“Back in 2008 I starred opposite Clint Eastwood in ‘Gran Torino’ playing the lead Hmong role in a tale of two people transcending their differences to form an unlikely human bond,” Vang writes in an essay published by NBC News. “It was a historic cinematic moment for Hmong people around the world, despite its copious anti-Asian slurs.”
Vang continues, “At the time, there was a lot of discussion about whether the movie’s slurs were insensitive and gratuitous or simply ‘harmless jokes.’ I found it unnerving, the laughter that the slurs elicited in theaters with predominantly white audiences. And it was always white people who would say, ‘Can’t you take a joke?’ Today, I shudder at the thought of what that meant. More than a decade later, the anti-Asian racism that was once disguised as good-natured humor has been revealed for what it is, thanks to Covid-19.” Related Brad Pitt: It’s ‘Exhausting’ to Embody the ‘Clint Eastwood’ Version of Masculinity Off-Screen Clint Eastwood Awarded $2 Million in Fake CBD Endorsement Lawsuit Related Oscars 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere,’ ‘Nope’ Among Early Favorites Oscars 2023: Best Documentary Feature PredictionsThe bulk of Vang’s essay touches upon recent examples of anti-Asian racism, from last year’s stabbing of an Asian American family in Midland, Texas, to the recent murder of Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai American. When Vang circles back to “Gran Torino,” he writes, “[The film] may have elided the crisis in Asia that birthed our diaspora and many others across the Pacific. But more concerning was the way the film mainstreamed anti-Asian racism, even as it increased Asian American representation. The laughter weaponized against us has beaten us into silent submission.” “To this day, I am still haunted by the mirth of white audiences, the uproarious laughter when Eastwood’s curmudgeonly racist character, Walt Kowalski, growled a slur. ‘Gook.’ ‘Slope head.’ ‘Eggroll.’ It’s a ‘harmless joke,’ right? Until it’s not just a joke, but rather one more excuse for ignoring white supremacy and racism,” the essay reads. “For Asian Americans, this is the time to demand recognition, not to recoil into a cocoon of model-minority pusillanimity. Showing ‘our American-ness’ was never enough. This is a deceit of multiculturalism.” Head over to NBC News’ website to read Vang’s essay in its entirety. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
