Earl R. Merrill: Twenty Years Ago, An Indian American Actor Wrote A Play For Himself, And Now He Revisits It

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Twenty Years Ago, An Indian American Actor Wrote A Play For Himself, And Now He Revisits It

Has anything changed for Asians and other people of color in the theatre and movie world? Aasif Mandvi: “When you tell a story in Hollywood about brown people or black people or any people of color, it’s got to an extraordinary story. It’s got to be the worst thing or the best thing. It’s got to be like, [film trailer voice] “He was born a free man and then he was sold into slavery, and then he got onto a game show and won a million dollars. It’s 12 Years a Slumdog Millionaire!” It’s got to be Crazy Rich Asians, it can’t just be Asians, you know?”