A Panel Discussion With Sandra Oh: "Transforming Perceptions" - Video

In May earlier this year, Sandra Oh attended the panel discussion The New Asia: Transforming Perceptions with other prominent Asian-Americans where they discussed being Asian in the entertainment industry.

Earlier we've posted an article that recaps the discussion, but now a video has been posted from the panel which you can watch below:
 

Shattering Asian American Stereotypes

Here is an interesting article from SAG with a an write up and analasys on the panel discussion Sandra Oh took part in a few days ago on Asian representation in entertainment :

We have all seen the Asian stereotypes in film and television: the nerdy student, the submissive lotus blossom, the sinister Fu-Manchu or Dragon Lady type. On May 10, 2011, in honor of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Screen Actors Guild Affirmative Action & Diversity invited a group of distinguished Asian American entertainment industry professionals to the SAG national headquarters in Los Angeles to discuss how to overcome the stereotypical portrayal of — and lack of portrayals of— Asians in television and film.

The program, The New Asia America: Transforming Perceptions, was presented by SAG National Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee and included Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy), James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China, Kung Fu Panda), Chris Tashima (Visas and Virtue, Day of Independence), producer Ken Mok (America’s Next Top Model), casting director Julia Kim (My Bollywood Bride, But I’m a Cheerleader) and Ellen Ho (Ktown Cowboys), and was moderated by Jodi Long (Sex in the City, All-American Girl).

“Asians and Asian Americans have for too long been a missing presence in popular film and television, or relegated to one-dimensional characters in minor roles,” said National EEO Committee Co-Chair Vivicca Whitsett. “We hope this event helps to revive this discussion and inspire Asian actors and those of every ethnicity to make their voices heard.”

According to Screen Actors Guild casting data reports, only 3.8% of all television and theatrical roles were portrayed by Asian Pacific Islander actors in 2008, compared to 6.4% portrayed by Latino actors, 13.3% portrayed by African Americans and 72.5% portrayed by Caucasian actors.

“About one in 20 people in the United States identify themselves as Asian or Pacific Islander. Increasing Asian representation in entertainment — both in front of and behind the camera — is vital to a true reflection of the American Scene,” said National EEO Committee Co-Chair Bertila Damas.

The panel discussion covered many topics, including whether Asian actors should turn down stereotypical roles, the role of the artist in helping to affect change and how to get more Asian storiestold.

The panel praised portrayals of roles for Asian actors that are complex and multi-dimensional , such as Oh’s portrayal of Dr. Christina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy and the multiple strong Asian characters of Lost, which included series regular Daniel Dae Kim, who played Jin Kwon on the series and now stars as Chin-Ho Kelly in Hawaii Five-0.

“[Lost was] one of the first series where the Asian males were not emasculated,” Mok said, adding that Kwon and Miles Straume, played by Ken Leung, were fully realized characters.

Tashima warned that it is not always easy to judge a role from the script. Oh said actors can help make change through their performances that go beyond the written word.

“It does not matter what part it is — I will transcend it. It doesn’t matter if I don’t have any dialogue, I will transcend it. It doesn’t matter what wardrobe I’m wearing, I will transcend it,” Oh said.

Mok, who became a producer after working as an executive for NBC and ABC, said it is ultimately up to Asians to tell their own stories, and that is the way that these stereotypes will finally fade away. With a global audience easily accessible via the Internet, there have neverbeen more opportunities for people to create their own projects and tell their own stories.

“The only person who is going to help you in this industry is yourself. You’ve got to take things into you own hands.” Mok said.

Hong, a former SAG Board member, agreed.

“Here you have to be a capitalist. You have to pursue what you want as a businessperson. You split yourself down the middle and half of you is the businessperson and half of you is the creative person — the actor,” Hong said.

A Discussion On Being Asian In The Entertainment Industry

A brief recap about what was discussed at the panel discussion The New Asia America: Transforming Perceptions last night in which Sandra Oh participated in, in honor of the Asian Heritage Month:

After watching Tashima's Academy Award–winning short "Visas and Virtues" and documentary short "Long Story Short" from moderator Jodi Long, a heated discussion began almost instantly.

Long kicked off the panel by asking, "We know where we come from, but what is our future? Where do we go from here? What shift is needed? We can play more than dragon ladies and newscasters. We're multifaceted human beings. How do we transcend other people's perceptions and how do we continue to do our work in spite of what we come up against?"

"We're still caught in a cliché," said Hong. "I don't have the answer to how to break the cliché. That image is still out there."

Hong admitted he wasn't proud of some of the stereotypical roles he played early in his career, though other panelists professed that without his pioneering efforts, they wouldn't be where they were in their careers today.

When Oh questioned Hong's reasons for continuing to take on stereotypical Asian roles, Tashima piped up saying he didn't believe actors should have to be revolutionists.

"Gedde Watanabe was dragged through hell for his role in 'Sixteen Candles,' " said Tashima. "He didn't create that role. That was John Hughes. If Gedde didn't [play the role of Long Duk Dong], someone else would have. And if an Asian wouldn't do it, they would have put a guy in yellow-face."

Moderator Long said she believed one of the best ways to get past the clichés was to write and create your own project. "If we don't tell our stories, who is going to tell them?" she asked.

"Not all actors are writers," Tashima pointed out. "Nobody ever told Robert De Niro, 'You want to work? You better write your own roles.' That's just a thing that minorities get all the time."

Mok said he believes that real changes in perception will happen only if the people behind the scenes—such as directors, writers, and producers—change their perceptions.

"Usually on a television series, 'diversity' means you have one Asian person, one black person, or one Latino person," he said. "That's not diverse to me. On 'America's Next Top Model,' me and Tyra [Banks] fight that fight all the time. Diverse to me is if we have 14 girls on the show, seven or eight of them are women of color. We have to fight that fight every day. But I feel like when you start doing that, it changes perceptions."

Source

Sandra Oh Attends The Panel Discussion "The New Asia: Transforming Perceptions"

A few photos from last night where Sandra Oh attended a panel discussion on "The New Asia : Transforming Perceptions" at the Screen Actors Guild James Cagney Board Room on May 10, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

A Panel Discussion With Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh will participate in a panel discussion themed The New Asia America: Transforming Perceptions with other prominent Asian-American entertainment figures on May 10. They will discuss their experiences in the entertainment industry and share their insights about creating their own creative projects.

More details in the press release below:

Screen Actors Guild's National Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee & SAG Affirmative Action and Diversity Present

A Panel Discussion on The New Asia America: Transforming Perceptions
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Event: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 10 – SAG National Headquarters

Who: Screen Actors Guild Awards® and Golden Globe® winner Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, Sideways), James Hong (Kung Fu Panda, Balls of Fury), Oscar™-winning actor/director Chris Tashima (Visas and Virtue), film and television producer Ken Mok (Invincible, America’s Next Top Model), actress and acting coach April Hong (Kung Fu Panda 2: Kaboom of Doom) and casting director Julia Kim (But I’m a Cheerleader, Americanese).

Moderated by: Jodi Long, Actress (All-American Girl, Sex in the City)

What: In honor of Asian Heritage Month, Screen Actors Guild's National Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee presents a panel discussion with prominent Asian-Pacific Islander entertainment figures who will share their industry experiences as well as their insights about creating their own creative projects.

When: 6:30-9 p.m., Tuesday, May 10
6:30-7 p.m. - screening of clips from panelists’ personal creative projects
7 p.m. - panel and Q&A

Where: Screen Actors Guild, James Cagney Board Room
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA  90036
Parking will be validated.