Racist Casting - Upcoming Movie About MIT Blackjack Team

Remember that cool book 'Bringing Down the House' about those MIT kids who won millions in Vegas? Well Kevin Spacey is making a movie about it called "21". It turns out the book's main character "Kevin Lewis" and many members of the team were Asian men. "Kevin Lewis" is an Asian guy named Jeffrey Ma, who at the time was a fraternity, college water-polo player.

Check out this blurb from a newspaper: "Mezrich mentioned the stereotypical Hollywood casting process — though most of the actual blackjack team was composed of Asian males, a studio executive involved in the casting process said that most of the film’s actors would be White, with perhaps an Asian female. Even as Asian actors are entering more mainstream films, such as “Better Luck Tomorrow? and the upcoming “Memoirs of a Geisha,? these stereotypes still exist, Mezrich said."

Producers recently cast Jim Sturgess as the lead actor, and purportedly no Asian men will be included in the movie, even as co-stars. This is racist! Read the links below for more info.

This view is brought about in part by Hollywood, with films like “Ocean’s Eleven,” in which gambling is made to seem exotic and sexy. Incidentally, Mezrich’s “Bringing Down the House” is now being turned into a feature film by Kevin Spacey, who will play the MIT professor who trained the blackjack team described in that book. During the talk, Mezrich mentioned the stereotypical Hollywood casting process — though most of the actual blackjack team was composed of Asian males, a studio executive involved in the casting process said that most of the film’s actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female. Even as Asian actors are entering more mainstream films, such as “Better Luck Tomorrow” and the upcoming “Memoirs of a Geisha,” these stereotypes still exist, Mezrich said
more -  http://www-tech.mit.edu/V125/N43/43vegas.html

Other links
http://www.thelavinagency.com/usa/jeffreyma.html
http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17807

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Minorities have legal ground to sue studios
UCLA professor announces new findings in casting policies

"Casting directors take into account race and sex in a way that would be blatantly illegal in any other industry," said study author Russell Robinson, UCLA acting professor of law. "Many actors accept this as normal, but depending on the facts of the case, lawsuits can be filed."

"Robinson announced the findings Wednesday, citing a 2006 survey of casting announcements from Breakdown Services that found 69% of roles reserved for white actors, 8.5% open to all races, 8.1% open to African Americans, 5.2% for Latinos, 4.3% for Asian Americans, 2.9% for multiracial, 1.7% open to Middle Eastern and 0.5% open to Native Americans.

The study also found that men were almost three times as likely as women to work in the first-billed lead role and that whites occupied 82% of those roles, based on a review of 171 films that grossed at least $1 million last year.

Women filled 44% of second-billed roles and 40% of third-billed roles, the study found.

Robinson also noted in the study that studios could use several defenses against legal actions, such as asserting that race and gender are "bona fide occupational qualifications"; contending that casting is a form of free speech that may be protected under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment; and offering a market-based defense that race/gender casting maximizes box office success."
more - http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954779.html?categoryid=18&cs=1