Casting call for "Mitsurguri" in Soul Calibur

The Character is Japanese

Heishiro was born the fourth son of a farmer in Bizen, Japan; but after many years of seeing his homeland ravaged by war, he decided to become a samurai. After his parents' death in his 14th year, he took a sword and the name Heishiro Mitsurugi. He went to train under the powerful warlord of the Murakami clan. At this time, Japan was in the middle of the Sengoku Jidai or "the age of the country at war" in which the feudal lords or "daimyos" attempted to claim the title of Shogun.



The casting call

SOUL CALIBER NON UNION
Role Name: MITSURUGI

Project Details

Posted On: Dec 13, 2011
Casting In: Los Angeles
Project Type: Commercial
Casting Dates: Casting: December 15, 2011 Callback:
Casting Company: RMB Casting
Submissions Due By:

Project Notes:
RUN IS IN PERPETUITY. PRINT NOT INCLUDED IN RATE - AS IT STANDS NOW, NO PLANS FOR PRINT.NO CALLBACKS - CLIENT WILL CAST OFF OF THURSDAY SESSION. ONLY DOING 1 DAY. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT TALENT THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR AUDITION ON THURSDAY AND SHOOT ON 12/22 - IN LA

Shoot Dates: December 22, 2011 - December 22, 2011

Role Criteria

Gender: Male
Ethnicities: Asian and Caucasian
Age Range: 18-25

Details

Description:
Athletic build. Muscular. Refer to image as a reference - THIS IS NOT A LITERAL INTERPRETATION. If this person were a character in a game, they would be drawn/created like the image.

Union Status: Non-Union
Rate: 500.00/12hr day + 500.00 buyout + 20% - incl 1 fittin



Mitsurguri is 100% Japanese. American racist movie makers still allowing the whitewashing of non-white characters

Hollywood Racism: Racist Warner Brothers company choosing Tom Cruise to play Keiji Kiriya in live adaptation of the novel "All you need is kill"

link



Warner Bros has finally glommed onto a lead actor for its adaptation of the Japanese science fiction novel All You Need is Kill.
Set in a post apocalyptic future, All You Need is Kill is about a young Japanese soldier, Keiji Kiriya, who serves on an international fighting force fighting an alien invasion. Keiji gets stuck in a “Groundhog’s Day” scenario where he keeps reliving the day he died.
Set to play the main character in the film adaptation? On December 1st, 2011, Variety reported: Tom Cruise.

Is Warner Bros on a racebending roll?

Throughout November, Warner Bros kicked around names for its adaptation of another property with Japanese origins: Akira.
After considering Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves, WB nabbed Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy) for Kaneda, continues to evaluate a shortlist of unknown Caucasian actors for Tetsuo, and has offered Kristen Stewart (Twilight) the role of Kaneda’s love interest.

Gary Oldman and Helena Bonaham Carter were also propositioned for supporting roles. After Gary Oldman turned down his offer to play the antagonist in the adapted story, the Colonel, Japanese stage actor Ken Watanabe was reportedly offered the role. A casting call has also gone out for a “Japanese American” for the role of Yamagata, a side character from the manga.
Warner Bros is also jump starting an adaptation of the Japanese anime Death Note.
One of these films will have an Asian American lead, right? Or at least an actor of color in the lead role?

Why the All You Need is Kill casting isn’t subtle at all

In Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel, the lead character, Keiji Kiriya, is a Japanese soldier who is part of an international military unit. For the purposes of the American adaptation, director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity)has said that the actors will be “totally American.”
And somehow, “totally American” ended up meaning “white,” even though characters need not be white in order to be American.
In the script, Keiji Kiriya’s name was changed to “Billy Cage,” even though named Keiji have been fighting in the American military for generations.
Sound familiar? That’s because history is repeating itself. Starship Troopers, another science fiction novel about an international army fighting aliens, featured a Filipino protagonist named Juan Rico. In the 1997 film adaptation, his name was changed to “Johnny” and he was cast with a white actor. An opportunity for an Asian American actor in the genre of science fiction was completely lost.

Science Fiction/Fantasy is a genre that has characters with names like Kal-El, T’challa, Worf, Neytiri, Teal’c, Cthulhu, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Leeloo, and Slartibartfast. Why was it necessary to change Keiji Kiriya to Billy Cage?
To add insult to injury, unlike Akira (a story that only contained Japanese characters), the original All You Need is Kill already featured characters who were white!
The other lead characters in the book are Rita Vrataski and Ferrell Bartolome, both from the U.S. Armed Forces. Even with an Asian American actor in the lead role, white actors would have had ample opportunities to play important roles in the film!
Instead, the production went out of its way to retool the script, erase Keiji’s name and ethnicity, and essentially, lock Asian American actors out of one of their only chances to star in an action movie this decade.

Impact on Performers and Communities of Color

Our concern is that Warner Bros casting practices employ racebending to reinforce the systemic racism that is already present in Hollywood. Setting Akira in neo-Manhattan could have been a great opportunity to reflect the diversity in modern day New York City, opening up lead role opportunities for not only Asian Americans but also other performers of color. There was ample opportunity for Warner Bros to demonstrate a commitment to diversity by finally casting a young lead actor of color.
Likewise, casting an Asian American in All You Need is Kill would not have locked out white actors from other lead roles in the movie, especially since nearly all Warner Bros movies feature white lead actors.
Harold and Kumar (from back in 2004) aside, it doesn’t seem like Warner Bros is interested in developing unknown Asian American talent–even though they are more than ready to whitewash several lead characters that were Asian to accomodate white actors.
Not to mention, Warner Bros will also be presenting a yellowface joke in it’s Christmas release, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Not confidence inspiring.
Maybe Asian American actors are like poor Keiji Kiriya: doomed to constantly relive missed opportunities. When the rare Asian lead character comes along…

Unoriginal Racist Hollywood remaking "Kung Fu"

link

The gears are spinning again for a “Kung Fu” remake. Yes, that Kung Fu, the same television show from the 1970s that rejected Bruce Lee, cast a white actor instead, and infuriated a famous Avatar: The Last Airbender actor…
On October 31st Deadline reported that actor Bill Paxton is in negotiations to direct a remake of the 1970s television series Kung Fu for Legendary Pictures. According to Deadline, the film will be produced by Legendary Entertainment next summer. We don’t know very much about the proposed remake, but it’s rumored that John McLaughlin (Black Swan) will write the script. As far as we are aware, casting has yet to begin and no actors are linked to this project.

Kung Fu was an American television series that ran from 1972 to 1975. According to the Bruce Lee Foundation, Bruce Lee pitched an idea very similar in concept to Kung Fu, about an Eastern monk in the Old West. Unfortunately, although the studio loved the idea, when the studio moved to produce Kung Fu, the lead role was not offered to Bruce Lee, but to a white actor, David Carradine.


n the 2006 documentary The Slanted Screen, Japanese American actor Mako Iwamatsu (voice actor of Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender) recalled confronting studio executives about the casting in Kung Fu..

“I recall having a meeting with executives of Warner Bros. about David Carradine portraying a Chinese character in Kung Fu. And I remember this vice president said, ‘If we put a yellow man on the tube, audiences would turn the switch off in less than 5 minutes.’
And I got really red in the face and I said, ‘wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute…’ And I went back to this point of Sessue Hayakawa, you know. But I guess he was too young to remember.” – Mako, The Slanted Screen

Kung Fu is a classic example of “racebending.” As Avatar: The Last Airbender martial arts consultant Sifu Kisu noted during the The Last Airbender casting controversy in 2009: “I mean goodness we all know David Carradine was by far superior in the martial arts compared to Bruce Lee, go figure.”
During the show’s run, Carradine’s character, Kwai Chang Caine, was presented as a half white, half Asian Shaolin monk, even though the actor was not of Asian descent. While Asian actors often appeared in supporting roles, they still faced a glass ceiling. Actress Barbara Hershey also guest starred in an episode of Kung Fu, playing a Chinese woman named Nan Chi.


Bruce Lee popularized the kung fu movie genre in America. Kung Fu took a step further and popularized the “a White person ‘masters’ Asian martial arts’” trope in mainstream American film. (Sound familiar? Iron Fist, 3 Ninjas, The Forbidden Kingdom, Dragonball Evolution, King of Fighters, The Last Samurai etc.) This trope continues to persist—for example, in 2009, white actor David Henrie was cast to play Chinese American martial artist Tommy Zhou in the movie adaptation of The Weapon.


And grasshopper, this isn’t the first time a remake of “Kung Fu” has been shopped around, either. Back in 2006, Legendary Pictures was prepping to shoot the film with Albert and Allen Hughes as directors.
(While this remake never panned out, Legendary Pictures and the Hughes brothers later climbed aboard the Akira remake–the Akira being produced by Warner Bros, the same studio that rejected Bruce Lee for Kung Fu all those years ago–before departing the project several months later. Small world.)
Will Caine in the Kung Fu remake also be played by a white actor? In September 2007, casting calls for “Kung Fu” were released…

“Male, 20-35. A handsome mix of East (Chinese/Asian) meets West (American). A man with the emotional capacity of a young Clint Eastwood. Charismatic and charming, Caine was raised by Shaolin monks after his mother’s murder and became a highly skilled fighter. In addition to being a strong actor with the right look, the actor for this role should be athletic and although not required, some martial arts training, gymnastics or ballet are a plus.” – September 2007 casting call for “Kung Fu” remake

…pretty much encapsulating the difficulty Asian American actors have in finding work in Hollywood. For example, while the casting call states “West (American)”, the word “American” is being used as shorthand for “white American,” framing Asian Americans as Eastern and non-American. The casting call also places emphasis on “the right look.” The casting language for the main character, Caine, was later clarified in a December 2007 casting call:

“In the film, Caine is male, 20-30 years old with a Chinese mother and American Father.” – a December 2007 casting call for “Kung Fu”

These casting sides are three years old, from a previous attempt at a remake. Who knows what the casting call will look like this time around, in a post-The Last Airbender world. Can a remake of Kung Fu heal the flaws in the show’s past?

Hollywood Racism: Robert Downey Jr. Dons Yellow Face for New Sherlock Holmes Movie

source

Robert Downey Jr. Dons Yellow Face for New Sherlock Holmes Movie

Why is it that White people can always find a way to appropriate from other cultures?  Robert Downey Jr. has a history of douchebaggery that is well documented, and he certainly did not do his reputation, or Asian people any favors by dawning yellow face for his new movie, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Uh huh, I wonder if he shuffled his feet, smoked opium, worked in laundry and moonlighted as a pimp?  Yes, those are the stereotypes associated with Asian men from that time in history.  I know that Holmes is a detective, and it makes sense that he would go undercover for an investigation, but as an Asian man?  Really?

I know that some are thinking that this was part of the script, and not a decision made by Robert  Downey Jr., but that is incorrect. As the star of that movie, Downey could most certainly have used his influence to get the scene altered or changed altogether.  If he had refused to put on yellow face, then the producer and director would have had no choice but to change it. Robert Downey Jr. simply does not care how his behaviour effects people of color, and I can say this with confidence because to my knowledge, this is the second time he has done this sort of thing.  Tropic of Thunder anyone?

There are no circumstances under which it is acceptable for a White man to dress up as a person of colour. Even when the intent is not meant to mock a particular group. it is still outright appropriation.  In this case, Downey dressed up to entertain viewers and that necessarily contains an element of mockery.  This is why Downey's performance need not take on the aspects of a minstrel show traditionally created to mock Blacks to be offensive.

As I viewed the image, I could not help but wonder if there are any re-occurring Asian characters in this movie?  Is this why Downey Jr., the producer and director felt that it was appropriate to substitute a White man for an Asian man? To erase Asian men, only to have Downey Jr., dress up as one, creates Asian men as disposable. It reminds me of the fact that as far as Hollywood is concerned, actors of color are interchangeable in terms of race.  Whiteness is the only race that is repeatedly clearly defined and that is specifically because the entirety of the western world constitutes a White supremacist state.

Every time I write a post of this nature it becomes a magnet to those who just cannot stop themselves from justifying racism.  Do yourself a favor before you comment and think before you comment why you feel need to declare that Robert Downey Jr.'s attire is acceptable.  The very fact that you are searching for a way in which to excuse it, should be warning enough that something is desperately wrong with what he has chosen to do.

Boycott the SyFy Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy screening of the racist "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

"On Thursday August 11th, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy with the sponsorship of the SYFY Channel plans to screen "Breakfast at Tiffany's" free for the public. This 1961 film features a blatantly-racist, minstrel-show, buck-toothed portrayal of a Japanese American, played by Mickey Rooney which has for decades offended the Asian-American community and its allies. Please boycott this film, the SyFy Movies with a View series, and let people know that despite direct communication from the NY Asian American community, the BBPC is committed to showing this horribly offensive film, which it calls a "beloved" "American classic". The film series is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

In 2008, a similar public outdoor screening was successfully aborted by the city of Sacramento in response to protests over the yellowface Mr. Yunioshi caricature. The controversy over Mickey Rooney's bumbling portrayal is not new, and the BBPC and SyFy should be aware of the impact of putting this offensive portrait on the big screen.

Why any publicly funded organization in a city where 1-in-8 residents are Asian-American or any channel with a huge Asian-American viewership would choose to show a film with a racist caricature like this is beyond me. It's not funny; It's not classic; It's not beloved to us. By screening this film, the organizers are sanctioning the racism it contains, and subjecting new audiences (including children and Asian-Americans) to a minstrel show of racist ideology. It's 2011. It's New York. Do we still have to fight the hostile, hurtful world of 1961 Hollywood?"

http://www.change.org/petitions/boycott-the-syfy-brooklyn-bridge-park-conservancy-screening-of-the-racist-breakfast-at-tiffanys

a petition can be signed at the change dot org website

documentaries and examples of racism of Hollywood

Yellow face the documentary


part 2 to 5 are on youtube



Reel Bad Arabs- How Hollywood Vilifies a People

rest of the documentary is on youtube

documentary which explores the dehumanizing of Arabs and middle easterners in movies



examples of recent cases of Hollywood whitewashing and racism


in last few days there are reports of Ben Affleck white actor will portray himself as Tony Mendez CIA agent in "Argo" in real life Mendez is a Latino CIA agent who help free hostages from Iran after the Islamic Iranian revolution


in the movie adaptation of "The Hunger Games" hollywood choses a white blonde woman Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen who in the original story is described has having dark hair and olive skin

Hollywood is remaking the Japanese animated Akita they decided to only ask for White Actors to portray lead roles with Japanese names. who would watch a movie with white men using Japanese names? despite opposition, anger and outrage from the Asian American community and the public nothing is been changed at this time



in the proposed remake of 21 jump street a 1980s tv show. in the original show the lead role was a black american female dn the cast was racially diverse having asian and black actors. hollywood decide to use a white woman in the lead role and when this news was reported no black and asian actors were selected looks like this new remake will be an all white cast


In February 2011 CBS sent out a racist casting call in their proposed tv show "two broke girls" they are looking for an east Asian immigrant called "Rice Lee" who is a socially stunted and is repeatedly mocked and corrected by his white co-workers, can't speak English properly, can't wear his pants correctly, and don't understant holidays


The movie extraordinary measures which was released in January 2010. it is based on true story of a doctor who cured Pompe disease. the doctor is a Taiwanese doctor

In his review, Mr. Ebert writes:

Dr. Robert Stonehill doesn’t exist in real life. The Pompe cure was developed by Dr. Yuan-Tsong Chen and his colleagues while he was at Duke University. [...] Harrison Ford, as this film’s executive producer, perhaps saw Stonehill as a plum role for himself; a rewrite was necessary because [Ford] couldn’t very well play Dr. Chen. The real Chen, a Taiwan University graduate, worked his way up at Duke from a residency to professor and chief of medical genetics at the Duke University Medical Center. [Chen] has been mentioned as a Nobel candidate.