"Iron Fist" actor and stuntman Lewis Tan lamented the lack of leading roles for Asian actors in the entertainment industry. In an interview, he discussed the frustrating position of ethnic actors getting cast for a lead role.
He went to say that he does not see male leading roles for Asians at the moment, and said that it is hard to get out of the barrier of expectations attached to Asian actors, His Style Diary reported.
"You have to know martial arts, you have to be super smart. I don't see male leading roles for Asians. The thing is, I want to be the lead, the hero, the love interest character. I don't want to play the fifth best friend who is a nerd. I don't want to play the ninja, whose face you never see. I know kung fu, I've been doing martial arts for 15 years, and I love it. But I think there are these expectations. These are the roles they are comfortable with Asians doing. They aren't comfortable in seeing you in lead roles - the ones I want," he explained.
Tan originally auditioned for Danny Rand, the titular role in the upcoming Marvel/Netflix series "Iron Fist." Marvel was reportedly considering Asian actors for the role until they decided to cast "Game of Thrones" alum, Finn Jones for the lead role, Screen Rant reported.
Tan on the other hand ended up in a major role as Zhou Cheng, Iron Fist's arch nemesis. Given his stance on the issue, Tan is still optimistic about the upcoming "Defender" and the acting opportunities for minority actors in Hollywood.
"Iron Fist" arrives on March 17, 2017.
I would have loved to of played Danny but I gave #Marvel everything I have for Zhou. I can't wait for you guys to see the show. #IronFist
— Lewis Tan (@TheLewisTan) October 8, 2016
There's a lot of work to be done to see more ethnic actors as the heroes in major Films/TV but the wall is coming down. We all have a voice — Lewis Tan (@TheLewisTan) October 8, 2016
