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Marvel star slates 'racist' Hollywood over name change
BBC News ^ | 31st August 2017 | BBC News

Posted on 08/31/2017 6:36:17 AM PDT by Ennis85

Chloe Bennet, who stars in TV series Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, has said she had to change her name from Chloe Wang in order to make it in Hollywood. The actress praised Ed Skrein for recently pulling out of Hellboy. His casting had been criticised for "whitewashing" the original character, who is of Asian heritage. She told an Instagram follower who queried her name change: "Hollywood is racist and wouldn't cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable." "Changing my last name doesn't change the fact that my BLOOD is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese... It means I had to pay my rent." She added: "I'm doing everything I can, with the platform I have, to make sure no one has to change their name again, just so they can get work."

Chloe, who plays a secret agent, has previously explained how her name change led to a more successful career almost immediately. "Oh, the first audition I went on after I changed my name, I got booked," she told The Daily Beast last year. "So that's a pretty clear little snippet of how Hollywood works." The actress has since created RUN (Represent Us Now) a group which campaigns for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to be better represented in Hollywood. She praised Skrein's decision earlier this week, saying: "DAMN, that's a man. Thank you @edskrein for standing up against Hollywood's continuous insensitivity and flippant behaviour towards the Asian American community.

"There is no way this decision came lightly on your part, so thank you for your bravery and genuinely impactful step forward. I hope this inspires other actors/film makers to do the sam. "Fellas, take note. That's how it's done."

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: asianamericans; hollywood; marvel; racism; whitewashing
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1 posted on 08/31/2017 6:36:17 AM PDT by Ennis85
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To: Ennis85

And yet Arnold Schwarzeneggar was undeterred. And became one of the biggest stars on the planet.


2 posted on 08/31/2017 6:41:16 AM PDT by karnage
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To: karnage

Schwarzeneggar had become a name outside of Hollywood before he got there...................


3 posted on 08/31/2017 6:44:09 AM PDT by Red Badger (Road Rage lasts 5 minutes. Road Rash lasts 5 months!.....................)
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To: Ennis85

How many stars over the years have changed their names? Many in the past, especially, have adopted stage names.

I can’t think offhand of too many. John Wayne comes to mind.

The point is, if she’s making this to be bigoted against those with Chinese names, Hollywood has a history of people who have changed their names.


4 posted on 08/31/2017 6:44:29 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Ennis85

“His casting had been criticised for “whitewashing” the original character, who is of Asian heritage.”

But they are dying to make a movie with a black (and possibly homo) James Bond. They claim as Bond is a fictional character it shouldn’t matter who plays him. If that were true, why not leave him as a white Scotsman? And how does that affect this story? Hypocrisy, that’s how. Whitey does it: racist, oppressive, hateful. Darkie does it: brave, progressive, inclusive.


5 posted on 08/31/2017 6:45:34 AM PDT by bk1000 (I stand with Trump.)
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To: Ennis85

So then don’t change your name. 98% of Hollywood changes their name.


6 posted on 08/31/2017 6:46:30 AM PDT by Williams (Stop tolerating the intolerant.)
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To: Ennis85

Hellboy is fictional. It doesn’t matter a bit who they use, because the character is FICTIONAL. But these same people want historical figures, i.e. Hamilton, to be changed to a downtrodden minority as a nod to PC culture.

Shut up and go act. That is what you are paid to do.


7 posted on 08/31/2017 6:46:45 AM PDT by wbarmy (I chose to be a sheepdog once I saw what happens to the sheep.)
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To: Ennis85

If she loves China so much, she can always go back. Nobody is forcing her to stay here.

For everybody who bitches about America, please go find another country which which has what you seek, which America lacks. Any of us are free to leave at any time. There is even a process to renounce your American citizenship, if you are so pissed off at America that you want to go that route. Go for it Chloe, go enjoy the people’s republic of China.


8 posted on 08/31/2017 6:46:56 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Well, Frances Ethel Gumm (Judy Garland) comes to mind.

So does Norma Jean Mortenson (Marilyn Monroe).

“Wang” is also a slang these days for a male body part.


9 posted on 08/31/2017 6:48:12 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: bk1000

And what about the play, Hamilton??? That dude specifically wanted an all-minority cast, to make his political statement.

That was historically inaccurate to do that.

But the liberals swooned over that dude, swooned over the concept of an all minority cast playing parts of historic figures who were white.


10 posted on 08/31/2017 6:48:29 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: bk1000

And what about the play, Hamilton??? That dude specifically wanted an all-minority cast, to make his political statement.

That was historically inaccurate to do that.

But the liberals swooned over that dude, swooned over the concept of an all minority cast playing parts of historic figures who were white.


11 posted on 08/31/2017 6:48:44 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Ennis85

But then you have a big star such as Jackie Chan, who became a big star with a stereotypical Chinese name. So go figure.

Maybe Chloe then will bitch about how he was accepted because he’s a man, and her real problem is what about alleged sexism in Hollywood.


12 posted on 08/31/2017 6:50:48 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Ennis85

This assclown thinks that she’s the first? How about the legions of Jews from the 30s-60s that had to change their names to something that sounded more WASPy than their birth names? I don’t think that they complained - I think that they were glad to have the opportunity, and having a stage name didn’t mean much.

You know, bitch, lots of people go through a lot of hardship to be able to do their jobs - Hell, even to be able to get a job interview. Years of school, underpaid internships, etc. - and you complain about a STAGE NAME? Dumb, spoiled, snowflake bitch.


13 posted on 08/31/2017 6:50:53 AM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: Ennis85

I wouldn’t immediately dismiss her theory if she could answer this questions...

how did Ming-Na Wen get the job on the exact same show?


14 posted on 08/31/2017 6:54:16 AM PDT by JenB987
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To: Ennis85
Wang could be problematic. Just sayin'.

Not all that unusual. Take this guy's name for instance:

"You can milk anything with nipples."
 

15 posted on 08/31/2017 6:54:33 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie
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To: Dilbert San Diego
Many in the past, especially, have adopted stage names.

One of my favorite actors from the early talkies was Ricardo Cortez. Only that wasn't his real name. He was born in the Bronx as Jacob Krantz, but was persuaded to take a Hispanic name to make him sound more "Latin", which was fashionable at the time.
16 posted on 08/31/2017 6:55:35 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia (Democrats: The perfect party for the helpless and stupid, and those who would rule over them.)
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To: Ennis85

“Hollywood is racist and wouldn’t cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable.”

Just ask Jackie Chan, Bert Kwouk, Lucy Liu, John Cho, Sandra Oh, BD Wong, and Yun-Fat Chow.


17 posted on 08/31/2017 6:55:36 AM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Issur Danielovitch changed his name to Kirk Douglas.


18 posted on 08/31/2017 6:56:16 AM PDT by N. Theknow (Kennedys-Can't drive, can't ski, can't fly, can't skipper a boat-But they know what's best for you.)
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To: Ennis85
I don't like my employer's business decisions
(but they better not reduce my pay if my input reduces their profit - just like some NFL players)

I'd bet this is all in her mind and wasn't a decision hollywood made. But, if they did, it was about money, not hated of her "race".
19 posted on 08/31/2017 6:56:22 AM PDT by LostPassword
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

So there we have it folks. Hollywood has a long history of name changes for various reasons. So what the heck is this Chloe girl really complaining about?

And why would she complain, if by doing so, she’s achieved success in her chosen career profession of acting?


20 posted on 08/31/2017 6:57:51 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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