Simu Liu slams studios for "backslide" of Asian representation in Hollywood

Washington DC [US], November 28 : Actor Simu Liu has expressed his outrage over the declining Asian representation in Hollywood, saying, "Put some Asians in literally anything right now," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Liu stated, "The amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is... appalling. Think we're 'risky.'" He highlighted several recent films that centre on the Asian experience, including Minari, The Farewell, Past Lives, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Crazy Rich Asians, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (in which Liu starred), noting that each was a financial success.

Liu continued, "No Asian actor has ever lost a studio even close to USD 100 million, but a white dude will lose USD 200 million twice and roll right into the next tentpole lead." He added, "We're fighting a deeply prejudiced system, and most days it sucks."

Liu's comments follow a Threads post featuring remarks from Manny Jacinto, who recently starred alongside Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday. Jacinto had previously expressed frustration about being typecast in "dad roles" despite his desire to star in more rom-coms, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Liu also responded to claims made by producer Rachel Tan about her experience trying to cast Worth The Wait. "They gave me a list of white guys we could cast. If we could give one of the roles to them, we could get funded," Tan previously told a Singaporean newspaper.

"Spoken to countless directors who have corroborated this," he added on Threads. "Studios give a list and as of now, all the names are white with maybe ONE bipoc name that is tossed in there so they cover their own asses. and unfortunately that name is never asian," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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