Since the days of Anna May Wong and kung-fu days of Bruce Lee of the mid-twentieth century, to present-day Steven Yeun slaying zombies on The Walking Dead, Asian-Americans have played a small role in Hollywood. While Asians are the fastest growing minority in the United States, film and mainstream media does not seem to reflect that statistic. In fact, since the introduction of the Oscars in 1929, only 1% of award recipients have been of Asian descent (Yang). Asian-Americans face the "bamboo ceiling" in which systemic racism prevents them from being visible in modern culture, thus causing underrepresentation. On the other hand, some critics argue that Asians are the "model minority" and that being the "model minority" is all that needs to be said for the Asian-American community. The problems of underrepresentation, whitewashing, and stereotyping must be stopped to have a more diverse, accurate display of American society. 

Asian immigrants started to migrate to the west coast of the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. These were mainly Chinese men who were attracted to work in railroads and goldmines, so the Asian-American population quickly increased as time progressed (Lee). However, the U.S. government enacted the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chinese immigrants from entering the country. Other incidences, such as the Congress passing of the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 and Luce-Seller Act, actively attempted to stop the influx of Asians coming to America (Huang). Frequent attacks on Asian immigrants occurred in west coast cities in which many Irish-Americans felt as though their jobs were being taken by the Asian immigrants. These riots and harassment incidences were brought about by racism, as well as a fear of "yellow peril" - the belief that Asian immigrants would cause terror in American society (Yang). This "yellow peril" would be the prime topic in the film The Yellow Man and the Girl, which insinuated the Chinese were opium addicts and were not suitable for western culture. 

In addition, Anti-Asian feelings were later intensified during World War II, the Korean War, and America's involvement during the Vietnam War. Japanese Internment is an example of this, as the American government assumed that most Japanese-Americans were colluding against the country during World War II. It was during this time that nearly 130,000 were forced into internment camps in rural, desert areas, where many survivors were not granted compensation until 1988. Internment, American troops patrolling the parallel between the Koreas, and American conflict in Vietnam remain controversial topics today; many civil rights leaders criticize American textbook writers for not discussing the full extent of these situations (Yang).

Coupled with continuing discrimination, author Jayne Hyun coined the phrase “bamboo ceiling” in 2005. It is a reference to the "glass ceiling" in which barriers and obstacles are not seen with the naked eye, although they exist. The "bamboo ceiling" is about the Asian-American struggle in the workplace; Asians are among the most qualified and educated workers in the nation, but hold a small percentage of leadership roles and ownership (Lee). While Asians are touted as the "most Americanized" out of all immigrant groups, the country's history does not seem to reflect that statement. 

Shortly after anti-immigration laws were enacted, a new star emerged on the Hollywood scene: Anna May Wong. Wong is considered to be the first Chinese-American movie star, and in 1951 was the first Asian-American to have their own television show. However, stardom was not easy for Wong; she was frequently cast in roles that further perpetuated the "yellow peril" idea. She often appeared as an antagonist, dubbed the "Dragon Lady" stereotype by many film critics of her time (Okada). Directors wanted her to portray stereotypical Japanese mannerisms, a request she wanted to deny because she did not want to disrespect another culture. While the American press enjoyed her work in film, the Chinese newspapers and government said she "has done more than enough to disgrace China" (Lee) and that her overcharged sexual scenes brought a bad light to Chinese women everywhere. Wong later wrote an article in The Los Angeles Times entitled "I Protest" in which she complained about her typecasting in certain roles, and denounced the villainism portrayed as a Chinese-American (“Asian Images in Film”). 

The first leading male Asian-American was Sessue Hayawaka, who soon became a heartthrob and sex symbol in Hollywood. Hayawaka, like Wong, was cast in overly sexual roles and as an antagonist. He was frequently typecast as the "forbidden, exotic" lover; production companies would not allow him to portray heroic roles, or have romances with white women on-screen (Lee).  Due to the nature of his roles, Japanese media shunned him. Hayawaka left Hollywood in 1922 in order to avoid being put into stereotypical roles, aiming to start a production company and dispel his former image. 

Stereotyping of Asian roles is a problem that grew with Hollywood itself, and continues into recent times. For instance, in the 1998 movie Rush Hour, Jackie Chan plays the "idiotic goofball" as a sort of comic relief; this role, while one of Chan's most notable appearances, continues for nearly three movies. Another example of this is Pat Morita in The Karate Kid where most of the punchlines of the movie stem from his lack of knowledge of the western world. The most famous Asian stereotype in film is the Brainiac - "geek", "nerd", - the person that always seems to be figuring things out, is smart, etc. 

In reality, stereotypes are harmful in the way that they create a negative generalization of a certain group of people. Specifically, stereotypes portrayed in Asian roles have largely been false about the Asian-American community; not every Asian is a "bad guy", or a Harvard-bound child prodigy. They insinuate the worst or the weirdest traits one can have, thus implying that being Asian comes with a sort of baggage or mold that one must fit in everyday life. Stereotypes also play a role in how a child views themselves. For example, if a child of Asian descent sees that Asians are only the sidekick, the brains, and the comic relief on a television show, that child's mindset will be focused on fitting that mannerism in real life (Nishime). This could possibly lead to mental health issues, psychological damage, and that child may not reach their full potential in life because they were influenced by a stereotype at a young age. 

In similar fashion to typecasting faced in the early days, another prevalent problem Hollywood has is the whitewashing of Asian roles. Whitewashing refers to the practice of casting Caucasian actors in non-white roles (Mao). The first instance of this in the United States film industry is the use of yellowface, or using makeup to appear Asian, in which white actor Warner Orland played the supposedly Chinese detective Charlie Chan (“Asian Images in Film”). Yellowface is similar to blackface; the goal was to exaggerate a white actor's ability to play another race. While yellowface rarely occurs today, it is important to note the early discriminatory thoughts of Hollywood producers in relation to whitewashing today. 

Perhaps the most famous example of whitewashing in an Asian role is the character of I.Y. Yunioshi in the classic 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's. Portrayed by Mickey Rooney, he later said he regretted taking the role, stating "I wouldn't have done it if I knew people would be offended by it " (Okada). Despite his regret, many white actors have taken Asian roles since the 1960s. The most recent examples include Emma Stone as half-Japanese character Allison Ng in 2015's Aloha and Nat Wolff's portrayal of Light Turner in the American adaptation of the Death Note anime. These two movies were panned by film critics and audiences alike, as neither actors were convincing enough to play an Asian role (Yang).

With whitewashing comes the question, "So why aren't Hollywood producers hiring Asian actors? Is there a shortage or something?" To put it simply, there is not a shortage of Asian actors in the industry. The reason why they seem scarce is due to underrepresentation. According to a sample done by the University of Southern California School of Communications, Asians made up 1.4% of leading characters across film and television in 2014 (Yang). Not only that, but the aforementioned statistic that only 1% of Oscar recipients since 1929 have been of Asian descent is absurd. The talent is more than abundant and readily available, as the Asian population has been the fastest growing minority since the 1980s (Lee). 

Underrepresentation also ties back to psychological factors in Asian-American children. With a lack of positive Asian roles and role models in film and television, children of Asian descent can feel inferior because they cannot see someone who looks like them on-screen. This leads to thoughts of being a "perpetual foreigner" and damages self-esteem for children who aspire to work in the entertainment industry (Nishime). There is also an intersectional element in underrepresentation in which half-Asian celebrities, such as Tiger Woods and Bruno Mars, are known only by their non-Asian heritage. Not only is this degrading to the specific celebrity, it also teaches mixed race children that their Asian heritage should be ignored. 

Unfortunately, the institutionalized and systemic racism against Asians presented in Hollywood will not stop overnight. In this day and age, race should not be a barrier to entry for Asians, especially if that entry makes use of Asian roles and culture. The most common way to address these issues is to "call Hollywood out" on social media. For example, to bring attention to the whitewashing and representation of Asians in the latest wave of movies, Twitter users created the hashtags #IamAsianAmerican and #thisis2016. This spawned a sister meme on Twitter in which users photoshopped Asian actors in whitewashed roles (Yang). In another method, when white actress Scarlett Johansson was cast as an originally Japanese part in Ghost in the Shell, Tumblr users created a petition that gained 100,000+ signatures (Wang). It is also possible to boycott films that portray negative stereotypes in order to send the message that bigotry will not be tolerated. 

On the contrary, opposition towards Asian-Americans say that already enough Asians are represented in Hollywood. From Aziz Ansari to Lucy Liu, opponents suggest that the Asian-American community have enough to look up to and that Asians are simply not marketable enough for White America. They also say that people "should not see color" (Wang). While it is important not to judge a group of people, that phrase is particularly harmful; it erases racial identity, and does more harm than good. It is simply ignorant to suggest that a certain race is not “marketable” enough, as the entertainment industry should be focused on telling a narrative accurately and responsibly. 

Racial repercussions from the nineteenth century are still felt today, not just in the everyday workplace, but also in the entertainment the public consumes. Casting directors and film producers will need to face the harsh reality that the voices of the Asian-American community will not be silenced when it comes to racial erasure. It is important that media consumers notice the signs of discrimination, evaluate, and react in situations where discrimination is present. Whitewashing, underrepresentation, and stereotypes will not end overnight. However, it is headed in a brighter direction. 
