So here’s a little background:
Philip Wang (dude above), one of the founders of “Wong Fu Productions”, is a well known creative artiste in the Asian American community. His production company is famed for their YouTube shorts and various web series. Their content usually depict the life of an average American young adult and talents hired are mostly Asians.

Wang says that “whitewashing” is not a new topic. His vlog is a reaction to recent public dissatisfaction about caucasian actors playing asian characters, in upcoming movies “Dr Strange” and “Ghost in the Shell”. He encourages viewers to understand that Hollywood is “old”, “does not know better” and does not mean to be “malicious”; that instead of simply complaining, more asians should “take risks” and create content for their community members.

This reminds me of what my acting teacher used to say, “Hollywood is dying.” Back then, I had a vague understanding of what he meant. He never failed to remind us, our dreams to perform on broadway and in hollywood were… far-reaching.

Then I reflected on Hong Kong and China’s film industry: with the rising popularity of chinese-language movies among international audiences, such as “Ip Man” and “Red Cliff”, is the media attention turning away from stereotypical, conventional Hollywood movies? And I think, yes.

The digital global audience has a better awareness of popular asian trends now. E.g. k-pop “hallyu” wave, japanese fashion brands, reported trends subscribed by mainland chinese youths, popular bollywood stars, etc. Aside from asian news, there is also a deeper appreciation for arts and culture from other countries, from northern Europe to the Middle East to Australasia.

This is possible because of the digital media’s demanding presence. Wang shares, “so much of this (entertainment) industry is changing, towards digital, towards streaming, towards technology. And a lot of the older generation of Asian Americans still want to play in this old model, to jump on this old train (Hollywood)… when there’s so much opportunity in this other space (online digital media) that I am personally a part of. Why don’t we look within our own community and build ourselves up?”

Having watched Wang’s vlog, my teacher’s statement has taken a new meaning. I realise that my acting teacher did not mean to be demotivating. On the contrary, he was being supportive by guiding us to be open to other mediums as a creative outlet. Linking to Brian’s lecture and suggested readings, I now see Hollywood as an outdated institution. It is a very old and grand business model that runs on “formulated” movies or what we may call “conventional hollywood films”.

Every year there is at least one: disney cartoon-turned-live-action film (Alice in Wonderland), a pixar tear-jerker family animation feature (Inside Out), a romantic comedy that ends with one partner dying and the other spiritually liberated (Me Before You), a CGI-heavy superhero movie (Batman VS Superman), a mature-themed action thriller (Bond/Mission Impossible/Jason Bourne Series), a war epic… and more… Hollywood is getting boring. Probably already there.

And I agree with Wang. We are shifting our attention from theatre screens to other online platforms. Most probably because it is cheaper too. One can watch hundreds of episodes on Netflix for $15/month compared to one $20 movie ticket at HOYTS. The accessibility and nature of communication on the web allows audiences to become producers too. So instead of relying on Hollywood to realise one’s greatest epic story, why not garner attention from and release content on the internet, instead!

“Keep on lovin’ what is true, and the world will come to you, you can find it in yourself…”
To end off, here’s sexy Michael Buble playing all of Hollywood’s stereotypical roles.