US ASIANS: Jeff,
what motivated you to do a film about Asian American men in film and television?
JEFF ADACHI: From
1995-1999, I produced a San Francisco-based Asian American awards show
called the Golden
Ring Awards for the Asian American Arts Foundation. We recognized
Asian artists and actors, including Margaret Cho, Ming-Na, Lou Diamond
Phillips, Wayne Wang, Joan Chen, Steve Park, and others, and I was struck
by how difficult it was for Asian American actors to find work.
Although there
were many talented Asian American actors, they rarely had a chance to
work. And when they did, the roles were forced to play were limited to
gangsters or waiters for men, or geishas or dragon ladies for women. I
became fascinated by the stories of these actors, who struggled against
incredible adversity for their entire careers, often receiving little
or no support from their families and the communities they came from.
I wanted to tell their story. That's how the Slanted Screen came about.
US ASIANS: Why
did you choose Asian men?
JEFF
ADACHI:
Historically, in films and television, Asian men have been portrayed
alternatively as the sinister and evil Fu Man Chu who's going to
take over the world
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and then there's the non-sexual
nerd, like Long Duk Dong in the film "Sixteen Candles." It's an interesting
dichotomy that Asian men are stereotyped in this way. We also have the kung-fu
stereotype, you know, that all Asians know kung-fu. And these images have
existed and been perpetuated for decades. If you look at cartoons like National
Lampoon's Mr. Wong, or the recent Abercrombie and Fitch's Asian caricatures
on their t-shirts, we see that these stereotypes persist even to this day.
US
ASIANS: What
will people learn about these actors by watching the film?
JEFF ADACHI: That
while it's tough being an Asian male actor, because of the lack of roles,
and the choices you have to make, that these actors had to fight for their
roles and in sometimes prevailed. Take Mako for example. Many people may
not know him by name, but he's been in over 70 major films. He's been in
nearly a hundred television shows and has a career that has spanned over
40 years. And he's still acting today --- he had a role in "Memoirs of a
Geisha." He has an incredible story and a lot to say about his experiences
as an actor, and the integrity that he carries himself with. He is featured
in our film and tells a no-hold bars story of what it's like to be an actor
in Hollywood. People who are interested in acting will be inspired by his
story, I think.
US ASIANS: Are
you a filmmaker by training?
JEFF ADACHI:
Actually, no. My day job is that I am a criminal defense attorney. I am
the elected Public Defender in San Francisco, and I run an office of 90
attorneys who represent poor people in criminal cases. I first started
as a producer and writer of the film, and then took over the directing
reigns over when the person who originally was to be the director was
unable to continue.
To
read the rest of the intereview, click HERE.
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