Minnesota Investigates Possible Criminal Charges Against ICE

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Minnesota investigates the arrest by ICE of a Hmong American man as a possible kidnapping

In Minnesota, local authorities are investigating the arrest of a Hmong American man by federal officers as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment. In January, ICE officers bashed open the front door of ChongLy "Scott" Thao's home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him outside in just his underwear and a blanket in freezing conditions. He was returned to his home a few hours later when these ICE geniuses realized they had made a mistake -- a mistake that might mean criminal charges.

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Trump nominates former lawmaker Michelle Steel as US ambassador to South Korea

The White House announced that former California congresswoman Michelle Steel has been nominated to ‌be the U.S. ambassador to South Korea. Steel, who is Korean American and ⁠a conservative Republican, lost her bid for re-election to her Orange County congressional seat in 2024. The nomination will require congressional approval. This administration continues to elevate the worst damn people.

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How Laufey's Star-Studded "Madwoman" Music Video Came to Life With Hudson Williams, Lola Tung

Laufey has assembled an all-star cast for a sixties pool party in the new video for "Madwoman," off the deluxe edition of the Icelandic-Chinese singer's Grammy-winning album A Matter of Time. Directed by Warren Fu, the video features some of the most celebrated stars of the moment: Heated Rivalry breakout Hudson Williams, Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu, KATSEYE's Megan Skiendiel and The Summer I Turned Pretty's Lola Tung -- or, as one commenter put it, "the wasian avengers."

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Isa Briones Speaks Out on Audience Member Shouting to Her Mid-Performance

According to Isa Briones, "some people need to brush up on theater etiquette" -- specifically, the audience member who shouted out her The Pitt character's name mid-performance at Just in Time. While starring on Broadway as 'Connie Francis' in the hit musical, Briones shared that an audience member inapropriately yelled out "Dr. Santos!" during the show. "I'm not Dr. Santos. I'm not even Connie Francis. I am Isa Briones, one of the actors in the show you have paid to enjoy," Briones wrote in an Instagram story. "You are not a kid at Disneyland. You are an adult man at a Broadway show. Act like it."

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Seeking Paid Extras for Feature Film "Gold Mountain"

Hey, wanna be in a movie? Ang Lee is casting extras to be in his latest movie Gold Mountain, a historical drama set during the 1850s California Gold Rush, shooting in and around the Sacramento this July. According to the casting call, they're looking for faces of a variety of ethnicities to play townspeople, kids, railroad workers, male horseback riders, blacksmiths, butchers, wagon drivers and coal miners. If you're interested, refer to the flyer above. Good luck!

Don't Use Asians to Maintain White Privilege

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Don't Use Asians to Maintain White Privilege
The Justice Department's latest accusation that Yale University discriminated against Asian American and white students is an attempt to pit marginalized students against each other, using Asian Americans as the conduit, experts say. Several Asian American activists and scholars criticized the DOJ's letter sent to the Ivy League institution on Thursday. In lumping white students with those of Asian descent, the administration is using Asian Americans as a pawn to dismantle affirmative action.

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Love and Dignity at the End of Life
In 1997, Vu was wrongfully incarcerated and sentenced to 60 years in prison -- for a crime that would normally get a 10-year sentence. His friend later confessed that he was at fault for the crime. Still serving his sentence, Vu was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with less than a year to live. Due to COVID-19, he is not allowed visits and is dealing with medical treatment that leaves him susceptible to infection. Vu's family and friends are mounting a case to appeal to the state to allow him to live out his days around his loved ones instead of dying in prison alone. The've launched a GoFundMe campaign asking for assistance for their legal case. Read more about Vu's situation here.

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How Does a Restaurant Like This Happen in 2020?
"How do you mess up this badly? White people making Asian food isn't anything new, but this specific concept is especially inappropriate and confusing because this place doesn't seem to honor tradition or innovation. You usually open a restaurant like this and pick a lane: authentic or innovative. But they’re playing it straight down the middle. It's not authentic at all; it’s not executed to amplify well-made traditional or modern Korean food close to its authentic form. But it's not very creative or innovative, either -- just watered-down Korean food for white comfort and white taste buds."

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Open Casting Call: Korean Male Proficient in Korean, Japanese and English
This casting call for an unspecified series on a "major streaming service" is seeking "a Korean male actor in his 20s-30s that is very proficient or fluent in Korean, English, and Japanese. The language requirement is important because the character grew up in Japan and Korea, and came to the United States as a young adult." The series will shoot in Korea, Japan and Canada, and talent must be available September 2020 to March 2021. It doesn't mention the name of the series, but I'd put my money on the adaptation of Min Jin Lee's novel Pachinko, which is being produced as a series for AppleTV.

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Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang and Charles Melton To Star In Rom Come 'Love Hard’
Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang and Charles Melton are set to star in the Netflix romantic comedy Love Hard. Written by Danny Mackey and Rebecca Ewing, the film is described as When Harry Met Sally meets Roxanne, and "follows an LA girl, unlucky in love, who falls for an East Coast guy on a dating app and decides to surprise him for Christmas, only to discover that she's been catfished. But the object of her affection actually lives in the same town, and the guy who duped her offers to set them up IF she pretends to be his own girlfriend for the holidays." Hm. I feel like I already know where this is all going.

'Mulan' is Skipping Theaters and Going Straight to Disney Plus

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



'Mulan' to Premiere on Disney Plus
After months of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live-action Mulan is finally getting a release next month, bypassing theaters altogether and going straight to Disney Plus. Mulan will debut September 4 on the streaming service, but it'll cost subscribers a hefty "premiere access" rental fee of $29.99. With the world currently on fire, and nobody reasonably headed to movie theaters anytime soon, this will be an interest test case for the future of moviegoing. So... will you pay thirty bucks to watch Mulan at home?

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Safe From Hate
Responding to sharp rise in violence and harassment targeting Asian Americans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Safe From Hate" is a new initiative giving away free personal safety alarms to Asian Americans in New York City's Chinatown. The initial launch, happening the morning of Saturday, August 15, will give away up to 600 alarms to pre-registered seniors over 60 years of age residing at Confucius Plaza. "Safe From Hate" was created by Gilbert Chan and Barbara Yau, two longtime friends who were fueled by a motivation to protect Asian Americans who have been targeted in recent racist attacks. Find out more here.

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Lifetime is Finally Making an Asian American Christmas Movie
Lifetime's 2020 slate for their "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" holiday programming will include A Sugar & Spice Holiday, the cable network's first holiday movie centered on a Chinese American family. Jennifer Liao is set to direct with Eirene Donohue writing. Casting is currently underway, with production set to begin this month. The official description: "Suzie, a rising young architect, returns to her small hometown in Maine for Christmas where, her Chinese American family runs the local Lobster Bar. Following the loss of her beloved grandmother who was a legendary baker in their community, Suzie is guilted into following in her grandmother's footsteps by entering the local gingerbread house competition. Teaming up with an old high school friend Billy, who grew up to be a catch, Suzie must find the right recipes and mix of sugar and spice to win the competition and perhaps find some love in the process."

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Could This Be a Casting Call for Shang-Chi?
This week in Sydney, where production is about to resume for Marvel's Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten Rings, folks spotted a possible casting call for the movie, looking for Chinese men and woman with "archery skills." The full flyer posted here, reads: "Extras casting, Film in Sydney, Archery, Chinese Men & Women 18+. Archery Skills: not required to shoot an arrow. Knowledge of how to use a bow is required." Hey, Australian readers, maybe that's you! If you know how to hold a bow and look good doing it, you could maybe possibly maybe be an extra in Shang-Chi.

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A Thousand Cuts
A Thousand Cuts is a powerful new film about the attacks on the free press in the Philippines. Directed by Ramona Diaz, the film focuses on journalist Maria Ressa and her attempts to fight back and defend press freedom in the country from the authoritarian regime of President Rodrigo Duterte. Ressa places the tools of the free press -- and her freedom -- on the line in defense of truth and democracy. A Thousand Cuts opens Friday in virtual cinemas nationwide. For more information, go here

Casting Call Seeks Actress to Play Anna May Wong

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



"Must be able to carry a tune."
I've been seeing this casting call passed around, looking for someone to play screen icon Anna May Wong in the upcoming Paramount Pictures film Babylon: "ANNA MAY WONG: aged 30-40's; Chinese-American; based on the real person, Anna May is a dynamic singer/actress in the 1920s who moves in the top Hollywood circles but still struggles against racial stereotypes in the roles she is asked to play. Must be able to carry a tune. Shooting will begin approx. June/July 2020 in Los Angles. To be directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Brad Pitt and Emma Stone. If you are interested in pursuing, please send your picture/resume to Francine Maisler Casting at FMCselftapes@gmail.com." Good luck.

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A new virus stirs up ancient hatred
"This coronavirus is new. But the diseases of xenophobia and racism are not. And as history has shown, outbreaks of the latter are potentially harder to contain, and far more lethal."

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Berkeley Law School Drops Boalt Name Over Racist Legacy
The name "Boalt Hall" was removed from the University of California Berkeley's law school after a yearslong process that determined, in essence, that the school should no longer honor a man whose most notable work was rooted in racist views -- views that were instrumental in legitimizing anti-Chinese racism and in catalyzing support for passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Good riddance.

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Why The Green Hornet is ripe for a return
A new movie version of The Green Hornet may soon be in the works. Indie film/TV production company Amasia Entertainment has secured the film franchise rights to the superhero property. First debuting as a radio serial in 1936, The Green Hornet follows the adventures of Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher by day who fights crime by night as the titular masked vigilante, alongside his trusty aide Kato. As we all know, in the short-lived 1960s TV version of The Green Hornet, Kato was famously played by Bruce Lee in one of his first Hollywood screen roles. Wherever this goes, here's hoping a movie reboot of The Green Hornet does Kato right.

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Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha
Robin Ha's Almost American Girl is a powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life. Robin, who grew up as the daughter of a single mother in Seoul, finds her life turned upside down when a vacation to Huntsville, Alabama unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation -- and her mom gets married. She struggles with extreme culture shock and isolation, until she discovers her passion for comic arts.

Casting Call: Netflix is looking for Claudia Kishi

Upcoming 'Baby-Sitters Club' series seeks Japanese American actress to play fan-favorite character.



Calling Claudia Kishi! The upcoming Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club, based on the popular book series, is searching for a young Japanese American actress to play fan favorite character Claudia Kishi.

They're currently holding auditions to find a 12-year-old Japanese American female to fill the series regular role of Claudia. According to the casting call, Claudia is "a bit of a dreamer with her head in the clouds, the result of which is that she's not the greatest student. She's ahead of the curve level cool and always arty, with a fashionable clothes, a friend and neighbor of Kristy and Mary Anne." That sounds like Claudia.

"Claudia went through a phase where she 'decided she'd rather look like a Barbie than play with one,'" the casting call continues. "Even her bedroom is a cool mess, filled with paintings collages and clippings, and everyone agrees it's the perfect place for the newly formed Baby-Sitters Club."

How to audition for Jon M. Chu's adaptation of 'In the Heights'

Open casting call seeks talent for upcoming film version of the beloved Tony Award-winning musical.



In the Heights is looking for some fresh talent. Director Jon M. Chu's upcoming adaptation of the beloved Tony Award-winning musical has put out an open digital casting call for auditions.

In the Heights, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, follows the residents of largely Latino Upper Manhattan neighborhood Washington Heights -- a bodega owner, a college student, a taxi driver, a beauty salon worker, and an old woman -- aspire to better lives as gentrification begins to take hold, and a sweltering summer power blackout brings their personal life crises to a head.

This is your chance to be considered for a role in the film. Here are more details about the casting call:

Casting Call: 'This Is Us' needs a cute Vietnamese kid

NBC drama seeks 5-10 year old boy for recurring role.



Know a Vietnamese kid who wants to be an actor? This Is Us is looking for a young Vietnamese actor, 5 to 10 years old, for recurring role on the upcoming season of the hit NBC drama.

The little boy who will play the role of "Lanh" must be "adorable," able to speak conversational/fluent Vietnamese, and live in Los Angeles or the surrounding area. This is a recurring co-star role.

Here's the casting call that's getting passed around:

Casting Call: 'Lucky Grandma' needs a Chinese Andre The Giant

Indie feature needs a huge bodyguard to protect a chain-smoking Chinatown grandma from gangsters.



The upcoming independent feature film Lucky Grandma, directed by Sasie Sealy and co-written by Sealy and Angela Cheng, will be shooting in New York City's Chinatown and Flushing this fall. The production is currently in the middle of casting and looking for an actor to fill a key role in the film.

Lucky Grandma is a story about an ornery, chain-smoking, gambling Chinatown grandma who gets in trouble with two warring Tongs and hires a bodyguard to protect her and her grandson. The film will feature and all-Asian cast and will be largely in Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Fukienese).

Right now, they're specifically looking for someone who speaks fluent Cantonese or Mandarin that might be right for the lead role of "Big Pong," a huge Andre-the-Giant-type bodyguard character. Here's the breakdown:

Casting call seeks Taiwanese actors for 'Tigertail'

Upcoming Netflix feature film from writer/director Alan Yang.



Hey, wanna be a in a movie? This casting call, currently circulating on social media, is looking for Taiwanese and Mandarin-speaking actors of various ages to star in the upcoming Netflix movie Tigertail, written and directed by Alan Yang. No previous acting experience is required.

A quick and dirty internet search for TigerTail comes up with this synopsis: "After a hard childhood growing up in Taiwan, Grover takes a risky opportunity to move to America with a woman he doesn't connect with to start a new life, abandoning his love and a home he genuinely loved. He looks back on this decision throughout his life, perhaps stubbornly, especially as he sees his daughter Angela grow up to be a stubborn woman herself. Grover and Angela don't realize how similar they are, but eventually come to understand each other as they experience regret and failure, but enough happiness to keep moving on."

Yang is best known as the award-winning co-creator of Master of None, and as a writer and producer for NBC's Parks and Recreation. The film's title, "Tigertail," appears to be a reference to Yang's own family origins. In a 2015 Fresh Air interview, he mentioned that his father hailed from a small village in Taiwan called TigerTail.

Anyway, here's the casting call:

Casting Call: Wong Kar-Wai needs actors for 'Tong Wars'

Famed Hong Kong auteur to direct Chinese American gangster saga for Amazon.



It's true. Wong Kar-wai is doing TV. The legendary Hong Kong auteur is stepping into the episodic television format with the 10-part original Amazon series Tong Wars, "a gangster saga that resonates within the complex narrative of the Chinese American experience." The series follows the journey of Vicky Sun from a slave girl in turn-of-the-century Chinatown to the richest woman in 1970s San Francisco.

And they need actors! This open casting call notice for Tong Wars is currently being shared widely on social media. They're looking for Chinese actors of various ages who can speak fluent Cantonese and American English to play the series regular roles of Vicky Sun, Tom Sun, Lo Mo and Johnny Young.

Check it out:

Casting call seeks Asian teen for 'Titans'

Open auditions for the live-action adaptation of DC Comics' Teen Titans.



Want to play a superhero on TV? Note: you might have to be green. And I'm not talking about the Hulk.

Casting directors are currently searching high and low for an Asian teen to star in Titans, a live-action adaptation of DC Comics' Teen Titans from Warner Bros. Television/DC Entertainment.

The open casting call from Rapaport/Baldasare Casting seeks a 13 to 15 year old Asian male to play the series regular role of "Jax," who is described as "funny, self-deprecating and charming."

A 'Joy Luck Club' television series is in the works

Casting call seeks Chinese American women to participate in research for the show.



There's apparently a Joy Luck Club television series in the works. Whaaaaaaat. Somebody -- Ellen DeGeneres, possibly(!?) -- is developing a new television series based on Amy Tan's widely-read 1989 novel, and they're putting the call out to Chinese American women to be part of a discussion as research for the show.

According to this casting call, producers are seeking a "professionally diverse group of Chinese American born women," ages of 26 to 34 years old in the San Francisco area, to "discuss their lives as a Chinese American female in today's society." The project will take place on June 20 in San Francisco.

Here's the casting call:

Do you have what it takes to play the young Bruce Lee?

Casting call seeks Chinese actor to play teenage Bruce in 'Little Dragon.'



I'm not sure how legit this is, but this flyer, recently spotted in a tea shop in Los Angeles' Chinatown, appears to be a casting call for the upcoming Bruce Lee biopic Little Dragon.

According to the flyer, Betty Mae Casting is searching a 16 to 18-year-old English-speaking Chinese actor "with a winning smile and wonderful sense of humor." Previous reporting stated that a worldwide search was underway to cast the role. If they're really posting flyers in tea shops, it looks like they're really are searching high and low to find the right guy to play the young Bruce Lee.

Here's the full flyer:

Extras needed for 'Go For Broke' film project in Hawaii

442 Origins will tell the story of the 100th / 442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service.



The 442 Origins series is a Hawaii-based, non-commercial education film project that will tell the complete story of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service. The first film in the series, Go For Broke, is currently in production in Hawaii, and they are in need of Asian men to be extras in the film.

Go For Broke follows a group of University of Hawaii ROTC students during the tumultuous year after the attack on Pearl Harbor as they navigate wartime Hawaii and fight discrimination by forming the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV). The brave actions of these young Japanese Americans, along with the perseverance of the original 100th Infantry Battalion draftees from Hawaii, directly led to the formation of the all-Japanese American fighting unit -- the 442nd -- the most decorated combat unit in American military history.

If you're in Hawaii, they're looking for Asian men, ages 16-30, this Saturday, January 7 at UH Manoa to help create iconic moments from the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat team. Here's some more info:

Who will star in 'Crazy Rich Asians'? Maybe you.

Casting call seeks actors for lead roles in Jon M. Chu's adaptation of the bestselling novel.



When it was announced that Kevin Kwan's bestselling beach read Crazy Rich Asians was being adapted into a movie, fans immediately started putting together their dream casts. The movie would be a huge opportunity for whoever landed the coveted starring roles of Rachel Chu, Nick Young and Astrid Leong.

Turns out, maybe it's you.

After a heated bidding war for the movie rights, Warner Bros. is fast-tracking Crazy Rich Asians. Directed by Jon M. Chu and featuring and exclusively Asian cast, the film could start shooting as early as this spring in Singapore. And they're putting out an open casting call to fill the film's key roles.

According to this casting notice, Terri Taylor Casting is currently seeking Asian male and female actors, ages 28-35, for the lead roles of Rachel, Nick and Astrid:

Are you a turbaned Sikh American who is ready to shine?

Photographers Amit and Naroop and The Sikh Coalition are looking for turbaned Sikhs for The Singh Project.



The Sikh Coalition is looking for camera-ready Sikh Americans of all ages for the U.S. edition of The Singh Project, a groundbreaking upcoming photography exhibition with UK-based photographers Amit and Naroop.

The Singh Project explores the style and symbolism of the Sikh articles of faith -- in particular, the turban and beard. The original Singh Project featured 36 portraits of British Sikhs and demonstrated the diversity and beauty of the Sikh turban. The new American portraits will feature a combination of iconic Sikh Americans that have previously made an impression on the American psyche, along with untold stories that illustrate the complex Sikh American experience.

Amit and Naroop, in partnership with the Sikh Coalition, are currently casting for the Singh Project -- U.S. edition! Turbaned Sikh Americans of all ages and genders are invited to take part.

Casting Call: Seeking Asian American Transgender performers for 'Interstate'

Staged reading for a new pop-rock poetry musical by Kit Yan and Melissa Li


Putting the call out for Asian American transgender and gender nonconforming actors.... Interstate, a new musical by Melissa Li and Kit Yan, is currently seeking Equity or non-Equity Asian American transgender or gender nonconforming performers for a 29 hour staged reading happening next month.

Interstate is described as an Asian American pop-rock poetry musical about two transgender people at different stages of their journey and their parallel experiences with love, family, and finding a community.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, April 2 in Midtown Manhattan. Here's the breakdown:

Casting Call: East West Players presents 'La Cage Aux Folles'

Seeking Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian legit musical theater performers for upcoming production.



East West Players, the longest running theater of color in the United States, is seeking Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian musical theater performers for their upcoming Los Angeles production of La Cage Aux Folles.

This Tony Award winning musical, which inspired the film The Birdcage, is about a gay couple; Georges, a suave owner of a glitzy drag club, and Albin, his high-strung star performer, whose charmed lives turn upside down when George's son, Jean-Michel, turns up with his fiancée, Anne. Cultures collide as Georges and Albin are introduced to Anne and her parents, members of the conservative Traditional Family Values Coalition.

Les Cage Aux Folles is scheduled to begin previews on May 12, with rehearsals beginning in April.

Casting Call: Seeking Asian actors for 'Ready Player One'

Directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the book by Ernest Cline.



Got this casting call passed along to me for the upcoming Warner Bros. film Ready Player One. Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the book by Ernest Cline, the thriller is about a kid on a high-stakes treasure hunt competition through a virtual reality world created in a society that obsesses about 1980s pop culture.

They're seeking actors for the movie's teenage hero Wade Watts, as well as a couple of supporting roles that specifically call for performers of Asian descent, including Shoto, a 10 to 13-year-old Chinese male who speaks fluent Mandarin and English fluently and is described as "hip and knowing for his age"; and Daito, a 20-year-old Japanese male who speaks Japanese and English fluently.

Here's the breakdown:

Casting Call: Broken Blossoms Case of 1935

Seeking actors for one-time performance at the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco.



Bay Area actors! The Chinese Historical Society of America is looking to cast actors for a unique live lecture/performance project with artist and photographer Eddie Wong, based on 1935's "Broken Blossoms" case. The one-time only performance, to be held on Saturday, March 5 in San Francisco, will tell the true story of four Chinese women forced into prostitution in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Here are some more details about the project: