Asians largely invisible in Hollywood’s top films: Study
Hollywood s most popular films have rarely featured Asians or Pacific Islanders in leading roles on the big screen
Reuters
May 19, 2021
LOS ANGELES:
Aside from action star Dwayne Johnson s hit movies, Hollywood s most popular films have rarely featured Asians or Pacific Islanders in leading roles on the big screen, according to an academic study released on Tuesday, May 18.
The findings showed an epidemic of invisibility for Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) in movies released from 2007 to 2019, said the study from researchers at the University of Southern California s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
They also said the under-representation and stereotypical portrayals may have contributed to recent incidents of violence and harassment against Asians in the United States.
An exhaustive analysis of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) portrayals in film finds that segment of U.S. population routinely “erased, silenced and stereotyped” in a first-of-its-kind study.
Reuters Reuters
19 May, 2021, 9:11 pm
FILE PHOTO: Cast member Dwayne Johnson attends the premiere of the movie Jumanji: The Next Level at the Grand Rex in Paris, France, December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Aside from action star Dwayne Johnson’s hit movies, Hollywood’s most popular films have rarely featured Asians or Pacific Islanders in leading roles on the big screen, according to an academic study released on Tuesday.
The findings showed “an epidemic of invisibility” for Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) in movies released from 2007 to 2019, said the study from researchers at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
May 19, 2021
Hollywood movies don’t feature many Asian or Pacific Islander actors in significant roles. When they do, it’s usually The Rock.
Of the 1,300 highest-grossing films from 2007 to 2019, just 44 had Asian or Pacific Islander (API) actors in lead or co-lead roles, according to a new report (pdf) from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California. And of those 44, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who was born in California to a Samoan mother, accounted for 14 (or 32%).
The report highlights the uniquely enormous brand of Johnson, a former professional wrestler who was the highest-paid actor in the world in 2019 and 2020. He’s the 15th highest-grossing actor of all time, having appeared in films worth a combined $12 billion in ticket sales, according to the box-office analysis site The Numbers. But it also underscores Hollywood’s woeful record of representation of certain races and ethnicities.
The Rock accounts for a third of all Asian US lead film roles msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.