"American Masters: Hollywood Chinese" airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on PBS.
it's not just blacks, latinos and native americans that get the shaft in film and television. i don't necessarily think someone has to BE let's say italian to play an italian mind you. however, i DO think a lot of ethnic roles go to the WRONG people. as an example, caine in kung fu. sure i liked david carradine but can you imagine him being played by bruce lee? WOW (they did have keye luke i'll give them that)
A Chinese Legacy in Tinseltown
Nancy Kwan sips her coffee in a Los Angeles hotel lobby, still the lithe, delicate beauty who won fans around the world almost a half-century ago.
She reflects on the difficulties she faced as a Chinese actress in Hollywood, recounting a lunch in Hong Kong years ago with rising star Bruce Lee. She didn't want to squelch his dreams or ambitions, but she knew his hope of starring in the 1972 TV series "Kung Fu" was never going to happen.
"He said, 'No. No. I'm going to do this.' And I said, 'Bet,'" Kwan said of the role that went to Caucasian actor David Carradine. "I had to collect my 10 bucks.''
Despite her own phenomenal success in two early 1960s box office hits, "The World of Suzie Wong" and "Flower Drum Song," Kwan watched as Hollywood cooled on the notion of Asians carrying major films or TV shows. Kwan and other prominent Chinese actors, directors and filmmakers -- including Joan Chen, James Hong, David Henry Hwang and Ang Lee -- talk candidly about the history and future of Chinese talent in Arthur Dong's documentary "Hollywood Chinese."....
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