There's always a conversation to be had about the lack of diversity in Hollywood, especially on the heels of #OscarsSoWhite a few weeks ago. But actress Tao Okamoto opened up to HuffPost Live about the added difficulty for Asian actors.
The "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" actress explained to host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani earlier this week how rarely Asian actors are involved in conversations about Hollywood and diversity.
"This time, people were talking about there's no black people for the [Oscar] nominees and all that, but we're not even in the game. People don't even talk about us, meaning Asian or Japanese or other ethnicities," Okamoto said.
While she's seen the industry be more open to casting Asian actors, it's often in a fantasy-world setting, she said, which is something she hopes will change. She mentioned the two movies she's been cast in, "Batman v Superman" and "The Wolverine," as examples.
"So far, I've got these two superhero movies, which I feel like [is] easier for us to fit as an Asian or Japanese actor and I think our goal is to be cast for more ... realistic movies," she said. She added that Hollywood could be more inclusive by having a wider variety of people writing scripts.
"We're still the minority of the minorities in Hollywood or acting field, but we are here and we are trying to be out for the people," she said. She suggested that because Asians are perceived to be more "reserved and shy," it may give off the impression that they're content with the status quo.
"It's really not only black and white [people], but we are here," the actress said.
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