Hollywood’s Barriers To Asian Actors
Quick: name an Asian-American actor who is a Hollywood sex symbol. You’re right: there aren’t any. In spite of the rising influence of and contributions to U.S. culture made by men of East or South Asian ancestry, the American movie business still seems afraid to cast actors of those backgrounds as leading men. As Dev Patel (pictured), of “Slumdog Millionaire,” recently put it: “I’m buzzing with adrenaline and raring to go, but I have to be realistic. Being an Asian actor, it’s never going to be easy.”
