Hello Mr. White,

I read on your website that you actually answer questions.

I have one regarding race. Is it realistic for Asians to even bother to pursue an acting career, I see no Indians in any prominent roles, in Hollywood, TV or even British tv, here in the uk.

How biased is hollywood, are we limited to just, goofy sidekicks or terrorists? We have way more to offer than just the odd nerd etc.

Thank You And Regards,

Samin

Answer:

Hi Samin,

Thanks for the email.

Well, the truth of the matter is that Indian film production actually eclipses North American film production, just by sheer numbers of productions.

The bias still lies in the heart of the audiences, and for the most part, audiences worldwide still have biased tendencies. I personally chalk it up to plain old familiarity, as North American film production has been dominant for so long, I think people are just accustomed to seeing white faces in their blockbusters.

This is rapidly changing however, and for my dollars, the best films in the world are being created outside the corporate film structure here in the United States. Middle and Far Eastern film production is eclipsing Hollywood both in terms of volume AND originality of content.

In the coming years the money and the talent are going to be from East. Hollywood is mired in redundancy, bureaucracy and corporatism, which is not exactly a sound basis for originality in a creative process.

I personally think the lead roles are only going to continue to grow for non-white actors, one needs merely to look beyond what’s been done before and where it’s headed now.