Growing up in small-town U.S.A., there weren’t many Asian or Asian American role models for me to look up to in television or in movies, except for maybe Trini the Yellow Ranger.
Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan aka the Yellow Ranger. You were the first Asian face I remember seeing on my TV screen, may you rest in peace.
I always found it funny that stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and even Zhang Ziyi exploded onto the scene with their martial arts movies and experienced huge success and popularity when there were so many budding Asian American actors and singers trying, and failing, to make it in the business. This isn’t meant to be a battle piece to see which group is more successful in the American entertainment industry like the title suggests. The point is, is that the number of Asians and Asian Americans getting more screen time and face time in mainstream media has got me wondering: who will rise as the next “it” star? Who has what it takes to wow audiences above the rest?
Some of Asia’s biggest stars, like Rain and the Wonder Girls who hail from South Korea (for those of you who didn’t know), are getting more exposure and, most importantly, piquing the interest of American audiences. Don’t get me wrong, the fact that an unknown star like Rain gets to star in Ninja Assassin excites the hell out of me. And let’s not forget that the Wonder Girls actually toured with the Jonas Brothers last summer.
In my eyes, these are important accomplishments. If they could translate their super-stardom status in Asia to America, that would definitely shake up the typical Asian image and open up opportunities, or would it?
If you’re anything like me and happen to follow Asian popular culture, then you understand that it’s kind of cool to see the stars that you’re familiar with in one context suddenly start their career all over again in an unfamiliar environment. Their presence brings two worlds together in a common place, and as corny as this sounds, it’s like a breath of fresh air in the congested entertainment industry. What worries me is that American audiences seem more intrigued by familiar Asian images, like the lightning-fast sequences you see in martial arts movies. If Hollywood keeps making movies like Ninja Assassin, it doesn’t really shed a new light on how Asians are represented and kind of keeps us in a box without much room to move around in.
For some reason, Aaron Yoo doesn’t seem as exciting as Jet Li.
So what’s missing from the many AA talents that are out there as opposed to their Asian superstar counterparts who became famous on American soil? My guess is the so-called “mystique” factor perceived by American audiences, which isn’t quite “other-ness” but a very distinct quality nonetheless that can be exciting to see, which explains why there is a market for martial arts and other “Asian-y” films like House of Flying Daggers and Memoirs of a Geisha. Yet, for years it’s been argued that there isn’t a big enough market for Asian American films or music, which is still an obstacle today in mainstream media. While Asian American actors are definitely on the rise, it brings us to question what makes them, like Ken Jeong, John Cho, and Kal Penn just to name a few, marketable? Ken Jeong is famous for playing up stereotypes–just look at his filmography. John Cho and Kal Penn also played around with Asian stereotypes in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, which catapulted them to fame and gave them more opportunities to advance their careers and play not-so-stereotypical roles.
With all these different aspects out on the table, what does it all mean and what does the future hold for both AA and Asian talents? Will both sides feed into each others’ success or will Asia’s stars eclipse Asian American entertainers? I think there’s room for everyone, but this is definitely food for thought. At this point it’s hard to tell, but my gut feeling tells me it all depends on the audience, so let’s hope everyone is able to appreciate the actual range of talent that exists and not concentrate on the kung-fu-fighting males and exotic women that are so often portrayed on screen.
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The shirts will also be featured for an upcoming Ninja Assassin music video directed by John Mazyck and worn by Paul Sun, Murs, and Wu Tang Clan’s Raekwon. By the looks of Raekwon’s samurai sword picture, this video should be an interesting collaboration. With the movie premiering the 25th of next month, I’m sure many die-hard ninja or Rain fans will be quick to get their hands on one of these.
