Charlie's Angels Race Card

Bill Murray Bernie Mac John Cleese Lucy Liu

The Media Action Network for Asian Americans is up in arms against the creators of Charlie's Angels for missing out on the opportunity for giving Lucy Liu's character an Asian parent by casting funny man John Cleese. They have an opinion piece in the L.A. Times: Only Alex's father would appear in the sequel, and he would be played by British comedian John Cleese. Alex's Asian mother would be reduced to an image in a photograph glimpsed for only one second...As Alex's biological father, Cleese is simply preposterous in the role. Liu is clearly a full-blooded Asian and couldn't convincingly be half-white. And even if one accepts the idea that Alex is biracial � which is not germane to the story � why is her Asian parent not allowed on screen? [Via Movie City News]

MANAA also references Bernie Mac as Bill Murray's brother, but freaks out Gothamist by revealing the too-detailed copy of some over zealous Charlie's Angels publicist: And even though "Full Throttle" plays on racial confusion by implying that Bernie Mac is playing Bill Murray's "brother," the story eventually tells us that they are not blood relatives. By contrast, the movie's press kit describes Alex as "the fruit of [the Cleese character's] loins."

John Cleese's loins - we love him, but no loins, please. Now, Gothamist likes to see Asian actors get their due...but maybe casting an Asian actor wouldn't have been as big a joke for Western audiences, who, like it or not, rule the day. We understand why MANAA had to write this letter and call the Full Throttle team on it, but we also understand why John Cleese was cast. He's a funny dude. And let the record show that the first Charlie's Angels movie gave Lucy Liu the non-Chinese last name of "Munday."

We think Charlie's Angels is annoying for other reasons.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment on July 7, 2003 3:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Johnny

what the hell, Lucy Liu is asian?

Sam

Not to defend a stupid movie like Full Throttle or anything but from my recent professional experience, I can tell you that the possible reason why an Asian American woman was not shown in the movie as her mother is because:

A good asian american actress is hard to come by. Especially for a comedic role.

Danny says blame the Jews for this one: He should know since he's part of the underground Jewish Mafia that runs everything. The UJM don't like old asian women in movies. "What the fuck do you think this is? The Joy Luck Club part deux?"

In any case, I'm so glad this movie is not doing as well in the box office as the first.

RIO

How about instead of various asian rights groups picking through the tiny parts of Charlie's Angels, they spend more time on "obvious" racist media product such as the new FOX TV show called "Banzai"? In fact, hey Jen, don't you think this "Banzai" issue deserves it's own separate post?

Nobi

Gah, tape things?!? It's insane when I think of how many asian women I know who have had that surgery. It's a big deal in the Korean community. My sis and I were born with them, but my brother only has a fold in one eye. I think it makes him look geeky-dapper, like Thom Yorke from Radiohead.

Jen

Don't get me started on Asians and big round eyes, Choire. Or what the hey: Certain family members recommended, no, insisted I get the eye surgery for eyefolds, and when I refused, it was suggested, no, enforced that I put these tape things on my eyes to encourage eyefolds. Needless to say, I lasted about 15 minutes. I can't help it if I have squinty Asian eyes! It's just the way I am!