Authors: TERRY TANG and MARCELA ISAZA
Associated Press
Los Angeles (Associated Press)-Like many Asian actors, Liu Simu played a nameless guy who knew martial arts, but inevitably lost to a more skilled white man. This is one of his earliest stunt jobs.
“Yes, I took my salary and went home. I didn’t really complain about it,” the Chinese-Canadian actor said. “But you will see a bigger picture, you will see the opportunities available to Asian performers. You see, yes, after a certain point, there is really no such deep representation.”
Now, it’s time for Liu to eliminate the bad guys and become number one on the phone list. He will play a nominal role in Marvel Studios’ first Asian-led superhero movie “Shangqi and Legend of the Ten Rings”. This highly anticipated movie has all the bells and whistles of Marvel’s pillars-huge battle sequences, dazzling stunts and sweeping scenes.Although Shangqi can fly high and beat any opponent, is the strength of the “Kung Fu Master” enough to make
Hollywood finally buried the old story tropes and supporting projects of Asian actors and filmmakers?
The film is directed and written by Asian Americans and tells the story of the trained assassin Hisashi trying to live a normal life in San Francisco. Awkwafina and comedian Ronny Chieng also starred. The original comic book was inspired by popular Kung Fu movies in the 70s. It pays tribute to those, but also strives to bring humanity out of action. Liu, known for the sitcom “Golden Convenience”, won the role with his acting skills rather than karate skills.
“This is his comedy. This is his ability to show strength and vulnerability at the same time,” said director Destin Daniel Clayton. “It was his humanity that broke the stereotype.”
For decades, the genre of martial arts movies has been a double-edged sword for Asian Americans. Born in San Francisco, Bruce Lee is known as the man who brought Hong Kong Kung Fu movies to non-Asian audiences because of his jaw-dropping martial arts prowess. But for many Asian American men, being ridiculedly called Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan or asked to understand that karate is still an unfortunate coming-of-age ceremony.
“When I moved from Hawaii to California, this was the first time I was in a bar by anyone, you know, call me Bruce Lee in an understatement and jokingly,” Clayton said. “I love Bruce Lee. He is awesome. The only problem is that we only have these.”
In fact, a national survey commissioned by the non-profit organization “Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change” in the spring found that 42% of the 2,766 adults surveyed were unable to name the current famous Asian American names. The next two most popular answers? Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.
Phil Yu commented on Asian American pop culture on his long-term “Angry Asians” blog, and he also co-hosted a podcast, “They Call Us Blues.” He said that Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have never been a problem in themselves. This is how Hollywood runs the formula.
“It really feels like martial arts, and its concept of being distorted by Western lenses is used to classify us, make us feel smaller, and laugh at us,” Yu said. In “Hisashi”, “When your movies are almost all Asian…or almost every face is Asian, you have room for everyone to serve different narrative purposes.”
Another persistent cliché is the mysterious Asian tutor, who trains white protagonists in martial arts. The story of the white student then becoming the savior of the United States aroused strong opposition from Marvel, because in 2017 they cast the white protagonist in their “Iron Fist” Netflix series.
The “Shangzhi” team ensured that their entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was related to the Asian American experience. This exciting adventure is ultimately a family drama, about a young Asian immigrant evading his father’s desire to live his own life in the United States.
“Shang Qi” is the latest work in a series of martial arts themed works with Asian actors as the protagonist and center. “Snake Eye” collaborated with “Crazy Rich Asian” star Henry Golding, based on the role of “GI Joe”, which opened in July. The film also starred Andrew Koji, the starring actor of the HBO Max series “Warriors.”
“Shangqi” appears when Asian Americans seek to escape reality, but they also hope to be more conspicuous. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians and Asian Americans have been the targets of ethnically based verbal and physical attacks because the virus was first reported in China. All the actors in “Shangzhi” made a voice or donated money on their platform.
Like the romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” three years ago, “Hisashi” is more stressful than most MCU movies. It is this pressure that makes the future of Asian-dominant projects to some extent closely related to box office success.
“We are always regarded as’the other’,” said Jodi Long, who played Mrs. Chen in the movie. “I just don’t think we are sometimes considered. I think this movie is expected to change that because it is our first Asian superhero. There are many heroes in our Asian American community.”
