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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 20 december 2019
On screen, Asian Americans rarely get into Christmas spirit

By TERRY TANG relief. Jacob Batalon (Mar-
Associated Press vel’s “Spider-Man” movies)
With its multiple teenage and Anna Akana (“Ant-
characters, the Netflix Man”) play an aspiring
movie “Let It Snow” is a DJ and closeted lesbian
mix of holiday feels and a cheerleader, respectively.
John Hughes comedy. But For Akana, nothing felt to-
unlike those genres, the ken about the role.
movie, about a small town “I never felt like I’d been
besieged by a Christmas cast because ‘This girl
Eve snowstorm, has Asian checks the gay box and
American characters front the Asian box,’” said Aka-
and center who aren’t na, who is of Japanese,
there just to be comedic Filipino and Hawaiian de-

In this image released by Lifetime, Tatyana Ali, left, and Sean Patrick Thomas, appear in the
holiday movie, "Christmas Hotel."
Associated Press

scent. “We were finally can households subscribe The network’s three origi-
seeing the world as we’ve to at least one subscription nal holiday movies have
known about it, and Hol- video on demand platform all-black casts. “There’ll be
lywood is slowly catching — 19% higher than the total a distinction I think for view-
up.” population. ers when they watch and
With the yuletide season Tatyana Ali, of “The Fresh compare the Hallmark and
in full swing, studios and Prince of Bel-Air” fame, Lifetime (movies) with our
TV networks have been has done five Christmas movies,” Perry said. Even
unwrapping tales that are TV movies and even pro- the music is “more jazzy,
predominantly white Christ- duced one. Based on her R&B, a little soulful, which
mases. The diversity issue fan interactions, she says I think is going to be really
was skewered on “Satur- it’s clear that viewers care fun for our viewers and just
day Night Live” in a skit about diversity. give it a different feel.”
about the Hallmark Chan- “They literally always bring Akana, 30, thinks the issue
nel, which generated a up how nice it is,” said Ali, is with a Hollywood system
firestorm over the weekend who stars in “Christmas Ho- that’s still shedding racist
for dropping ads featuring tel” airing Dec. 21 on Life- stereotypes while claiming
a same-sex couple. Except time. “These are people there are few Asian actors.
for Universal Pictures’ “Last who have been fans of For a long time, she said
Christmas” with “Crazy Rich Christmas movies for years most of the auditions she
Asians” stars Henry Golding and they always bring up got were for stereotypical
and Michelle Yeoh, Asian how nice it is to see people parts like a massage ther-
American Pacific Island- of color, how much more apist or the girl who was
ers are rarely leads in the exciting it is for them to “upset she got a B.” She
genre. Latinos also rarely tune in.” credits her YouTube chan-
make the cut. However, Candice Frederick, an en- nel, which has 2.5 million
there has been a notice- tertainment reporter and subscribers, for helping her
able increase in the num- critic based in New York leverage better auditions.
ber of black actors in mov- City, said studios, especial- Jenny Han, author of “To All
ies from Hallmark, Lifetime ly in TV, are still “more will- the Boys I’ve Loved Before”
and niche outlets like the ing to throw away millions and a producer on the
Oprah Winfrey Network. of dollars on a white actor Netflix film adaptation, said
The disproportionate rep- than an actor of color.” it’s frustrating as an adult to
resentation is somewhat Though Hallmark films seem look back at some of these
mystifying when you con- to cater to an audience movies and see hardly any-
sider Asian Americans have that’s “very white middle one of color.
the highest growth rates in America who eat that up,” Why make a fuss over a
population and purchasing networks like BET can go af- genre that’s often a punch-
power of any U.S. ethnic or ter other demographics. ing bag for its light and
racial group, according to Tina Perry, president of fluffy nature? Well, that’s
a Nielsen study released OWN, said filling roles with the point, says the Korean
in May. The report found more diverse actors in gen- American scribe. Stories
Asian Americans spent $1 eral is a great way to sprin- about minorities don’t al-
trillion in 2018. It also found kle unique cultural nuances ways have to be “about
that 81% of all Asian Ameri- in a very formulaic genre. pain and struggle.”q