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.

"Crazy Ex- Girlfriend" star wins Golden Globe; Lea Salonga will make an appearance.

Photo: Tyler Golden/CW

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's" Filipino/American family, from left: Tess Paras as Jayma, Coryn Mabalot as Jastenity, Vincent Rodriguez III as Josh, Amy Hill as Lourdes, Rachel Bloom as Rebecca,
and Alberto Isaac as Joseph.

LETS HOPE that Rachel Bloom's Golden Globe award for Best Performance by An Actress In A Television Series (Comedy or Musical) gives a much-needed boost to the groundbreaking television show "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."

Her win over better known actresses in more popular shows clearly surprised Bloom and Sunday's (Jan. 10) Golden Globe audience, which combined the stars of motion pictures and television.

The show, which features a Fiilipino/American love interest (Vincent Rodriguez as Josh Chan), hasn't exactly been breaking ratings records. In fact, in some polls, it is at or near the bottom as the least watched shows on television. CW hasn't indicated if a second season is in the works.

However, CW President Mark Pedowitz told TV Guide, that his network has great faith in Crazy.

"At the moment, I wish I had more optimistic [ratings] statistics. I don't. What we do have is great faith in the show, great faith in the showrunners and the creators, Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom. We believe in the show. We stand by the show," Pedowitz said, adding that he has no plans to make a "homogenized version" of the show in hopes of attracting more viewers. "We believe there is a place on our schedule today for a show like this and we're going to give it a chance to get seen. You can't beat quality like this. ... The fact that Rachel is nominated (and won a Golden Globe) is a testament to what they've done. ... I wish the numbers were better."

Watch Bloom's teary and breathless acceptance speech below:

As Bloom explained to reporters in the press room following the Globes, having a diverse cast allows a show to organically explore a wider range of stories because of her Filipino co-star. Read her comments in an interview with Vulture right after the ceremonies:

"I have learned so much about Filipino culture. What’s insane is we are not fresh off the boat about specifically being Filipino. One of our characters happened to be Filipino, so when we realized that no one had made the effort to show a Filipino family on an American comedy, it is talking a lot about Filipino culture, mabuhay, but it has also taught me really about how important diversity is if you want to tell a new story. Anything else I do from now ... I would want to make it about people who are diverse, gay, trans, because those are stories that have not been told before, and America is a melting pot of immigrants, and I don’t think it is acknowledged half as much as it is on television. 

"In episode 18, we are so proud Lea Solanga will be guest-starring, and when Vincent, who plays Josh Chan, [saw her,] he literally fainted to the ground. We are so excited to be seen as a show that supports all different sorts of people and supports diversity because that’s what America is, and we are just showing what America really is."

I don't want to underplay the little "tease" she threw in about Lea Solanga, but I want to dwell a bit on her comment, her show and diversity.

True diversity in the media is not about tokenism: Cast an Asian guy and put him in the background. It's about reflecting the world around us and the stories emerge organically from everyday interactions. CEG is not seeking a pat on the back for casting Rodriguez because as the producers said, they grew up in Southern California and there were plenty of hot guys who were Asian. And they didn't stand on a soapbox to shout out, "Look at us! We have a Filipino family on the show. Hooray!" 

On this particular show, diversity includes having a Filipino/American writer, Rene Gube, who, incidentally, played a hip priest (80 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic) on the same show. Gube wrote the historic Thanksgiving show that featured an entire Filipino clan at a family celebration. Gube wasn't hired because one of the lead characters was Filipino, it's just that sometimes, the stars align. But his presence on the writing staff helps the authenticity of the scenes with Filipinos. 

RELATED: Why you should be watching 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'TV's first Filipino/American family debuts

“To have an opportunity to create a fully developed Filipino character, a male romantic lead, I’ve never seen that before, and I was super excited about that. It is a great opportunity to show a Filipino family on network television, and show how American that Filipino family truly is,” said Gube in a Vulture interview.

Lea Salonga

Back to Salonga: The singer let the cat out of the bag in her Twitter account that she'll be featured in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's finale. “I guess the news is out!!! I’ll be appearing on the season finale of @CW_CrazyXGF! And singing, too! How fun is that?!” Salonga tweeted to her followers. Presumably, she'll tape that episode when Allegiance closes its Broadway run on Feb. 14.

Congratulations to Rachel Bloom! Hopefully her award will have the same boost for Crazy as the same award gave to Jane the Virgin when its star, Gina Rodriguez, won the honor last year.

Even without the Filipino actors, its a brilliant show. How can you describe a show that has a compulsive-obsessive woman as its lead character chasing after the love of her life who she thinks is her key to happiness? Don't be put off by the musical numbers. The witty songs and production add to the story and they're not thrown in willy-nilly just to have a musical number.

Meanwhile, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns with its mid-season premiere on Jan. 25, 8 p.m. Eastern on the CW. Tell all your friends and relatives to tune in to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the show that gets things right on so many levels.

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