There are not many roles for Asian actors to get outside of indie films and mainstream kung-fu/martial arts films, so when the time comes for there to be a film that should cast Asian actors, such as Akira and The Last Airbender, the bulk of the roles go to Caucasian actors instead of actors that actually look like the characters. The problem is that a lot of studios still hold on to the stereotypical notion that Asian actors and actresses only sell in martial arts/action films; that they can only be the lead in such a film, not in a dramatic and/or romantic film like Philadelphia or The Notebook. So, I say all of this to say that race and image in Hollywood go hand-in-hand and images in Hollywood still need to be addressed by the System-at-Large.
So with that out of the way, let’s get on to the shortlisting!
Shotaro Kaneda: Leader of a bike gang, handsome, rebel, eventual leader of the resistance against the corrupt government
Tatsuya Fujiwara: Fujiwara is probably known to a lot American anime fans as “Light Yagami” from the Japanese film adaptation of Death Note (Hollywood should take a look at this film and its manga form, because this film shows how to do an anime adaptation right). Light is an insane character (well, almost every character in Death Note is insane, as I’ll reiterate later in the shortlist), but he’s also a character of precision, OCD-like intensity, and serious perfectionism, meaning that the actor would have to be deadly serious about his commitment to character. While Kaneda isn’t so much a perfectionist, the actor would have to put a lot of intensity into his performance, and if Fujiwara is able to be this cunning and deadly as Light, then he’s more than capable of taking on Kaneda. His work in Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler, a fast-paced, intense movie in its own right, also reiterates Fujiwara’s ability to take on dramatic, violent roles.
Tetsuo Shima: Kaneda’s best friend, psychic, eventual guinea pig of a governmental experiment, destroyer.
Justin Chon: Chon isn’t seen much in Twilight, but he’s good with what he’s given. I’ll paraphrase what studio execs are stereotyped to say: I like the kid. He seems fresh-faced enough to pull off being an unassuming Tetsuo, because in the anime film, Tetsuo does come off initially as unassuming. In fact, the idea that Tetsuo has psychic abilities surprises Kaneda, who is used to Tetsuo being his right-hand man. And, just because Chon’s in Twilight doesn't mean that playing Bella's friend is the extent of his talent. Case in point: the late Heath Ledger, who, up until his turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight, was in teen films like A Knight’s Tale and the classic Ten Things I Hate About You. Even his turn in Brokeback Mountain, an Oscar-nominated film, didn't dissuade people from doubting his abilities to do the Joker justice, but he proved them wrong and then some. Chon, who is also young enough to pull off playing a realistic high-school student, seems like a good potential Tetsuo; don’t hold Twilight against him.
I wonder who would win in a fight off between Tetsuo Shima and Gary Mitchell.
