'xXx: Return of Xander Cage' Stars Weigh in on How Hollywood Can Avoid Pandering to Asian Audiences

Will Lerner
·Producer, Yahoo Entertainment

Hollywood is still trying to figure out how to appeal to audiences in Asia. Often what it does is cast prominent Asian actors in blockbuster movies in nearly always supporting roles. Sometimes that works out and it’s well-received — Rogue One received compliments from Chinese press for its casting of Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. “The choice has paid off as mainland director and actor Jiang Wen and Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen have left a deep and favorable impression on audiences in China,” the New York Times noted was the opinion of the Global Times, a Chinese state-run newspaper.

Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen as Jedha natives Baze Malbus and Chirrut Imwe - Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney
Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen’s casting received compliments from Chinese press. (Photo: Lucasfilm/Disney)

All too often it comes across as pandering. Iron Man 3, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Transformers: Age of Extinction faced that criticism. “[Actress] Li Bingbing and the Chinese Olympic boxer Zou Shiming were “so perfunctorily inserted into [Transformers] that they amount to nothing more than another type of incoherent product placement,” shared Ying Zhu, a professor at the College of Staten Island.

In xXx: Return of Xander Cage, stars from India, China, and Thailand have prominent supporting roles. They told Yahoo Movies how they think Hollywood can avoid pandering to audiences back home.

Kris Wu stars as Nicks (Photo: Paramount)
Kris Wu stars as Nicks. (Photo: Paramount)

Kris Wu, born in China and raised in Canada, is extremely popular with Asian audiences. “First of all, I think when they pick the actors, it needs to be the right pick,” Wu said. “First of all, they need to speak the language. That’s important. Second of all, it has to be the right role. You don’t want someone playing a character that’s not supposed to be Asian or Chinese but you’re making the … it won’t look right. … Those are the things that I think the studios should watch out for when they’re reaching out to more international casts.”

Deepika Padukone stars as Serena Unger. (Photo: Paramount /Courtesy Everett Collection)
Deepika Padukone stars as Serena Unger. (Photo: Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Deepika Padukone is one of India’s most well-regarded actresses. She thinks Hollywood should only cast actors based on their talent. “An actor should be cast for no other reason but their talent that they bring to the table,” she said. “And from an actor’s point of view, I don’t think we ever looked at it as catering to a particular industry. … Like, in xXx, we’re in these parts because we’re right for the part. And for no other reason.”

Outro astro de ação, Jet Li, estava escalado para a produção, mas decidiu sair antes do começo das filmagens. Para seu lugar foi chamado Donnie Yen, visto recentemente em 'Rogue One: Uma História Star Wars'.
Donnie Yen stars as Xiang. (Photo: Paramount)

Donnie Yen is a standout in Rogue One and is an internationally famous Chinese film star. Yen thinks that Hollywood is behind the times when it comes to casting Asian actors. “Why would they think of it as pandering?” Yen asked. “We have the most populations. And frankly speaking, filmmaking … what is filmmaking? Filmmaking appeals to everybody. The whole planet. Massive populations. So whatever is happening today should have happened a long time ago.”

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