Why Young Asian-Americans Are Fleeing Hollywood

racebending:

Asian-Americans have been moving to Asia to break into the entertainment industry for a while now despite initially having a limited grasp of Mandarin, Cantonese or Korean. It’s been difficult for Asian-Americans to make it in Hollywood, since they are often type-casted intocertain roles such as socially awkward geeks or kungfu masters. Mike Hale from the New York Times described how even famous actresses like Maggie Q and Lucy Liu are not entirely able to escape the mold of the “sexy nerd” or the “dragon lady.”

Asian-American actors and singers are finally getting a chance to pursue their American dreams, but ironically, it’s Asia that’s making it possible.

It’s really depressing to think that American actors are more likely to find work abroad than at home, simply because of systemic racism in our own entertainment industry.