Re: Name a TV Show...

On 2025-04-16 3:36 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

On 2025-04-16 2:48 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

On 2025-04-16 2:25 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:

 

They show reruns of KUNG FU but they’re just absolutely covered with
warnings.

 

Why? What are they warning about?

 

Shhh

 

No one can know that Hollywood once cast roles in which the actor shared
absolutely no characteristics of the character he played, and this was
perfectly acceptable.

 

Oh, right, the fact that Carradine wasn't even partially Chinese.

 He didn't know any kung fu! He wasn't from the 19th century either.
 

As far as I know, Michael Dorn has no actual Klingon blood, nor did Tony Todd, who played his brother. And Leonard Nimoy had no Vulcan ancestry.
To use a more down-to-earth example, I'm not aware of a single qualified doctor playing a doctor in any medical series ever. It never used to be a problem. They even had a name for it: "suspension of disbelief".

Funny, I don't remember any warnings when I watched Warrior, a much more
recent series. I *think* Andrew Koji, who played the lead, is actually
of Japanese heritage, not Chinese, and some of the other cast had
Vietnamese heritage while playing Chinese. I guess those were considered
"close enough", even though in real life, there is considerable
lingering hatred between Chinese and Japanese people over Japan's
invasion of China prior to and during WWII.

 I love the modern-day criticism of "racism" in anti-Japanese propaganda
produced during WWII, ignoring the obvious that no only were they the
enemy, they literally were the agressors. One isn't expected to say kind
things about the enemy during war.
 Jack Soo, literally Japanese, was interned during WWII, had to adopt a
Chinese surname to perform. As a child, I have to say an actor with a
Chinese surname that I didn't learn till later was Japanese playing a
Japanese ethnic character on Barney Miller confused the hell out of me!
>

I had no idea he was actually Japanese.

How about Crazy Rich Asians? Few in the cast were Chinese ethnics. No
one was a Chinese ethnic from Singapore. Location shooting was Malaysia!
And that movie was widely praised!
 

I think most of the cast of the Joy Luck Club actually had Chinese ancestry but there was at least one exception: Tamlyn Tomita, whose heritage is Japanese. Considering that she is very outspoken about "representation", I wonder how she squared taking that job.
--
Rhino