most important poll of all eternity

[Fake Boris]

Indian chicks

[Last Conformist]

As places with a billion inhabitants go, I've seen very few beautiful women from India.

[Q Classic]

Originally posted by Gibsie
But are they merely exceptions? How many male Japanese actors do you know that star in Western films, and are they really always the sidekick?

Jet Li happens to be Chinese, not Japanese.

Japanese-American Actors:
Pat Morita: his major role was as a "mentor" to the real protagonist in the Karate Kid movies--the caucasian teen.
George Takei: I've never seen him in a leading role.
Ken Watanabe*: The one movie in which he has a big, major role, "The Last Samurai", he's really there only to be a guide to Tom Cruise.

Korean-American Actors:
Bobby Lee: MadTV and... that's about it.
Rick Yune: I've only seen him in Die Another Day, where he's a villain; he's apparently in Fast and the Furious, and seeing as he's not billed as a top star, I can't imagine he's one of the key characters.

Chinese-American Actors:
Garret Wang: After ST:VOY, he's disappeared off the face of the earth.
Chow-Yun Fat*: In Hollywood movies, he's never been the romantic lead when mingled with a non-Asian cast.
Jackie Chan: Same as Chow-Yun Fat. While he's often a major character, it's almost always part of a duo.
B.D. Wong: His character in L&O:SVU is never really developed outside of his appearances as a psychiatrist. (Then again, nobody's character is every really developed outside of their work.)

The ones with * have been seen in major releases in the US with romantic attachments. However, they've been in Asian-dominated films (Crouching Tiger, Memoirs of a Geisha), so it's all right and non-threatening to the climate; they don't, after all, mingle with non-Asians in those films.

The only other counterexample I can provide is John Cho, in Harold and Kumar, who is provided with a romantic lead; however, it's only one movie, and while it's notable for its portrayals of Americans of Asian Extraction, hasn't kickstarted a trend to portray AAEs sanely.

My argument is a generalization--I'm not saying there aren't exceptions, however, more often than not, you'll find that Asian actors are not given romantic options in their stories, and are often pigeonholed into roles which either play up their mystic/exotic element, and consequently become sidekicks/mentors to their non-Asian counterparts.

[Bosh]

Hmmmm, trying to think of the appearances of foreigners in Korean films, let me think:

-Female romantic lead for main character.
-Antagonist's thuggish sidekick.
-Lost pilot who learns to appreciate Korean culture and defend it from his evil countrymen. Completely asexual.
-Evil Americans bent on annihilating innocent Korean village.
-Sources of candy.

And in TV shows:

-Evil Harvard professors who are constantly outwitted by clever Korean law student and his Korean med student gf.
-Evil abusive husband.

About all I can think of off the top of my head. The only foreign male involved with a Korean female in any Korean TV show I've ever seen is an abusive husband, go figure. The amount of racism against Asians in America is pretty minimal by global standards.

[Zkribbler]

Wow, this is a really close vote. It could wind up in front of the Supreme Court.

[Timexwatch]

But really.....

I think we're in the same boat. I'm guessing your girl is Chinese or at least half Chinese. Am I right?


Now here's a real photo...

[Mao]

hehe, your post is number 69

...now are we all posting our girlfriends???

[Timexwatch]

Only the Asian or Latin ones. Otherwise would be threadjacking.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Q Cubed


What it boils down to is it's very rare in Western culture to view the Asian as a romantic lead. Virtually every single Asiatic male in popular culture is a sidekick, a helper. Always the groomsman, never the groom. What few Asian leads there are are often Asian females, and more often than not, their presence is to be a romantic interest for a non-Asian female.

Really? I would be surprised if a lesbian view was the dominant one.

Jon Miller

[Donegeal]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Univision

Just press 'Mute'!

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
Chow-Yun Fat*: In Hollywood movies, he's never been the romantic lead when mingled with a non-Asian cast.

Sure? I haven't watched many of his Hollywood movies, but from what I have seen he's usually the lead.

Originally posted by Q Cubed
Jackie Chan: Same as Chow-Yun Fat. While he's often a major character, it's almost always part of a duo.

What about Myth and The Medallion?

[Axxaer]

I know she's probably a bit young for most of you, but this is why I voted asian (my formal date last year )

[Sikander]

I tend to go with whomever is throwing herself at me at the time. There are some bodacious asian and latina women and I'd rather not burn any bridges. Forced to choose, I'd probably go for one of those Indian women with dark skin and lovely thick curls for looks, and a latina woman for cultural compatability.

[molly bloom]

I've no preference as to either grouping- if I think they're good looking and have a pleasant personality then tally ho and chocks away.

Does someone who's part Portuguese-Indian and part Dutch-Malaysian count as a quarter one and half the other ?


It's too much like algebra now.


Hooray for Bollywood!

[Gibsie]

Originally posted by Q Cubed

Yeah, you're right, given that 90% of the films that we're talking about are martial arts films, it's unlikely there's going to be much opportunity for such storylines. And we could even exclude Jet Li, as the two leads I've seen him in where there's been an element of romance have been either set in England or with a black girl, which is obviously okay and "non-threatening"