WWAM Bam has just published a group post I contributed to titled Our Top 10 Picks for an Asian James Bond. It’s a part of the blog’s Where’s Wang series that examines the portrayal of Asian men in Western media.
Here’s an excerpt from the piece:
James Bond, the British Secret Service agent with a penchant for explosive story-lines and pretty ladies has been flitting across our screens for all of 55 impressive years. In that time, he has been played by a host of different actors; or maybe not so different after all? A quick scroll through James Bond actors past and present reveals a painful truth: the height of diversity for the Bond Brand is Scottish or Irish ancestry (not that we don’t love you Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan!). However, in light of our increasingly multicultural societies and this abysmal diversity record, we here at WWAM BAM! have decided that it’s time for an Asian Bond. We voted on our Top Ten list of Asian males who could play the suave agent and bring a bit of global flair to the role; but only if they master a posh British accent of course! Who do you think should be the next Asian Double-0? Let us know below!
So who are our top 10 picks? Head on over to WWAM Bam to read the full article (while also admiring the handsome contenders… 😉 ). And if you love it, share it!
An Asian “James Bond?” I suppose whoever owns the rights can do anything they please, but would the general public buy it? Or perhaps there are limits to “political correctness,” after all….No thanks, but even though I am a big fan of Asian action cinema including martial arts, crime thrillers etc., I would not be in the least interested especially since I like the Connery/Moore/Craig versions….Now, an Asian James-Bond-type character–somebody like that would catch my attention if the guy in the role is Donnie Yen or even Chow Yun Fat in his prime, or maybe even Korea’s Jang Dong Gun.
I’m going to think this one over and get back to everyone.