Yellow Face Film Analysis

Race has been portrayed differently throughout the years in media. Some believe that race plays an important part in the media while others disagree. Many argue that race are not portrayed not appropriately or no casted in enough movies so therefore, play a big role. I believe, however, that race should not have to play a big part of the entertainment industry. I think that the way the actor portrays the character is more important. In the play Yellow Face, by David Henry Hwang, race is used throughout the book to show how race should not matter in the entertainment industry. Racial identity should not play a prominent role in casting, but should instead be based off the talent of the actor, and their qualification to play the role.

For example, if a person were to say they disliked a movie or play that they have just seen, generally they are talking about the plot or actions the characters took. Issa Nash writes about the how different races were casted of original ones in comic books; “Did the actor's race have a detrimental effect on the episode or the series? Absolutely not. Whether you enjoyed the episode or not, and whether you're a fan or not, the fact remains that any criticism would likely be about the episode or its concepts”. Nash is saying that if you cast a different race and you dislike the role it’s more likely the people disagree with the qualifications of the actor or the plot of the performance. Similarly, if a movies portrays a different race then what was originally called for, as long as stereotypes involved in the publishing then it is okay. When stereotypes about races are portrayed many people believe it because it's where they get their information, which is not okay. If however, a different race was involved and the race was depicted accurately, than having the qualified actor, that happens to be a different race, is justified. In the play Yellow Face, both Marcus and DHH spoke about how people in the media shouldn't be judged by their race as an actor. As Marcus spoke to the reporter he said, “Never let anyone tell you that what you look like is who you are. Those are the limitations we have to fight” (40). By saying this, both DHH and Marcus admit that the qualifications you exhibit as an actor is much more important than their