Crazy Rich Asians (2018) based on the novel by Kevin Kwan was regarded as one of the most influential films of 2018 for its all Asian cast and boasting a nontraditional heroine in a Cinderella story. Many viewers saw representation in Hollywood for the first time. However, despite its glowing reviews in the west regarding its story, the extravagant portrayal of the Asian upper class, and the diverse cast, eastern audiences were quick to notice a flaw.
The Singaporean audience was quick to notice the lack of representation for South and Southeast Asians. Singapore is a cultural melting pot with several ethnic groups such as Chinese, Malay, and Indian being the top three. The film however only represents the Chinese portion and even then the cast was comprised of mostly biracial Chinese actors. For certain roles, non-Chinese actors such as Ken Jeong, who is a Korean American was cast as ethnic Chinese. The minute Brown actors we do see was cast for subservient roles such as Indian guards and other domestic workers.
Jon M. Chu the director of the movie has apologized for his portrayal of Brown people in stereotypical roles. He has stated that he should’ve made the South Asian characters more human by giving them more dialogue. One important thing to note is that Chu believes that all Asian representation cannot rest on one film. We need to continue having more diverse movies and filmmakers so that inclusion “doesn’t rest on one movie.” He hopes that his film will serve as a crack in the door for other movies to be made that are more inclusive and exemplifies diversity.
