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For the last few years, I’ve worked to get Asian and Asian-American stories on the screen—specifically, as broadcast network dramas. And I’m not the only one. @danieldaekim, @LisaCullen, @WHsuLeonard, and others have been banging on the door as well.
To quote @everythinggloria: “The gig has more weight for POC. It’s not just telling stories. It’s trying to lift up the community.”
One of the hurdles we have to clear is that TV execs like to say they’re eager for shows featuring stories from a different culture. But often what they really want are stories they’re already comfortable with. They simply want to cast them with diverse actors.
To quote a writer friend: “They talk about bringing different characters to the screen but what they really mean is, ‘Make them like every other character so we can show they’re just like us.’”
Until execs realize that stories of diverse cultures are truly going to be new kinds of stories—featuring characters who may act in ways unfamiliar to them—little will change.
But it’ll happen eventually. It has to.
(Sorry, meant to quote @everythingloria.)
