Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Asians have been migrating to the United States since Chinese laborers arrived in the San Francisco Bay area during the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. However, the number of arrivals was relatively low compared to its European and Latin American counterparts due to distance, anti-Asian hostility and discriminatory legislation. The number significantly increased after 1965 as the revised Immigration and Nationality Act lifted national quotas favoring European immigrants. Currently, Asians make up about 5.6 percent of the U.S. population and the number is expected to grow to 14 percent by 2065, according to projection by the Pew Center. Historically, there have been many stereotypes about Asians on American television and in Hollywood films. A recent report released by the University of Southern California showed that about half of films and broadcast and cable television programs have no speaking Asian characters while 63 percent of shows produced by streaming services like Hulu and Netflix have no Asian speaking characters. Despite the continued under-represented on American screens, Hollywood is making small waves by introducing more non-stereotypical Asian characters since the 2000s. The recent box office hit “Crazy Rich Asians” brings hopes to the Asian American community that Asians might be getting more representation in the mainstream media. This paper discusses how some of Hollywood’s more progressive producers and writers are breaking the media stereotypes of Asian Americans by casting more meaningful roles in scripted shows.