#Nilo Ghajar

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Tala and her stunt double Nilo Ghajar 🖤

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The Package

August 10, 2018

[thephantomprojectionist]

[1600 Word Essay] Women’s & Minority Representation in DTV Martial Arts Movies

It’s long interested (and, recently, concerned) me how movies represent women and minorities (ethnic and cultural). As of late, I’ve turned this scrutiny on my particular film niche – direct-to-video American martial arts movies. Specifically, I wanted to measure which demographic was most likely to produce stars within the subgenre. I already had an idea, but the results were still a little surprising.

I’ve collected the data as to who’s been a leading star in these sorts of movies since 1985. All of the performers listed below have starred in or co-led at least three US-based DTV/limited release action/martial arts productions. Where applicable, I’ve substituted a starring role in a TV production in lieu of a third film lead.

White Men (not Latin): Loren Avedon, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris,* Richard Norton, Jeff Speakman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jeff Wincott, Michael Worth, Scott Adkins, David Bradley, Bryan Genesse, Michael Bernardo, Paul Logan, Sasha Mitchell, Michael Dudikoff, Ted Jan Roberts, Ron Marchini, Chad McQueen, Scott Shaw, Eric Jacobus, Matt Mullins, Gary Daniels, Olivier Gruner, Jerry Trimble, Dale Cook, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Gary Wasniewski, Steven Seagal** White Women (not Latin): Cynthia Rothrock, Mimi Lesseos, Zoe Bell Asian Men: Philip Rhee, Ho-Sung Pak, Leo Fong, Johnny Yong Bosch, Jon Foo, Julian Lee, Jun Chong, Jino Kang, Cung Le, Don Wilson, Ernie Reyes, Jr. Asian Women: N/A Black Men: Billy Blanks, Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White, Fred Williamson, Ron Hall Black Women: N/A Latin Men: Fabian Carillo, Hector Echavarria, Lorenzo Lamas Latin Women: N/A Arab Men: Jalal Merhi Arab Women: N/A Multiracial Men: Mark Dacascos Multiracial Women: N/A *Norris describes himself as being of mixed ethnicity, but his claims have been disputed. [SOURCE] **Ditto. [SOURCE]

[ERRATUM 8/4/18: I may have mis-attributed the ethnicity of Mimi Lesseos, whose Wikipedia article claims she’s actually Latinx and Greek.]

The obvious implications of this data are that (1) white men enjoy far greater representation than all other groups, and (2) women of color are completely unrepresented. Additionally, no other ethnicities or cultural identities than the ones listed here are represented at all, and this includes Asians who don’t fall under the eastern or southeastern headings.

So... What’s the problem here? What’s the issue, especially since we’re talking about such a very specific subgenre? Well, to everybody outside of this niche, there isn’t a problem beyond the degree to which DTV action flicks mirror the larger filmmaking scene. However, representation matters here as much as for any genre because it helps determine the future of this kind of movie. If these films are viewed by customers and filmmakers as primarily a gilding hall for white male leads, the number of women and minorities vying for anything beyond stuntwork or supporting parts isn’t encouraged to grow...and that’s likely to deprive us all of potentially great talent. Women, people of color, and other minorities help comprise the cream of the martial arts crop, and the thought of losing out on the next potential Cynthia Rothrock or Michael Jai White is galling. These movies don’t necessarily thrive on technical or dramatic innovation, but rather the physical innovation of its performers. Given this, it’s within everybody’s interest that anybody with the potential to thrill martial enthusiasts be duly considered.

“Objection: As this data only represents the DTV realm, it’s not an accurate portrayal of representation in American filmmaking or even the action/martial arts genre as a whole.”

The fact that DTV films don’t encompass the entirety of a genre doesn’t negate the significance of their own sector, the same way that one avenue of occupation needn’t encompass the entire job market to have unique implications for those involved. Though often viewed as a derivative of Hollywood, the DTV realm is very much its own place with unique hierarchies and politics. Entire careers are played out within it. What’s more, the DTV circuit isn’t so small as to be insignificant: even if the U.S. blockbuster scene became a beacon of representation, poor practices in the DTV scene could still be enough to unsettle the landscape. When you consider that less than 100 films are given a widespread theatrical release in the U.S. each year, it’s easy to imagine how quickly the smaller, quickly-produced releases can overtake them in quantity. Add to that the popularity of online video streaming services and their equalizing nature, and you can see that DTV flicks are a significant part the national film market.

“Objection: A quantitative measurement doesn’t properly convey how well a group is represented. For example, Wesley Snipes is more prolific and successful than almost every white male star listed here.”

Aside from the fact that too many demographics are still entirely unrepresented, the problem with pointing to a Wesley Snipes or a Lorenzo Lamas as adequate representation for an entire group is that it closes off the chances for anyone else who might fall within that demographic. If you take one prominent star and say there’s no need for additional representation, then what reason is there for someone else from that group to be taken on? Again, the result is the DTV circuit potentially depriving itself of the next great showstopper.

“Objection: The sample is too limiting. There’d be more women and minority entrants if you counted those with fewer than three starring roles and/or counted supporting ones (e.g. lead villains).”

I opted for no less than three starring roles because this indicates an established career within the DTV realm, which indicates a willingness of studios/distributors to repeatedly invest in a performer – this is, to some degree, the mark of a star. I’ve limited the credits to lead roles because such parts convey prestige and social esteem, and this is important. Yes, fans can definitely find favorites among lifetime supporting players, but supporting role or even those of the lead villain typically don’t convey the positive qualities that usually define protagonists. Aside from being promoted the most, lead characters are most likely the ones the audience is encouraged to identify with. By comparison, other roles don’t measure up.

“Objection: Maybe there aren’t more women/minorities in lead roles because there are no viable contenders.”

Here’s but a small sample of viable contenders – women and men with the necessary physical talent to lead a fight flick.

Marissa Labog & Peipei Yuan – Fight Scene Chris Balualua – Showreel Lauren Mary Kim & Amy Johnston – Fight Scene Percy “Spitfire” Brown – Showreel Robert Parham – Showreel Fernando Chien – Showreel Tamiko Brownlee & Natalie Padilla – Fight Scene Anna Ranoso – Fight Scene Emmanuel Manzanares – Showreel Zara Phytian – Fight Scene Jawed El Berni – Short Film, The List Andy Leung & Ray Carbonel – Fight Scene, Contour Cheryl Lewis – Fight Scene Gui DaSilva – Fight Scene Nilo Ghajar-Williams Vs. Ieisha Auyeung – Fight Scene Natascha Hopkins – Fight Scene Gichi Gamba – Film Highlights, PowerRangers Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez – Fight Scene w/Peipei Yuan Shawn Bernal – Short Film, Flower Thieves Kristina Hess – Showreel John Lewis & Alex Meraz – Short Film, The Reward Cecily Fay – Film Highlights Rayna Vallandingham – Showreel Ed Kahana – Fight Scene, Relic Hunt Eve Torres – Fight Scene, The Scorpion King 4 Marie Mouroum – Showreel Krystal Vee & Selina Lo – Fight Scene, The Scorpion King 3 Juan Bofill – Fight Scene

“Do you have any good news?”

The good news is that the trend of white guys dominating this subgenre does seem to be abating as we move further into the 21st century. Of the 52 names in the sample, thirteen (13) are individuals who’ve begun starring in these movies within the past 16 years; of these, only 5 are white men – about 38 percent of the total.

White Men: Scott Adkins, Eric Jacobus, Matt Mullins, Gary Wasniewski, Steven Seagal White Women: Zoe Bell Asian Men: Johnny Yong Bosch, Jon Foo, Jino Kang, Cung Le Black Men: Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White Latin Men: Hector Echavarria

Though white male performers still enjoy the greatest amount of representation, they don’t completely dominate the pipeline of new stars.

Also, I get the impression that big-budget Hollywood is making an effort to diversify the selection of people it has leading its movies. I’ve said before that the DTV arena isn’t merely derivative of Big Studio World, but obviously the latter plays a huge role in shaping popular trends. If Hollywood capitalizes on diversity among stars as an asset, then low-budget filmmakers may be inclined to follow.

“How do we change this? How do we get new, diverse performers to helm these movies?”

The first step is to find out who’s actually out there. The list of links I provided is pretty short, given the sheer amount of performers making their reels publicly available. Become a fan of lesser-known kickers. Once you’ve found someone whose work consistently impresses you and who you’d like to see lead a production, you can get started. Short of stepping down from a theatrical career, there are generally two ways that new performers acquire starring roles in the DTV scene: (1) they work their way up from smaller parts and/or stuntwork, or (2) they finance or co-finance their own productions. In either case, what you need to do is support them. Help finance indie projects they’re developing via crowd-funding. Feature them and their work on your social media. If they’ve had parts in studio work, review these movies publicly and point out that their involvement is the reason you looked at the picture in the first place. And if a movie they’ve starred in gets released, buy it directly – don’t download or buy it from a third party seller, and for goodness sake don’t post the whole thing online for free.

It’s up to the performer(s) in question to prove that they’d rock a starring role, but it’s up us to make their effort worth it.

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Nilo Ghajar

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Nilo Ghajar