Star of the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel said a very obvious quote when it came to the Asian American cinematic struggle in Hollywood:

“Because ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was such a big hit, there was a lot of pressure in terms of what I did next. For my second film, I wanted a role that would stretch me, but all I was getting offered were stereotypical parts like the goofy Indian sidekick. Asian actors tend not to be sent Hollywood scripts that are substantial or challenging. I’m likely to be offered the roles of a terrorist, cab driver and smart geek. I want to show that I have versatility. You have to remember that, before ‘Slumdog,’ the last film about India that went big at the Oscars was ‘Gandhi,’ as played by Ben Kingsley. The fact that me and Freida [Pinto, his girlfriend] have any kind of platform in Hollywood is a big step forward.”

It’s definitely a huge step for the both of you but isn’t there some kind of underlining irony here in his quote? Does anyone his role in Airbender? I wonder if he has any idea of the APA controversy that film brought to our community.

It’s one of UK’s most loved teen dramas and the popular show is coming to the big screen! But will it feature some of your favorite characters? Not sure yet but one thing is for sure, cutie Dev Patel has signed up to play the infamous Anwar once again!

I’ve got a feeling Skins the movie is going to be a hit! Are you excited to see Patel in the nude again?

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, “The Last Airbender” stars British-Indian star, Dev Patel as Prince Zuko. I could go on and rave about the anime original movie, but I don’t watch anime therefore I cannot rave but here’s the plot according to imdb:
  

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. In the old days, there was peace between the four nations of the world. The Avatar — Master of all four elements — kept peace between the the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Only the Avatar has the ability to Bend (manipulate) all four elements, but one day, he Vanished. Then the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations for one hundred years. Now, for the good of the world, it’s up to 12-year-old Aang (Noah Ringer), the new Avatar, and the last of the Air Nomads (Airbenders), to return peace and balance by putting an end to the war and mastering all four elements. Aang must accept his destiny by stopping the Fire Nation’s war and defeating the Fire Lord for good.”

There’s been much controversy over the original casting of the movie because all the characters in the film, which are those of color, were all casted by Caucasian folks. When fans of the film found this out, a war raged ferociously! 

Here’s what badnecklace had to say about how the protest affected the product of the film:

“The Avatar: The Last Airbender controversy has been well-documented over the last year or two. It’s a cartoon set in a fictional universe but with distinctly East Asian themes. The team behind the film dropped Jesse McCartney (ex-JR, All My Children) nd cast Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel in an effort to quell all the outrage over the film’s whitewashing. And, oh, The Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi is a villain, too. Let me make it more clear: All the kids who are the root-for heroes are still white instead of vaguely East Asian and the bad guys are brown. Newsflash: That doesn’t give you cool points, that’s not “better.” M. Night Shyamalan, who is, himself, Indian and had such a celebrated career just a few years ago, really has lost the plot; it saddens me that he’s at the helm of this project. But I guess that only helps excuse the fail in the film. Defenders can say, “Shyamalan’s involved and he’s a minority, so it must be okay!””

Watch the trailer here:

“The Last Airbender” is slated to come out this July.

Rubina, one of the girls who played Latika in the Oscar winning film, Slumdog Millionaire not only had a tough life on-screen but off-screen her life proved to be just as difficult. Demolition men smashed down 50 shanty shacks in her hometown with sledgehammers this week so they can build a railway track. She was heard screaming, “This is my house, I was born here.” A family friend says that “she will now have to sleep in the open until they can re-build it. She is worried for her baby sister but there is no other option for them.”

Director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson have offered Rubina and her family an apartment and will come to a decision on whether or not they will accept the offer. 

Um, that’s really sad. She was in a huge film that grossed hundreds of millions of dollars and now she’s sitting on her demolished home. Maybe Patel and Pinto should stop frolicking around London and help her out a little. 

Let me begin by saying that I was a fan of the animated Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, it was a good mixture of different Asian cultures as well as American influences. Even to this day I still enjoy watching animation, and the best animation leaves room for a wider audience outside the target demographic to appreciate it. With that said, I have been keeping a close eye on the casting of M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action movie, especially the main characters. Let’s take a gander:

Noah Ringer as Aang

Nicola Peltz as Katara

Dev Patel as Zuko

Randall Jackson as Sokka

Cliff Curtis as Firelord Ozai

Jessica Andres as Suki

Aasif Mandvi as Admiral Zhao

Although it’s argued that the Avatar universe is Asian influenced, does it hurt to have a casting call to incorporate more Asian and Asian American actors? Even movie critic Roger Ebert commented on the selective casting in “Movie Answer Man”:

Q. Regarding the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan vehicle “The Last Airbender,” what do you think about the whitewashing of the production so that all of the original Asian cultural landmarks, architecture, philosophy, and costume design are being retained while they cast white kids to play the main characters?
Arlene C. Harris

A. Wrong. The original series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was highly regarded and popular for three seasons on Nickelodeon. Its fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.

Hear, hear! For the record, the movie does boast Asian talents, the most familiar being Slumdog Millionaire cutie Dev Patel. Aasif Mandvi is also included as part of the main cast. And let’s not forget Randall Duk and Kim Keong Sim who are, alas, relegated to smaller roles. So what to do you think, is the cast diverse or still somewhat racist?

Cr: rogerebert.suntimes.com

Slumdog Millionarie stars and real life couple, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, were snapped away at the BAFTA/LA BRitannia Awards in Los Angeles, California this past Thursday. The stars were joined by director Danny Boyle where he received the Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing. 

That must be nice. Starring in an Academy Award winning film together and then falling in love in real life. Sounds like a fairy tale. 

Aaron Yoo has starred in such hit movies like Disturbia and Friday the 13th. Not only is he a funny actor but he’s got a set of brains to back it up. Yoo graduated from the University of Pennsylvania back in 2001. Hot, talented, and smart. What more could you ask for?

Disturbia trailer:

Justin Chon 

If you love vampires, blood, love, and Asian Americans then you know Eric Yorkie aka Justin Chon. Okay so he doesn’t play a vampire in the hit phenomenon, Twilight but since he plays just a normal human, you know he’ll never die and will stick around the films for years to come. So score for us Chon fans! The  27 year old Korean American actor who hails from Garden Grove, California is one of the top rising Asian American actors of 2009 and you can catch the cutie in this year’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” opening in theaters November 20th. How adorable is his smile?

New Moon Trailer:

Daniel Henney

Daniel Henney, oh how I love thee! The 29 year old actor first started his acting game in Korea in a string of hit dramas and movies. It take long for Hollywood to notice the fine specimen and before us American fans knew what had hit us, Mr. Henney was found in a trailer for the anticipated film, Wolverwine. Agent Zero, (SPOILER ALERT) if you didn’t perish in that helicopter crash, I would’ve enjoyed the 90 minutes left of the film. Hugh Jackman, I love you, but that movie was a doozie. Not only is the half Korean American star acting in a CBS drama, “Three Rivers,” but he’s quickly becoming one of the top upcoming Asian American actors of 2009.

He is one damn beautiful man:

Rain 

Yes, that body is real and yes, Rain is single. Asia’s biggest superstar, Rain, is making it rain (pun intended) in Hollywood folks. The singer turned actor turned back to singer, will star in this year’s Ninja Assassin and everybody and their moms are looking forward to it. He may not be Asian American, but the Korean actor is definitely making waves in the American entertainment business with his strong stature, charming looks, and triple threat ways. He landed his first role in the disappointing Hollywood film, Speed Racer but is now ready to make his mark in Ninja Assassin,  kicking its way into theaters on November 25th. 

Ninja Assassin Trailer: 

Dev Patel

Patel is the kind of boy you want to bring home to mom and dad. Charming, sweet, likeable, and cute as a button. The young British Indian star caught his big break in the Academy award winning film, Slumdog Millionaire and life just hasn’t been the same for the actor. With a beautiful girlfriend in his arms, a role in the 2010 M. Night Shyamalan film, The Last Airbender, Patel is working his way up in Hollywood as a respected actor. 

Slumdog Millionaire trailer:

My pick for this list? Love em all, but Daniel Henney takes my choice for hottest upcoming Asian American actor of 2009. 
 

How cute are the matching purples they’re both rocking?

Do you know there’s a 6 year difference between these two? Miss Pinto seems to like them young. Catch Freida in the upcoming Woody Allen film and Dev in M. Night Shyamalan’s next film, “The Last Airbender.”