SAG-AFTRA leader Sumi Haru dies at 75

Former Screen Actors Guild president fought for better roles for Asian Americans.



Some sad news out of Hollywood... Sumi Sevilla Haru, longtime leader of the Screen Actors Guild who paved the way for Asian Americans actors to get better TV and film roles, died last week in Los Angeles. She was 75.

Sumi Sevilla Haru, Former Interim Screen Actors Guild President, Dead at 75

Haru served as the interim Screen Actors Guild president in 1995, and was the first and only woman of color to hold the position. She joined SAG in 1968 and AFTRA in 1972 and served as a national board member for both organizations, often working to address the lack of opportunities and roles for Asians Americans.

In her own acting career, she refused to audition for stereotypical roles, like the maid or the dragon lady, and spoke out against the discrimination Asian actors and the racist practice of yellowface in Hollywood.

Casting Call: HBO's 'East of Main Street'

Latest edition of HBO's Heritage Month documentary series seeks Asian American actors.



Are you a New York-based Asian American actor who is just starting out, studying acting in school or just going out on your first casting calls? Here's a cool documentary project that wants to talk to you.

HBO's East of Main Street, directed by Jonathan Yi, is coming back in 2015. Now in its fifth year, the award-winning annual AAPI Heritage Month series is turning the lens on Asian American actors in the film and television community and examining the unique successes and struggles at various stages in their careers.

The project has cast most of its subjects, but they're still looking or some young actors and are conducting pre-interviews this Saturday, October 18 in New York City. Here's some more information:

"Royals" parody skewers Hollywood's sassy sidekicks of color

"Typecast," written and performed by Tess Paras



If you can handle another take on Lorde's "Royals," check out this funny parody, "Typecast," written and performed by actress Tess Paras. It's a funny lament on the plight of being a performer of color in Hollywood, and enduring the cattle call of auditions for the limited chance to play shining roles like "White Girl's Nerdy Friend," "Oversexed Asian" or "Urban Girls with Flavor." Take a look:

14 More Asian Leading Men Who Deserve More Screen Time

A complementary list with, regrettably, fewer abs.



Last week, BuzzFeed posted a Very Important list of 27 Asian Leading Men Who Deserve More Airtime -- a fine, ab-tastic piece of journalism that all sorts of people saying "Mm hmm" and fanning themselves. Even with a whopping 27, I couldn't help but notice that there were some major omissions who also deserved to be included on the list -- it actually could have been a lot longer. So I did some quick brainstorming...

I give you fourteen more Asian leading men who deserve more screen time (in no particular order):