthers production will be directed by John Chu, who directed Now You See Me 2 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

The movie is set in Singapore and centers on the lives of super wealthy Chinese families. It follows Rachel Chu, an American-born Chinese economics professor, who travels to her boyfriend Nick's hometown of Singapore for his best friend's wedding. Before long, his secret is out: Nick is from a family that is impossibly wealthy, he's perhaps the most eligible bachelor in Asia and every single woman in his ultra-rarefied social class is incredibly jealous of Rachel and wants to bring her down.

Wu, best known for her portrayal of Jessica Huang in ABC's Fresh Off the Boat, was an early favorite of those people who like to do dream casts. 

The American-born actress (like the character she is set to play) has also been outspoken about the need for more diversity in casting and the whitewashing of roles want for Asian characters, such as in Emma Stone in Aloha, Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange and Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell.

RELATED: Extra care in casting of Crazy Rich Asians could break barriers

Chu has conducted at extensive international search for the cast.Still to be cast is Rachel Wu's boyfriend, Nick Young, who could set a new standard for Asian men as romantic leads.

“A lot of the big agencies don’t necessarily know where to find the big, hunky Asian actor that could be Nick, (who) has that charming, leading man thing. Maybe they’re in theater and haven’t crossed over yet. Maybe they’re doing commercials and haven’t crossed over yet.”

The actor playing Nick will have to have that all-undefinable chemistry with Wu that will make the couple appealing, believable and sexy. A study in manners and family expectatons and filled with memorable characters, Crazy Rich Asians could be Love, Actually set in Singapore.

The movie has not been green lighted yet but Warner Bros. has put it on the fast-track, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The casting of Wu, who has proven her ability to play light comedy and deliver witty lines, in one of the pivotal roles will go a long ways to getting the go-ahead.

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Last call for actors for 'Crazy Rich Asians' motion picture

Director Jon Chu is looking for new talent and fresh faces for parts in his latest movie, Crazy Rich Asians.

THE CASTING SEARCH for the upcoming movie adaptation of the novel Crazy Rich Asians doesn't bode so well for Asian/American actors.

Either director Jon M. Chu isn't satisfied what he's seen so far, or he's turned his search for the all-Asian cast into a great marketing ploy.

He's issued a video asking for anyone to send in a 2-minute video to him if they want a part in the movie based on the bestselling book by Kevin Kwan.

Crazy Rich Asians tells the story of Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American economics professor who unknowingly enters the realm of the outrageously rich and famous when she meets her Chinese boyfriend’s family for the first time in Singapore. It's full of beautiful people.

In a video posted to YouTube on Thursday (January 19), Chu acknowledges the lack of Asian representation onscreen and how difficult it can be for actors with Asian roots to receive opportunities for big breaks so he's opening up the auditions to anyone who wants to break into the world of acting. He urges actors or would-be actors to apply from Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam or any other country in Asia.

“You may or may not know, but this is the first all-Asian cast from an American Hollywood studio in a long, long time,” he says. “So it’s a huge step in representation and a great opportunity to showcase all of the most talented Asian actors out there.”

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and may reside anywhere in the world. No professional acting training or experience is required.

The deadline to submit videos is February 10. Filming for Crazy Rich Asians begins in April. For more information about the casting call, including the full list of guidelines, click here.

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'Edge of Seventeen:' Let Hailee Steinfeld be Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld and Hayden Szeto in 'The Edge of Seventeen.'

BY MOST ACCOUNTS, The Edge of Seventeen is a pretty good movie. It "takes teenage movies to a higher place," says the NY Times.

Hailee Steinfeld, one of her generation's best young actresses, gives life to angst-ridden Nadine Byrd, a social outcast at her high school, someone many of us can relate to.

Edge of Seventeen, released last week, belongs in the same category of other teen classics Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. 

However, the producers missed an opportunity to make it a great movie. One little twist would have put it in a category of its own and given it a certain gravitas that it lacks right now. 

That slight change? Imagine what could be done if Nadine's absent father ,Tom, was Asian/American. The central character would be a hapa, half-Asian and half-white, what Filipina/American Hailee is in real life. Just that simple twist would have given Nadine's social isolation another nuance besides just feeling unloved. That character could have been done without changing a line, although it would have made it even better if there was a line or two about being of mixed race.

RELATED: Hailee Steinfeld signs record deal

It also would have added another layer of complexity to Nadine's relationship with the guy who really likes her, Erwin, played by promising newcomer Hayden Szeto. Unlike the other Asian character of note in teen movies, the infamous Long Duk Dong featured in Sixteen Candles, Erwin is a handsome, polite Korean/American classmate who is not your stereotypical nerd. He is also the only other character who isn't white. Despite Nadine's self-deprecating and negative view of her personal life, Erwin is infatuated with her and she, well, she doesn't see him in that light. 

A line or two about the sensitive issue of AAPI girls' and AAPI boys' relationships would have hit a nerve with a lot of Asian/Americans.

Canadian Szeto has been named People Magazine’s 2016 New Romantic Lead in in its One to Watch issue.

It is up to bankable stars like Steinfeld - and we include Vanessa Hudgens, Keanu Reeves, in this category - to look for opportunities, or create opportunities, to play the mixed race people that they are in real life. 

We already know they can play white people, or at best, racially ambiguous characters and that's how they created their fan base. However, at this stage in their careers they can afford a little risk since they have more than a little influence. Why not ask the writers and directors to play characters that are more true to their hapa-selves? More than likely, it would make the story richer and the plot would not have to be altered much, if at all.

The audiences need to see them for what they are so they can see that their screen idols can also include Asian/Americans. In our drive to have the movies reflect the reality of the United States, the racial presence they can have onscreen is even more critical in these racially sensitive days when there are people who think that America should be home to only to pigment-challenged people.

Hailee, only 19, portrays Nadine as a real teenager, not a 30-something playing a teenager. It is her best role since she was nominated for an Oscar in True Grit. There's some buzz about another nomination for her role in The Edge of Seventeen.

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The Walking Dead: Asians not extinct after all

'The Walking Dead' character Tara, left, meets Cyndie from Oceanside.

WELL, whaddaya know? The Asian/American population in The Walking Dead just doubled.

Up to this season, the seventh, of the Walking Dead, it was believed that Glenn Rhee played by Steven Yeun was the only Asian/American to survive the zombie apocalypse in the popular television show. With the grisley death of Glenn in the premiere of Season 7, we thought that was the end of Asian America, the last model minority and the death of all those awful Asian/American stereotypes.

Sydney Park

In the latest episode last night (Nov. 27), we are introduced to Cyndie played by Korean/American actress Sydney Park. She is a member of the secluded all-woman beachside community of Oceanside discovered by Tara (Alanna Masterson), who is part of the core band of survivors. 

Of course, we don't know yet if the character Cyndie is Asian American, but it is reassuring to see another Asian face on the show that takes place on Georgia.

Park, 19, already has 10 years of professional acting on her resume. She is probably best known for her role in Nikolodean's Instant Mom. She just signed on for a horror feature, Wish Upon but it's not unusual for TWD cast members to find work when they are not working on the series.

RELATED:

• New character on TWD is "too" likable
• RIP Glenn Rhee
• New AAPI character introduced

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we'll see a whole lot more of Cyndie and her secret Oceanside colony. Tara leaves the beach with a vow that she wouldn't reveal its location. But, in The Walking Dead, you never really don't know what to expect.

In the second episode this season, we are introduced to The Kingdom where we meet Jerry, who appears to be King Ezekiel's right-hand man. We instantly fell in with the pun-loving character with an infectious smile portrayed by Samoan/American Cooper Andrews.

It appears that The Kingdom will play a larger role as this present story arc develops, perhaps as allies with Alexandria, where the bulk of the core group resides. 

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USC study: Hollywood bias so deeply ingrained making it difficult to improve diversity

By Louis Chan
Reprinted from AsAm News

HOW FAR has Hollywood advanced on the big screen when it comes to diversity?

Despite the brouhaha that arose the last two years about the lack of casting opportunities for actors of color, a new report released this morning by The Media, Diversity, & Social Change (MDSC) Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism shows not much has changed from last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and ....

The research exposes the depth and breadth of exclusion. Of the top 100 films of 2015, an overwhelming 73.7 percent of all characters in Hollywood in 2015 were White. Only 3.9 percent were Asian. 49 films had no Asian speaking characters at all. Not one lead or co-lead went to an Asian actor.

Only 12.2 percent of the roles went to Blacks, 5.3 percent to Hispanics. Those percentages are virtually unchanged since 2007.

The statistics for the report were compiled from the top 100 grossing films of 2015. The report has been compiled since 2007, excluding 2011.

In 2015, 73.7 percent of characters were White, 12.2  percent Black, 5.3 percent Latino, 3.9 percent Asian,  less than 1 percent Middle Eastern, American Indian/Alaskan Native and  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 3.6 percent Other or “mixed race.” Together, a total of 26.3 percent of all speaking characters were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. There was no change in the percentage of White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian or Other races/ethnicities from 2007 to 2015.

Only 14 of the movies depicted an underrepresented lead or co lead. Nine of the leads/co leads were Black, one Latino, and four were mixed race. Not one lead or co-lead was played by an Asian actor.

“Everyone deserves a chance to be seen and heard, and their stories should be told,” says Marc Choueiti, Project Administrator for the Initiative. “Our research points out the gaps and shows where change is possible.”

The Hollywood hierarchy appears to be no different from the diversity shown in the acting ranks.

Somewhat surprisingly, even within the Asian characters, 70 percent were male characters. Asian women were 38.5 percent more likely to be portrayed as mothers. 32.6 percent were dressed in sexy attire. 34.8 percent of Asian women characters appeared nude. Those percentages were all slightly higher than other ethnic groups. Asian men were the least likely to appear in sexy attire (5.4 percent). Latino men were the most likely (12.7 percent). Asian men were also the least likely to appear nude (5.4 percent). Latino men were the most likely (15.5 percent).

“Our work is about bringing evidence and insight to media industries on where diversity is needed. I am in this to change the landscape of humanity, flanked by the next generation of world leaders: USC graduates and undergraduates,” says Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Director of the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative.

(Views From the Edge contributed to this report.)

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Filipino/American wins Human Rights Campaign award for gay role

Conrad Ricamora accepts the Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign.

Reprinted from AsAm News

CONRAD RICAMORA, who plays a gay character in the hit series How to Get Away with Murder on ABC, received the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award last month in Cleveland, reports LGBTQ Nation.

Ricamora was born in Manila. His father is of Filipino descent and his mother is German and Irish.

“I will say that it’s a little ironic to be getting the Visibility Award because so much of growing up as a kid was spent trying to be invisible,” said Ricamora. 

Ricamora grew up in Niceville, Florida (Yes, that's real place.) "That's just a little south of Alabama, he said. 

“It was rough, not only being gay, but having the colored skin that I have. I was terrified that someone would see me as gay and I was also terrified that I would see myself for what I naturally was.”

Ricamora began in 2014 playing the recurring role of Oliver, but by season 3 became a series regular. He is the only openly gay Asian American character on prime time television.

In a highlight reel prior to accepting the award, Ricamora said, “I want to tell any kid that is not living in a diverse community, that may be out in a small town somewhere, that feels ashamed of the shape of their eyes, or the color of their skin or who they are attracted to naturally, that you are loved.”

He originated the role of Ninoy Aquino in the Off-Broadway hit musical Here Lies Love. It was a chance for Ricamora to embrace his heritage, but also tell a new story and represent the Asian-American acting community. “Bringing acceptance and promoting equality and justice for Asian-Americans of all types is just really important,” he said.

Ricamora finished by thanking his parents “for providing the space and acceptance to grow into who I am.”

(Views From the Edge contributed to this report.)

'Asians in Hollywood' to advocate for AAPI who work in motion picture industry

Asians In Hollywood - a new voice for Asians in the motion picture industry.

By Louis Chan
Reprinted from AsAm News
A GROUP of Asian/Americans working in Hollywood are staying united after the controversy over #OscarsSoWhite and the Chris Rock Academy Awards sketch during which he used stereotypes about Asian/Americans in his monologue.

They call themselves Asians in Hollywood and launched a Facebook page this month that has already generated nearly 1,700 likes and also have started a twitter account.

So far both the Facebook page and Twitter account have concentrated on applauding the successes of Asian Americans in Hollywood and promoting their work.

The group is building on its efforts following meetings with the Academy in May which included president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and CEO Dawn Hudson.

Still in its infancy, one of the group’s first big successes was getting recognized by the Hollywood media

RELATED: 70 Asians & Asian/Americans invited to join Academy

Even of more significance was the invitation to 70 Asians and Asian/Americans to join the Academy as voting members. They were part of the 673 people invited out of which 272 were people of color.

Among the members are Arthur Dong, Laura Kim, Freida Lee Mock, David Magdael, Marcus Hu, Jodi Long, Janet Yang, France Nuyen, Maysie Hoy, Peter Kwong, Teddy Zee, Don Hall, Chris Tashima and George Takei who all attended the meeting in May with the Academy.

“We don’t want to be a finger-pointing group,” said Hollywood producer Yang (People v Larry Flynt) to the Hollywood Reporter There’s enough of that. We want to help find positive solutions to a systemic problem. Most people, in our opinion, are not intentionally demeaning in their portrayal of Asians or in overlooking Asian actors for roles. It is the result of a hundred years of Hollywood making films from a particular point of view. If we don’t change the perception of us in entertainment and media, we will forever be sidelined.”

TGIF FEATURE: Constance Wu - Outspoken, thoughtful, articulate, unafraid, true to herself

The opinionated actress Constance Wu is not afraid to speak her mind.

CONSTANCE WU is fast becoming the No. 1 choice for interviews regarding the need for more diversity -- especially for Asian/Americans -- in the entertainment industry.

Perhaps it is because she is one of the most visible Asian/Americans with her role as Jessica Huang in the successful sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, or more likely, it is because she is unafraid to speak her mind and tackle head on the bias ingrained into the industry's decision makers. 

"Let's talk about some race shit!" she says at the beginning of an interview by Vulture's E. Allen Jung. 

Wu is "the actor Asian America has been waiting for: funny, bold,analytical, and outspoken about Asian-American representation in Hollywood," writes Jung.

Read her first two responses to Jung's questions:

How do you feel about the end of the second season of the Fresh Off the Boat? I feel good about the second season. We straddled the line of having the show be influenced by Chinese things, but not having it always be about being Chinese. Because that is essentially how we work. Yes, I have issues that have to do with growing up Asian-American. But there are other things, like doing my taxes or whether or not I should go here for vacation or what my Halloween costume is going to be. Regular human experiences, which for the most part have been only allowed to be white experiences. You're either Asian-Asian or you're white American. The in-between has not been explored very much. 

How do you consider the trope of the tiger mom in relation to your character? That's something I never thought about until I had this part. So bless this for making me think about what it must be like to have a kid you are responsible for, especially if you came to a country and people gave you shit for your accent or decorum, and it felt bad, and you don't want your kids to feel that bad. Also, you kind of want to say "Fuck you!" to the haters who gave you shit. How do you do that? By saying "Well, you know what? My kid got a 1600 on his SATs, and he's better than yours." That's your way of showing up all the haters. So that's how you open up the stereotype into a person. I almost think it's impossible not to have a stereotype, except in white culture we call them "archetypes," right? It's true!

Good stuff, right? Read the entire Vulture interview. 

In a David Yi article with Mashable, the outspoken 34-year-old Wu said:

"For some reason, Hollywood thinks marginalizing or teasing Asians is acceptable because we do okay. There’s been a culture of invisibility and I think some people think that we don’t have the right to seek representation or to file complaint because many of us “do okay” in the socio-economic aspect. But that’s only valid if you think that true happiness is defined by a bank account and a social status."

Mashable interviewed eight Asian/American actors/performers. Besides Wu, the group included: comedian Margaret Cho, Ken Jeong of Dr. Ken, director John Chu, actor Waris Ahluwalia, rapper and actress Awkwafina, Crazy Ex-Girlfirend's Vincent Rodriguez III, and DKNY designer Dao-Yi Chow. 

Mainstream media also has learned that Wu is good for some interesting quotes. In a Time Magazine interview last year, Wu confronts the question of using an accent for her portrayal of Jessica Huang in FOtB:

"If there were jokes written about the accent, then that would certainly be harmful. But there aren’t jokes written about it. It’s not even talked about. It’s just a fact of life: immigrants have accents. Making the choice to have that is a way of not watering down the character and making it politically correct. It’s choosing authenticity over safety, and I think that’s bold."

Wu, among others, was interviewed by the august New York Times in an article titled "Asian-American actors fighting for visibility.

“An Asian person who is competing against white people, for an audience of white people, has to train for that opportunity like it’s the Olympics,” Ms. Wu said. “An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That’s a highly pressured situation.”

With Fresh Off the Boat renewed for a third season and the viral #StarringConstanceWu, the female counterpart to #StarringJohnCho, both questioning Hollywood's bias against Asian/American actors in lead roles, Wu is sure to be the subject of more interviews.

If her career continues its upward trend, could she be the voice the AAPI needs to turn around the mindsets of Hollywood producers and casting agents to be more inclusive when making their creative decisions? 

Wu's name was at the top of the list of The Hollywood Reporter's dream cast for the upcoming film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians. Wu has a good chance of being nominated for an Emmy as Best Actress in A Comedy Series this year amid some stiff competition. If she was to win, her stock and influence would skyrocket.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier versions of this post incorrectly said that Constance Wu was nominated for an Emmy in 2015.

Whatever the future holds, she most certainly won't be afraid to rock the boat. “I'd rather lose all my stuff than lose myself,” Wu tells Vulture, “because I've done that before, and that feels way worse.”

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

How would you cast the 'Crazy Rich Asians' movie?

A YEAR AGO, when news broke that a movie was being made from the novel Crazy Rich Asians, some people asked, "Where would you find enough Asians to play in that movie?" 

That's a silly question.

In response, The Hollywood Reporter did a piece about the perfect cast for the Kevin Kwan best seller .Heading the dream cast would be Constance Wu as Rachel Chu. 

Constance Wu as the All-American girl?

"Thanks to her breakout performance on Fresh Off the Boat, the rising star is quickly finding fans around the world," wrote THR. "Wu, a Virginia native and SUNY Purchase grad, actually has more in common with CRA's Asian-American heroine than with the immigrant mom she so hilariously plays on the ABC hit comedy, and she'd be able to portray Rachel's down-to-earth innocence as a normal girl suddenly thrust into the harsh spotlight of Singapore high society."

The role of Rachel is actually closer to the Virginia-born actress' real life than the immigrant mother she plays in Fresh Off the Boat.

Mark Chao would play Nicholas Young.  "In the past five years, the Taiwanese-Canadian actor has become one of Asia's most sought-after leading men and has the charisma and warmth to portray the reluctant Prince Charming at the center of Crazy Rich Asians," captioned the Reporter. "The So Young star, who is fluent in English, signed with UTA last year and is exploring his crossover options, starting with a principal role in Luc Besson's France-China co-production Warriors Gate."

THR thought of Joan Chen as Nicholas' domineering mother opposing the match between her rich son and the (gasp) American foreigner? 

And wouldn't it be something to see the sparks fly when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Michelle Yeoh as Rachel's single mom lock horns with Joan Chen's character? Wow!

Since director John Chu vowed he would forgo any suggestions that some of the characters be whitewashed (turning some Asian roles into Euro/American characters), if you were casting director, who would you put into those roles?

When asked who would be in his dream cast, Kwan told the Hollywood Reporter, "Personally I'd like Emma Stone to play every single role in the movie. (Laughs.) We'll just CGI her."

"It's so perplexing to see how casting in Hollywood is so defensive. I think audiences are much more accepting of casting choices," said Kwan as he got more serious. "When Crazy Rich Asians came out, there was initial interest from a producer who wanted to change [the heroine] Rachel Chu into a white girl. I tell that story to book clubs in suburban middle America and they go crazy: 'Why does Hollywood think we would want to see this movie with white people?' They don't need every film to be chock-full of the latest stars."

RELATED: John Chu - from the streets of NYC to Hollywood back lots

"There are so many missed casting opportunities in Hollywood. It's still very much a challenge, but I have faith in the talent pool not just of existing actors, but also of actors coming out of film schools in England, in Australia, who are Asian. My hope is that there will be equal representation in terms of Singapore stars, Hong Kong stars, Asian American stars, mainland Chinese stars — I would love for it to be like a dream team cast."

Crazy Rich Asians, the novel, proved that readers are attracted to good stories with interesting characters no matter what race they are. The movie has the potential to have the same impact for films. In that context, Crazy Rich Asians, the movie, could make a huge  statement to Hollywood decision-makers who have been reluctant to make movies with Asian/American actors in substantial, impactful roles.

RELATED: Asian Americans decry the practice of 'whitewashing'

If the movie is a box-office success, it would be a sea change, a culture-shifting event, in Asian/American history. Most certainly there would be a sequel. Already, China Rich Girlfriend, which was released last year is the second book in what is envisioned by the author as a trilogy.

Where would you find enough Asian actors? Indeed, that's a really silly question.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm New.

Celebrity short takes: Constance Wu, Justin Lin, Daniel Wu, Matt Damon, Vanessa Hudgens and more

The anime characters in FullmetalAlchemist and their human actors.

Director's decision counters Hollywood's 'whitewashing' practice

When the live-action adaptation of the wildly-popular manga-turned-anime Fullmetal Alchemist hits theaters next year, its entire cast of lead characters will be Japanese.
“I want to depict something that follows the original work as much as possible,” the movie’s director Fumihiko Sori told Natalie. “The cast is entirely Japanese, but the setting is Europe. However, their race and nationality isn’t expressed in a specific form.” This news is particularly refreshing in the wake of the upcoming Dr. Strange and Ghost in the Shell movies’ whitewashing of the Asian characters in their source material, tapping Tilda Swinton and Scarlett Johansson, respectively, to play them. Read the full story here.

Asian/American actors speaking out against 'whitewashing'

"AN ASIAN PERSON who is competing against white people, for an audience of white people, has to train for that opportunity like it's the Olympics," actress Constance Wu told writer Amanda Hess in the New York Times piece, titled 'Asian-American Actors Are Fighting For Visibility. They Will Not Be Ignored'. "An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That's a highly pressured situation." Among the actors who were interviewed were heavy-hitters George Takei, Aziz Ansari and Daniel Dae Kim. Read the full article here.

AMC has renewed martial arts drama “Into the Badlands” for Season 2

The dystopian drama will return for a 10-episode second season that is slated to premiere on AMC in 2017. The show delivered the third highest-rated first season in U.S. cable TV history, averaging 5.6 million viewers per episode. “With its deep dive into authentic martial arts, the visually stunning ‘Into the Badlands’ proved to be unlike anything else on television,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “Co-creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, along with a talented team of producers, cast and crew, brought us an artfully crafted series. We’re eager to return to the world of barons and blades and spend even more time with these compelling and evolving characters across an expanded second season.” It stars California-raised Daniel Wu as its leading man.

Lin

Vin Diesel wants Justin Lin to direct the final 'Fast & Furious'

Vin Diesel wants Justin Lin to direct the final Fast & Furious Universal Pictures and director F. Gary Gray are currently shooting Fast 8 for an April 14, 2017 release, which is planned to launch a new trilogy of films. Fast 8 will be followed by a ninth film to be released April 19, 2019 and a tenth film planned to hit theaters April 2, 2021. Forward-thinking star Vin Diesel is already coming up with a master plan for Fast 10, which a new article from Wired indicates could include the return of Read the full story


'Space Jam 2' has found its director

It's finally on now. While Space Jam 2 has lingered in the minds of basketball and sneaker enthusiasts behind a regular season filled with Curry and Kobe headlines, LeBron James' summer is now closer to set. As The Hollwood Reporter breaks, the busy Justin Lin will direct the sequel to the cartoon classic. It's nice to be in demand. Read the full story

Chinese/American actress nominated for 2016 Tony Award

Phillipa Soo was nominated as Best Actress in a musical for her role as Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway hit Hamilton.  All together, Hamilton, the diversity-setting, rap-inspired musical set a new record with 16 nominations. Read the full story

Fukunaga

Cary Fukunaga may adapt Stanley Kubrick’s 'Napoleon' as HBO miniseries

According to a new report from ScreenRant, HBO is eying a revival of Stanley Kubrick’s famously never-produced version of "Napoleon" with Cary Fukunaga directing the historical epic. If done right, this could be spectacular. Anyone who has seen the first season of True Detective (or Sin Nombre or Beasts of No Nation) knows that Fukunaga is a special talent, one that could be trusted to bring a version of Kubrick’s singular vision to the screen. The project would also have the benefit of more modern technologies than Kubrick ever dreamed of, as well as the backing of HBO, which has shown a willingness to spend big money on huge projects. An hours-long program, with frequent battle scenes, filmed in multiple countries for a massive amount of money? That sounds an awful lot like Game of Thrones. Read the full story

Vanessa Hudgens agrees to pay $1,000 fine for carving on red rock wall

Actress Vanessa Hudgens has paid $1,000 in restitution for carving a heart into a red rock wall during a trip to Sedona, Arizona. The payment resolves a citation issued to the Filipino/American on a misdemeanor count of damaging a natural feature on U.S. Forest Service land. Read the full story

'The Great Wall' aims to bridge Hollywood-China divide

Matt Damon sported a new ponytail as he told fans in Beijing about his part in the fantasy epic The Great Wall, a $150 million U.S.-China co-production which could be a game-changer for the world's second biggest film market, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The legendary fantasy film, which is described as the largest film ever shot entirely in China for global distribution, centers on an elite force making a last stand for humanity on the iconic Great Wall in China. The English-language movie is directed by Zhang Yimou and is due to finish filming in August. The global release date is Nov. 23, 2016. Read the full story

First Filipina to win 'Best Actress' at Cannes Film Festival

Jaclyn Jose has become the first Filipino to win the best actress award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Jose won for her performance as a mother who falls prey to corrupt police after being forced to sell drugs to survive in Ma’ Rosa. The movie was directed by Brillante Mendoza, who in 2009 became the first Filipino to win best director at the festival for Kinatay.

The Filharmonics

NBC winds up its 'Life Stories' of Asian/Americans

The Filipino/American a capella singing group, the Filharmonics, was one of the groups and individuals profiled by NBC as part of its 'Life Stories' series in honor of Asian/American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Other episodes of 'Life Stories', can be found here.

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Relatively unknown Vietnamese/American actress wins major Star Wars role

The casting of Kelly Marie Tran might shatter a few barriers in the new Star Wars movie.

Reprinted from AsAm News

JOHN BOYEGA, the African/American storm trooper who debuted in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has confirmed to Dark Side of the Force that the first Asian to play a major Star Wars character has been picked out of a very competitive audition -- Kelly Marie Tran.

Who? 

Tran is not a household name now but all that might change dramatically when she debuts in Star Wars, Episode VIII. Details of the role is shrouded in mystery so very little about her role has been revealed.

The relatively unknown actress co-starred in a few Internet shorts including The Rising Cost of Cosmetics, (2011) and Untouchable (2011)

“I love her. I love her,” said Boyega, who took part in the auditions for the character Tran was picked for. “I think she’s fantastic. It’s a friendship thing in the sense of you meet someone and you’re just like, I vibe with you. I feel like I’ve known you for years.' And that’s a very, very good thing.”

Editors Note: From Nerds of Color: Some of the BIG names who reportedly auditioned for the part included names like Tatiana Maslany, Olivia Cooke, Anna Kendrick and Gina Rodriguez so Tran's selection is no small feat.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Tran is a graduate of UCLA, got her start in local theater and trained with several improv groups including Second City.

Tran is not your typical Hollywood ingenue or starlet and that's what #OscarsSoWhite is all about, right? We want to break that institutional and inbred bias that has prevented actors of color from getting the big roles.

Here she is in a funny YouTube skit from College Humor: Are You Asian Enough?

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TGIF FEATURE: Tess Paras spoofs stereotypes in 'Typecast'

Tess Paras

BEFORE the recent brouhaha over "whitewashing" of Asian roles because - heaven knows  there isn't enough work for downtrodden Euro/American actors - there was (and continues to be) the practice of casting actors of color in stereotypical roles.

RELATED: Asian/Americans decry 'whitewashing' of Asian roles

The dilemma for actors of color is between accepting the roll that perpetuates a racist stereotype because writers are too lazy to go beyond the stereotype and because producers continue to insist on the narrow depiction of people of color from the viewpoint of the dominant Eurocentric culture - or, they could reject the role and die of starvation.

Tess Paras, a Filipina/American actress, depicts this delimma in her delightful video Typecast, a parody of Lorde's "Royal."

If Paras looks familiar, it's because she is currently in the recurring role of Jayma Chan, sister of Josh Chan on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW Network. The show made history this season when it depicted the Chan family, American television's first depiction of a Filipino/American family.

Thankfully, Jayma and Josh, portrayed by Fil/Am actor Vincent Rodriguez III, don't speak with Filipino accents. The Chan children are as American as apple pie and mango ice cream.

RELATED: TV's first Filipino/American family debuts on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Paras said she has auditioned for numerous roles that called for accents. In an interview with Glamour, Paras said:  "I'm sure I've lost a lot of auditions (where producers are seeking an Asian actress) because I haven't changed my Filipino last name to something that sounds more East Asian, which some Filipino/American actors have done. And I don't look East Asian—Filipinos don't have the same eye shape or facial features. So, 'What's your ethnicity?' is a common question. And I've had casting people ask me if I'm 'full Asian.'"

Let's hope that the musical romantic comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which got renewed for a second season, will expand Jayma's character and let Paras display her singing and dancing talent.

Have a great weekend!

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For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.