Slanted View

Boycott Of A Geisha
by Nathaniel Jue

Zhang Ziyi is Chinese. Michelle Yeoh is from Malaysia. Last I checked, Gong Li is still Chinese, too. And yet all three actresses, wonderful as they are, were cast in the upcoming movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, a Japanese story about a Japanese girl’s rise through the ranks of a Japanese geisha house. Did I mention Japanese? Just double checking.

The upcoming motion picture is based on the best-selling book of the same name. The book generated a bit of debate upon release due to the contentious storyline and the validity of the author’s voice. The life of a geisha, as told by a non-Japanese male, is not the most widely-authoritative tale. The sagas of a Japanese woman’s servitude has been seen somewhat chauvinistic and ethnically discriminating in this fictional account.

And now, coming soon to theatres near you...

On top of the already-controversial book climbs the much-hyped movie. If you think the book caused an uproar, the soon-to-be released film is turning up the volume. There is an angry echo in the Asian community regarding the casting of Chinese actresses for characters specifically of Japanese nationality. Why not cast Japanese actresses to play these roles? Wouldn’t that make sense in order to store the credibility and authenticity of the story? It only makes sense to have Japanese people playing Japanese characters.

The disgruntlement arises from the simple tenet that all Asians look the same. After all, they are all short, with black hair and squinty eyes. Who can distinguish between a Korean and a Japanese or a Taiwanese and a Vietnamese person? Did the American producers cast Chinese actors thinking that the American audience wouldn’t be able to tell the difference? What is the difference? Who cares?

We care! While I disapprove of the fact that Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li were cast more for their name recognition, that’s simply the rule of marketing. Isn’t that why Cameron Diaz was hired to be the voice of the princess in the movie, Shrek? I mean does she really have that great of a cartoon voice? Probably not. But it’s easier to sell a picture when you say, "starring Cameron Diaz."

That is applicable to the cast of Memoirs, especially Zhang, Yeoh and Li. In recent years, these actresses have brought a glimmer of identification in the American public with their works in critically acclaimed foreign films. Thus, I can’t gripe about their acting skills. If anyone has seen their films and the ranges of their roles, then they know these women are able to play the Memoirs characters with credibility. Zhang has made her name in America in a slew of recent internationally commended Chinese films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and even more popular, Rush Hour 2. Yeoh was introduced as the first Asian Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies. And Li has been seen in Farewell My Concubine. Each actress is of great beauty, grace and believability for any film like Memoirs. No one here is questioning their abilities to portray these characters. The question is, couldn’t producers cast good, quality Japanese actresses in order to affirm accuracy of the characters?

It’s an insult to our heritage and background to lump us all into one rice bag. We are different people from different countries. And a story about Japanese culture and Japanese lifestyle, with Japanese people and Japanese places, should cast – you guessed it – Japanese actors. If the producers are attempting to replicate the ambiance, environment and history, it behooves them to add validity to the movie by having natively ethnic actors. A period piece such as Memoirs would be strengthened by that legitimacy. It would add to the reality of the story. It’s not like you saw a Hispanic person playing Muhammed Ali. Or a Russian playing John F. Kennedy. Or an Australian playing William Wallace in Braveheart... Oh...

If memory serves me right Mel Gibson is from Australia and he did play the Scotsman, William Wallace. I don’t recall a murmur of protest regarding that character portrayal. And didn’t Anthony Hopkins play the U.S. President in Nixon. Hopkins, an Englishman, probably didn’t study American history as a child. And is Ralph Fiennes, who plays a German in Schindler’s List, from Germany? He isn’t? Well that is just absurd and wrong! Where is the justice? Where is the accuracy? All white people look alike!

Actors are actors, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or race. Does it really matter when applied to a character in a movie? To a lot of people the answer is a resounding “YES!” It matters if you are Asian, that’s for sure. It matters to a race that is proud of where they come from and who they are, not to be confused with another country or ancestry.

Indeed, there is so much commotion because of this casting, that the government in China has made some noise about this movie. Historically, the countries of China and Japan have not been the friendly neighbors, despite their allegiance to the same continent. In China it is culturally disgraceful and demeaning to be associated with or have relations with a Japanese person. So for Zhang to be seen subservient to a Japanese actor – even if it’s make-believe – is down-right horrific. There has been talk of banning the film because of the use of Chinese actors in such submissive roles. All this over the nationality of an actress.

I agree that it would be more genuine to have Japanese actors in these major parts; but it shouldn’t be the reason to boycott watching a movie that is potentially very good. Does that mean I should boycott Spider-Man because Kirsten Dunst isn’t a natural redhead like her character Mary Jane? Or Ray because Jamie Foxx isn’t blind. Or Charlie’s Angels because on the television show, there was no Asian Angel? Wait...

Lucy Liu, a Chinese-American, was brought on board for the big screen version of Charlie’s Angels. Was there boycotting from white audiences? Is that the same as casting three Chinese women for Japanese roles? As Asians, we celebrated Charlie’s Angels producers because they went outside color lines and opted for Liu in a sort of pseudo-affirmative action abnormality. It was deemed a breakthrough for Asian Americans to be considered for such a role, proving that ethnicity should not be a factor in such instances.

We rooted for Lucy Liu for her character like we do Michelle Kwan: because she’s Asian. So in the same breath, wouldn’t we cheer for Memoirs because it’s a widely-advertised, big-budget Hollywood film with an Asian actor in every leading role? Absolutely. Memoirs has a chance to bring more appreciation and education of Asian culture to America – even more so than foreign films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Because the movie is an American production, dialogued in English, with name brand Asian actors, Memoirs can become a formidable blockbuster. That obviously bodes well for the future of any Asian-themed, -produced or -scripted movie.

Just because Chinese actors are playing Japanese parts, doesn’t mean we should boycott this movie. Now boycotting because of the $10 price of admission, that’s another story. At least wait for its release on DVD.

Nathaniel Jue has been writing ever since he won first place in his fourth grade essay contest. However, he has been ranting for the past 26 years.