Asian Rom-Com Producers Reject Hollywood Pressure to Cast White Actors
In Worth The Wait, Lana Condor and Ross Butler play a couple in a long-distance relationship.
SINGAPORE – Producers on the US-Canada romantic comedy-drama Worth The Wait wanted their movie to showcase Asians falling in love, navigating awkward encounters with former lovers and coping with loss.
But they faced pressure from Hollywood financiers, who suggested a change they thought was minor, but was anything but to Rachel Tan.
The Malaysia-born, Los Angeles-based producer says they wanted to add a white male to the cast rather than letting the film be an all-Asian ensemble.
'They gave me a list of white guys we could cast. If we could give one of the roles to them, we could get funded. It was so tempting,' the 43-year-old recalls.
She was in town with her producing partner and husband, Chinese-American Dan Mark, for a screening of their film – which the couple also co-wrote – at Tanglin Club on July 10.
The investors held the belief that, except for genres such as martial arts, Asian male characters are not bankable, with little appeal for Western audiences, she says.
Tan and her team ignored the suggestion, completing Worth The Wait without watering down their goal of an all-Asian cast in stereotype-breaking stories.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms, 1 lawyer over seized properties
Singapore Air India crash: SIA, Scoot find no issues with Boeing 787 fuel switches after precautionary checks
Opinion What we can do to fight the insidious threat of 'zombie vapes'
Singapore $230,000 in fines issued after MOM checks safety at over 500 workplaces from April to June
Business 'Some cannot source outside China': S'pore firms' challenges and support needed amid US tariffs
Opinion Sumiko at 61: Everything goes south when you age, changing your face from a triangle to a rectangle
Multimedia From local to global: What made top news in Singapore over the last 180 years?
Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years
For years, Asian Americans have been viewed by the majority as the 'model minority', the ethnic group to be the most well educated, well adjusted and upwardly mobile, but the film seeks to show a more complete picture, she says.
Slated to open in Singapore cinemas in August, Worth The Wait is directed by Taiwanese film-maker Tom Shu-Yu Lin, known for his Golden Horse-nominated drama The Garden Of Evening Mists (2019), adapted from the 2011 Booker Prize-shortlisted novel of the same name by Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng.
Set in Seattle and Kuala Lumpur, it revolves around a group of singles and couples of different ages, and features actors of Asian or mixed descent from North America and Europe, including Ross Butler, Lana Condor, Andrew Koji, Sung Kang and Elodie Yung, as well as Singapore actors Tan Kheng Hua and Lim Yu-Beng.
(From left) Lim Yu-Beng, Ross Butler, Tan Kheng Hua and Osric Chau at the red carpet event for Worth The Wait on July 10 at Tanglin Club.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Producer Mark, 43, says audiences will see that Butler (Shazam!, 2019: 13 Reasons Why, 2017 to 2020) fits the profile of the romantic lead, while also being Asian.
'He's a masculine Asian man. He's stereotype-breaking, and we love that – we need to have that in our culture,' he says.
Singapore-born American actor Butler plays Kai, the son of a corporate bigwig (Lim). On why on-screen white male-Asian female couples are the more common representation, Butler feels it has to do with Asian men being seen as not desirable.
'It's a deep topic to talk about. In the West, for a hundred years, the Asian man has been emasculated,' the 35-year-old tells The Straits Times at the same event.
Butler drew on his personal experience to play Kai, who is under pressure to live up to his father's goals for him.
The performer took chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State University, but left his studies to pursue acting as a career.
'A lot of this was generational legacy pressure from my mum. She is from Malaysia, and she took me to the US for the opportunities. We all know about the immigrants' dream,' he adds.
(From left) Osric Chau and Karena Lam play a couple dealing with the trauma of a miscarriage in Worth The Wait.
PHOTO: WORTH THE WAIT MOVIE LLC
In another of the film's intertwining story threads, a couple played by Chinese-Canadian actors Osric Chau and Karena Lam find their marriage becoming strained after a miscarriage, while a young man, Blake (Chinese-Canadian actor Ricky He), has priorities other than school.
Tan says: 'Osric's character is vulnerable and Blake failed maths. There are so many layers to the characters. We are so much more than what's usually shown.'
Worth The Wait opens in Singapore cinemas in August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Stephen Colbert's late-night show on CBS to end in May 2026
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season. LOS ANGELES - The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the network said on July 17 . The show is ending and Colbert will not be replaced, CBS executives said. 'This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,' the executives said in a statement. CBS parent company Paramount is seeking approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for a US$8.4-billion (S$10.7 billion) merger with Skydance Media. I n July, Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over an interview with former Vice-President Kamala Harris, his Democratic challenger in the 2024 presidential race, that CBS's '60 Minutes' broadcast in October 2024 . Colbert, a frequent critic of Mr Trump on his show, told his audience on July 17 that he was informed of the show's cancellation the night before. Senator Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat, was a guest during the show on July 17 . Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump diagnosed with vein condition causing leg swelling, White House says World Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. What is it? Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Asia Malaysia's King appoints Wan Ahmad Farid as new Chief Justice Singapore SPCA appoints Walter Leong as new executive director World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Opinion Is your child getting drawn to drugs? Don't look away and don't give up Business Granddaughter of late Indonesian tycoon pays $25 million for Singapore bungalow 'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,' Mr Schiff wrote on X. REUTERS
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
From the land of K-pop come the joys of K-Swing
Find out what's new on ST website and app. K-Swing Wave dancers Rico Lim and Chloe Hong rehearsing at the Korean Cultural Center in New York, where the group of eight all-star South Korean swing dancers will perform. SOUTH KOREA – The smile was the lure. Mr Nalla Kim, a South Korean computer programmer, noticed the joyful expressions in the social media post of a fellow programmer whom he had never seen smiling at work. Curious, Mr Kim asked his colleague what had made him so visibly happy. The answer: swing dancing. Mr Kim had never heard of the dance form, which was created by Black Americans in the 1920s and 1930s. He discovered it when he was coming of age in Seoul in the early 2000s. He got hooked. He started attending swing dance events in the United States and after a few years entered international competitions. He travelled to dance, but he did not have to. In the past two decades, the swing dance scene in his home town has grown into the largest in the world. For a vintage American cultural practice to spread overseas and thrive there more robustly than at home is a story at least as old as jazz. Not in every case, though, does the transplanted form evolve into a local variant. That is what has happened in South Korea. In Seoul these days, there are around 10 clubs dedicated full time to swing and its core partnering form, Lindy Hop. Mr Andante Jang and his fellow K-Swing Wave dancers rehearsing at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. PHOTO: YE FAN/NYTIMES 'In New York, where Lindy Hop was born, we have zero,' said Mr Caleb Teicher, a prominent American Lindy Hop and tap dancer. Those Seoul clubs are filled with dancers of high skill. 'I've heard it joked among the New York dancers who've gone there that a bad dancer in Korea is a great dancer in New York,' he said. Moreover, in the jazz tradition that artists honour by developing their own voices and style, South Korean dancers have worked out their own fresh approaches to the form. 'When I go there to teach, I feel like I'm their student now,' he said. Wanting to display these developments to New York City, Mr Teicher has organised a mini-festival. On July 19, K-Swing Wave, a group of eight all-star South Korean swing dancers, are performing a free show at Lincoln Center's Summer for the City. The next day, the group will appear at the Korean Cultural Center New York and at a swing dance party at 92NY, the 92nd Street Y. Mr Kim, K-Swing Wave's project director, said the dancers selected were 'the best of the best', most of them leaders of their own groups. Mr Andy Seo, the group's artistic director, added that everyone had been so busy dancing, teaching and performing that they seldom had opportunities to collaborate. This is their first chance to figure out what an extended production of Korean swing dance might look like. Like Mr Kim, Mr Seo discovered swing dancing in the early 2000s. The swing dance revival of the 1980s and 1990s in the United States and Sweden had arrived in Seoul in 1999, imported by Korean-American dancer Alex Nah. K-Swing Wave dancers rehearsing at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. PHOTO: YE FAN/NYTIMES 'Couple dancing was not that familiar in Korea,' said Mr Seo, who had belonged to clubs for street and K-pop dance. 'But I fell in love with dancing with others.' Mr Nathan Bugh, one of Mr Teicher's colleagues in the popular production Sw!ng Out, recalled how a Korean couple memorised and performed the improvised social dancing of an American duo (preserved on video) exactly, including the mistakes. At social dance occasions, Mr Bugh added, rather than following the normal practice of pairing off, South Korean dancers would either stand and watch or wait in line to have the foreign instructor as a partner, sometimes bringing cups of water so the teacher would not have to take a break. 'It was like a factory,' he said. But every time these Americans returned to South Korea, they noticed changes. (From left) Mr Andy Seo and Mr Nalla Kim at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. PHOTO: YE FAN/NYTIMES For Authentic Jazz Weekend, an annual event that Mr Kim and Mr Seo founded in 2013, the South Korean dancers invited foreign instructors – often found on the internet – who were specialists in areas in which the South Koreans felt they were weak, especially solo jazz dancing and improvisation. At the same time, they were discovering their strengths. 'Maybe it's a cultural thing,' Mr Kim said, 'but Korean dancers are really great at group formations.' Numbers created by Mr Seo – whom Mr Bugh called his favourite vernacular jazz dance choreographer in the world – have the kaleidoscopic complexity, sharp synchronicity and clever details of the most intricate K-pop routines, while remaining recognisably in a jazz dance idiom. On multiple scales, they swing. Broadway producers should take note. 'The first piece by Andy I saw was made for students,' Mr Teicher said. 'And when you looked at the dancers individually, they were not the strongest. But the choreography – it was genius. I had never seen a team jazz piece that good before.' Mr Kim has made a project of interviewing international swing dancers about the history of the dance and their experiences, and then translating the videos into Korean. Talking with African-American dancers, he said, he was surprised to discover commonalities. Swing dance was born from the blues of oppression, and Korea also had colonisation and caste, he said. 'Many Korean art forms are from that sadness, even if they look as happy as the Lindy Hop. 'Dance is such a great way to learn about other cultures,' he added, sharing the hope that K-Swing Wave will contribute to a two-way exchange. Mr Seo agreed, but he stressed something simpler about swing dancing and why it should spread everywhere: It makes people smile. NYTIMES
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Netflix earnings surge on Squid Game 3 boost, with final season racking up 122 million views
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The final season of global phenomenon 'Squid Game' helped Netflix beat Wall Street earnings targets for the second quarter. LOS ANGELES - The final season of global phenomenon 'Squid Game' helped Netflix beat Wall Street earnings targets for the second quarter, and the streaming service raised its revenue guidance for the year. Some investors had hoped for more from the dominant movie and TV streaming service, analysts said. Netflix shares had risen nearly 44 per cent in 2025 ahead of the earnings report on July 17. The stock fell 1.8 per cent to US$1,251.86 in after-hours trading. Netflix has been building an ad-supported service to reel in price-sensitive viewers, though it has said advertising will not be a primary driver of revenue growth in 2025. The company also has added live events such as WWE wrestling to draw advertisers and viewers. For April through June, Netflix posted diluted earnings per share of US$7.19. That topped the US$7.08 consensus estimate of analysts polled by LSEG. The company raised revenue guidance for 2025 to US$44.8 billion to US$45.2 billion, citing the weakening of the US dollar plus 'healthy member growth and ad sales.' Its previous guidance was up to US$44.5 billion. analyst Thomas Monteiro said investors were expecting 'a much stronger upward revision' to 2025 guidance. 'The full-year outlook now feels quite conservative, which is problematic for a stock priced for perfection,' Monteiro said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Asia Malaysia's King appoints Wan Ahmad Farid as new Chief Justice World Trump diagnosed with vein condition causing leg swelling, White House says World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Opinion Is your child getting drawn to drugs? Don't look away and don't give up Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Business Granddaughter of late Indonesian tycoon pays $25 million for Singapore bungalow Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment 'At this stage, the company appears overly dependent on further price increases – at least through 2026 – to drive revenue,' he added. For the just-ended quarter, net income came in at US$3.1 billion, edging forecasts of US$3.06 billion. Revenue totaled US$11.08 billion, above the US$11.07 billion analyst projection. Netflix released the third and final season of dystopian Korean drama Squid Game a few days before the second quarter ended in June. The show is the most popular non-English Netflix show in the streaming service's history. Season three racked up 122 million views, Netflix said. Other releases during the quarter included Sirens, The Four Seasons and a third season of Ginny & Georgia. The streaming video pioneer stopped disclosing quarterly subscriber numbers in 2025, instead urging investors to focus on profit as a measure of its success. It said member growth was ahead of its forecast but occurred late in the quarter, which limited the impact on second quarter revenue. The company has new seasons of two of its biggest shows coming later this year. Wednesday returns in August, and the final episodes of Stranger Things will be released in November and December. Chief financial officer Spencer Neumann, asked about the company's view on acquiring assets from other media companies, said Netflix would be 'choosy.' 'We've historically been more builders than buyers, and we continue to see big runway for growth without fundamentally changing that playbook,' Mr Neumann said during a post-earnings video. REUTERS
