Vote for the first asian actor on Firefly/Serenity by Shiny

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Vote for the first asian actor on Firefly/Serenity

POSTED BY: SHINY
UPDATED: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 11:08
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 12308
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Friday, August 6, 2004 1:56 PM

So there have been a bunch of threads about the lack of asian actors (with speaking roles) on Firefly (see for example http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=7&t=3297 and http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=2438 and http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=528 and http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=6342 ) and whether there was a in-story explanation (racially/culturally segregated planets, or even too much intermixing) or a real-world explanation (insufficiently large asian actor talent pool from which to draw). My question is this: If Joss wrote in a meaningful role for an asian character, who would you like to see play the part, and why do you think that person would be good on Firefly? (and please no one say Garrett Wang or I'll give you a canton-style peck of trouble!) ;p

I'll get us started (EDIT: I will update this first post as other folks post their suggestions):

MALE LEADS:

Daniel Dae Kim [First suggested by Shiny]: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0196654/
Crusade (Babylon-5 spin-off), recurring guest roles on Enterprise, 24, and Angel.

Joel de la Fuente [First suggested by LANEYCLASSIC]
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0209249/
Space Above & Beyond, Law & Order: SVU, 100 Centre Street

George Takei [First suggested by SARDONICA]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001786/
Sulu from Star Trek, the original series.

John Cho [First suggested by Shiny]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158626/
The first asian (co)lead to break into the dude-wheres-my-car/road-trip american comedy genre.

Archie Kao [First suggested by Shiny]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438055/
Recurring guest role on CSI.

Pat Morita [First suggested by SARDONICA]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001552/
Katate Kid movies, Happy Days. BONUS: played a character named 'Jubal Early' in the film 'Coyote Moon'!

Vince Crestejo [First suggested by STARPILOTGRAINGER]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-40465/
Played "Lord Yu the Great" on Stargate SG-1

Al Leong [First suggested by SoupCatcher]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-24445/
Scorpion King, The Others, Twilight Zone, 24.

James Hong [First suggested by SoupCatcher]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-312/
Spawn, Alias, Charmed, X-Files, Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Kung Fu.

Shin Koyamada [First suggested by GREENMACHINE]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259103
The Last Samurai and in Jake 2.0.

Ken Watanabe [First suggested by Shiny]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913822/
The Last Samurai.

Chow Yun Fat [First suggested by HOWARDROARKLAUGHED]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000334/
Hard Boiled, Replacement Killers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Mark Dacascos [First suggested by HOWARDROARKLAUGHED]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001092/
The Brotherhood of the Wolf.

Byron Mann [First suggested by TOMERAI]
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0542677/
Crying Freeman, Catwoman, Dark Angel, Street Fighter

Michael Gregory Gong [First suggested by TOMERAI]
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327306/
Oz (HBO), Eraser

Jackie Chan [First suggested by WHISPERING]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000329/
Rush Hour, Shangai Knights, Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop, Police Story

Russell Wong [First suggested by TETHYS]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005568/
The Lost Empire, Romeo Must Die, Joy Luck Club, Vanishing Son

Jason Scott Lee [First suggested by CAPNRAHN]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001462/
Timecop: The Berlin Decision, The Jungle Book, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Solider

Kim Chan [First suggested by SAMURAIX47]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0150976/
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Shanghai Knights, The Fifth Element

Anthony Wong [First suggested by XJAYMANX]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-16446/
The Matrix Revolutions (Ghost), Mission: Impossible, Xena: Warrior Princess

Ahn Sung-Ki [First suggested by VARIATION23]:
http://www.koreanfilms.host.sk/ahnsungki.html
Bedroom and Courtroom, Musa, Nowhere to Hide,
The Soul Guardians, Two Cops

BD Wong [First suggested by INDY]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-3738/
Seven Years in Tibet, Law and Order: SVU, Father of the Bride

Byron Mann [First suggested by CYBERSNARK]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-58955/
Dark Angel

Takeshi Kitano [First suggested by WITLESSCHUM]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001429/
Johnny Mnemonic , Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, Battle Royale

Yun Lee [First suggested by MINH]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-34999/
Witchblade, Law and Order, Die Another Day (James Bond movie)

Sing Ngai [First suggested by CYBERSNARK]
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0628877/
The Matrix Revolutions (Seraph), also was a martial arts double for Jackie Chan

John Lone [First suggested by ANKHAGOGO]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0518821/
Rush Hour 2 (played the main villain, Ricky Tan), M. Butterfly, The Last Emperor

-----
FEMALE LEADS:

Bai Ling [First suggested by STARPILOTGRAINGER]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000499/
Star Wars ep 3 (Senator Bana Breemu), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow , The Crow, Angel, Jake 2.0.

Grace Park [First suggested by Shiny]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-47084/
Battlestar Galactica, Edgemont, Jake 2.0, Dark Angel, Romeo Must Die, L.A. Law, and The Immortal.

Michelle Yeoh [First suggested by HOWARDROARKLAUGHED]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000706/
Tomorrow Never Dies (James Bond movie), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, SuperCop (Jackie Chan movie)

Lucy Liu [First suggested by HOWARDROARKLAUGHED]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005154/
Kill Bill, Charlie's Angels, Payback, Ally McBeal

Maggie Cheung [First suggested by MAKEROFPATHS]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001041/
Hero, Police Story 3 (Jackie Chan movie)

Ziyi Zhang [First suggested by HOWARDROARKLAUGHED]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955471
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Rush Hour 2, and Hero.

Una Damon [First suggested by STARPILOTGRAINGER]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-11035/
Sliders, seaQuest, Charmed, and Gattaca.

Françoise Yip [First suggested by TOMERAI]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0948123/
Blade: Trinity, Freedom, Robocop, Romeo Must Die, Futuresport, Earth:Final Conflict, Andromeda, Seven Days, Smallville

Linda Park [First suggested by CYBERSNARK]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-35099/
Enterprise

Jacqueline Kim [First suggested by NICOLACLARKE]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-36053/
Xena, The West Wing, Courthouse, Star Trek: Generations (Ensign Demora Sulu)

Gong Li [First suggested by MAKEROFPATHS]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000084/
Memoirs of a Geisha, The Assassin, Chinese Box, Farewell My Concubine

Shu Qi [First suggested by MAKEROFPATHS]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0795517/
The Transporter, Wesley's Mysterious File 2002

Charlene Choi [First suggested by WILDHEAVENFARM]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1218953/
The Vampire Effect, Police Story 5

Gillian Chung [First suggested by WILDHEAVENFARM]:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1239735/
The Vampire Effect, Spy Dad

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Friday, August 6, 2004 2:01 PM

SARDONICA

Sulu!!

Just kidding.

Actually, I would like to see Pat Morita appear as Book's mentor, an older preacher from his order...

Chief Editor, AFM
www.apocalypsefiction.com
Writer/Producer, The NUKE Brothers
www.nukebrothers.com

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Friday, August 6, 2004 2:04 PM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Daniel Dae Kim might be good, yeah. For 'people Joss has also used before', there's also Bai Ling, who was in an episode of Angel (I remember for a while they said she would be recurring, but that neer happened).

I've also liked Una Damon the couple of times I've seen her.

For older actors, there's always the guy who plays Lord Yu in Stargate.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6
http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Friday, August 6, 2004 2:05 PM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Quote:
Originally posted by Sardonica:
Sulu!!

Just kidding.

Actually, I know you're kidding, but I actually wouldn't mind seeing George Takei (Sulu) play a role. Get a little bit of press and maybe get a few diehard Trekkies to give Firefly a look if they wouldn't before.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6
http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Friday, August 6, 2004 2:11 PM

SHINY

I'll update the first post with everyone's suggestions; please keep 'em coming!

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

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Friday, August 6, 2004 3:02 PM

HAKEN

Likes to mess with stuffs.

Believe it or not. Daniel Dae Kim is supposedly only about .25 miles from where I'm at filming J.J. Abrams' 'LOST' TV Series. And get this, their soundstage is where a Xerox employee went postal 5 years ago.

http://starbulletin.com/1999/11/04/news/story1.html

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Friday, August 6, 2004 3:04 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Can't think of a favorite at the moment,but I'm way for the idea. Clearly more than 1 would be preferred, but who knows..there may be a story behind the lack of Chinese too....
they stayed on the Earth that was ..for some reason
they are an elite class, keeping to themselves ( not really a stretch )
unlike now, they may have suffered some calamity and are very few ( in relative terms ) in number.
...etc. Ideas abound.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Friday, August 6, 2004 3:08 PM

SOUPCATCHER

I'll second John Cho. I thought he did a good job in Harold and Kumar (which, btw, I liked a whole lot - hopefully the box office numbers will pick up a bit).

But I think I'll go old school on this one. I'd love to see Joss take one of the big three (Al Leong, James Hong, and Victor Wong) and give them a well fleshed out role to work with instead of the one dimensional roles they have played in the past - kind of like what Robert Rodriguez attempted with Danny Trejo in Spy Kids, only more so.

As long as it's not Gedde Watanabe

.

Editted to add imdb links:

Al Leong: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502959/
Victor Wong: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0939378/
James Hong: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393222/
Gedde Watanabe: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913797/

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Friday, August 6, 2004 3:23 PM

SHINY

Quote:
Originally posted by SoupCatcher:
I think I'll go old school on this one. I'd love to see Joss take one of the big three (Al Leong, James Hong, and Victor Wong) and give them a well fleshed out role to work with instead of the one dimensional roles they have played in the past

Soup, I'm trying to include links with photos (TVTome often has a pic when IMDB doesn't) but I couldn't find one for Victor Wong. Can you point me to a site with his pic?

ETA: Never mind, I found one:

http://asianconnections.com/community/people/chinese_historical_societ
y/profiles/pioneers_4/pioneers_4.php

Sadly, Victor Wong passed away one day after 9/11:

http://asianconnections.com/community/

We pay tribute to one of our own pioneers, Victor Wong who passed away September 12. Victor was not only one of our pioneers in broadcast television, he was in his later years a celebrated and beloved character actor in independent and major Hollywood movies. Victor made his screen debut in 1984 at the age of 57 in "Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart." He appeared in 28 movies including "The Last Emperor," "The Joy Luck Club," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Seven Years in Tibet" and "The Golden Child."

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Friday, August 6, 2004 3:30 PM

SOUPCATCHER

Hmmm. That sucks. I was doing a search for a page with his picture and found out he's dead.

http://www.newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2001-10-18/cover.asp

editted to add: ah, a bit of redundancy.

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Friday, August 6, 2004 4:44 PM

GREENMACHINE

I vote for http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259103
Shin Koyamada

Saw him in The Last Samurai and in Jake 2.0 and I think he could be a funny yet interesting character.

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Friday, August 6, 2004 5:47 PM

SHINY

Good one. Actually, I think Ken Watanabe would make a great soldier (innepennent or alliance):

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913822/

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

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Friday, August 6, 2004 6:01 PM

EEP

I'm with greenmachine on Shin. I loved him on "Jake 2.0" (which was sadly never even aired in the US).

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Friday, August 6, 2004 7:23 PM

RAY53208

everyone listed are excellent actors!

but i guess my vote goes to "family": Daniel Dae Kim.

second vote: Pat Morita. i love this guy! hes a god!!

ray

“With the first link the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, changes us all irrevokably. The first time any man’s freedom is trodden on, we are all damaged."

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Friday, August 6, 2004 7:31 PM

HOWARDROARKLAUGHED

Come on everybody, the best asian actor available is Chow Yun Fat. He was THE MAN in John Woo's Hong Kong movies (Hard Boiled and The Killer) and ruled in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Another good actor would be Mark Dacascos who was in The Brotherhood of the Wolf. An excellent movie, as long as you watch it in the original French with subtitles. He was also in a bad television series based on The Crow, but it's best if we forgive him that. Great female leads might include Michelle Yeoh or Zhing Ziyi from Crouching Tiger or even Lucy Liu. I'm sure none of these will happen, but I can dream, can't I?

"Thou art God"-Valentine Michael Smith

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Friday, August 6, 2004 9:09 PM

MAKEROFPATHS

Quote:
Originally posted by HowardRoarkLaughed:
Come on everybody, the best asian actor available is Chow Yun Fat.

===clip===
Great female leads might include Michelle Yeoh or Zhing Ziyi from Crouching Tiger or even Lucy Liu. I'm sure none of these will happen, but I can dream, can't I?

Darn your hide :-) You beat me to Michelle Yeoh and Zhang ZiYi. They both do it all: drama, romance, action, comedy. But the decision would probably fall to Zhang (who will soon be seen in House of Flying Daggers by Zhang Yimou) because, aside from talent (although her English is marginal, or was), she meets the demographic appeal. (---Okay imagination running away from me, Must. Stop. Now.---)

There's also Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung (unforgettable in In the Mood for Love, and a bunch of other HK actioners).

------
"When one man chases a hare, he finds a hare. But when many men chase a hare, they find a dragon."
--Source: The Darkness That Comes Before, by R. Scott Bakker.

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Friday, August 6, 2004 9:13 PM

JAYNEZTOWN

I think Chow Yun fat is a great actor, however I think he might be too big or his roles and style is too differnet and would not suit firefly...Chow yun fat has his own thing going on from Hong Kong, so it would be hard to put him in an outer space western but from his great work in the killer he might do a jessie james type role nicely, I agree that Mark Dacascos mnight also do this well

Vince Crestejo who played "Lord Yu the Great" or Al Leong ( Albert Leong ) might be very good, the Allaince is basic horrible mix of US and China power in a big ugly universal NATO type army, it would be nice if some of those Alliance commanders were mean ruthless Chinese guys like there are many western commanders, the 'Lord Yu' would fit nicely here.

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Friday, August 6, 2004 9:31 PM

LANEYCLASSIC

How about the guy from Space Above & Beyond, Joel de la Fuente.

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 12:30 AM

WHISPERING

I vote for Ziyi Zhang, she was on Wo Hu Cang Long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and on Ying Xiong (Hero).
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955471

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 7:02 AM

SHINY

What about Grace Park, who plays Boomer in the Sci-Fi channel's recent Battlestar Galactica re-make, as well as Edgemont, Jake 2.0, Dark Angel, Romeo Must Die, L.A. Law, and The Immortal.

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-47084/

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 7:07 AM

ANKHAGOGO

I am definitely agreeing with Daniel Dae Kim -- who had about 30 seconds in Spider-man 2, by the way. I had forgotten how much I liked him until I just re-watched Angel season 3.

I like John Lone. He was the adult emperor in The Last Emperor, and I can not think of anything else he's been in right now. He tends to be very low key, and could probably be a very effective villian.

I would also love Danny Trejo, but I'm sure that's never gonna happen.

Wes Studi (Last of the Mohicans, Dances with Wolves) could make up for the lack of Trejo, though. Maybe Graham Greene (also Dances with Wolves,& Thunderheart) as well. Yes, I know, they couldn't be less Asian, but if we're talking about cultural diverisity, Native Americans can be put in there.

But please, please -- NO Bai Ling. She's a lovely woman, but she's not a good actress. The only reason I ever watched the episode of Angel she was on is to see the hysterical trauma of Angel and Wesley dancing.

"You two are the two who are the two! I'm the other one!"

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 7:21 AM

SHINY

I also just realized that non-English speaking might be an issue. Ziyi for example doesn't speak English.

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 7:38 AM

MAKEROFPATHS

Continuing my list . . .
Gong Li, in the current release Zhou Yu's Train (enh, a somewhat interminable movie although beautifully shot) and she was opposite Jackie Chan in Gorgeous (guess who that was?). She's been in couple of dozen films

Then there's Shu Qi. She was in The Transporter (a film that started well but plunged into stupidity quickly). Interesting, she was in something called Wesley's Mysterious File 2002 -- I may have to try to find that one.

ETA re Shiny's post: Yes, last time I heard, Zhang ZiYi hardly spoke English at all, although she did have a few words in Rush Hour 2 (I think). But she's so busy making films with Zhang Yimou and others she probably has no time to study.

I just noticed, too, that nearly all of the so-called top English Web sites (Google listings) for her are a year to two years out of date.

------
"When one man chases a hare, he finds a hare. But when many men chase a hare, they find a dragon."
--Source: The Darkness That Comes Before, by R. Scott Bakker.

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 8:41 AM

WHISPERING

Quote:
Originally posted by Shiny:
I also just realized that non-English speaking might be an issue. Ziyi for example doesn't speak English.

Well in Rush Hour 2 Jackie Chan had to translate everything the director said to Ziyi. But i think it would be very good to have few strictly Chinese people on the show, kind of shows that theres also Chinese people there, what other reason there would be for the 2 language 'verse? Also her not understanding english wouldnt be a problem, since they already have the translators there for the Chinese swear words :)
Oh and that reminds me, ill add to the list ->

Jackie Chan
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000329/

Though i think he can only play a "good guy". But to be honest i have never seen what he can do. He always get the same type of parts. Also he could be more comfortable acting when he doesnt need to speak english.

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 9:06 AM

WHISPERING

Quote:
Originally posted by HowardRoarkLaughed:
Another good actor would be Mark Dacascos who was in The Brotherhood of the Wolf. An excellent movie, as long as you watch it in the original French with subtitles.

We dont dub movies here (thank god), so ive only seen that movie in french. Its one of the best movies i've seen :) Also i never thought Mark Dacascos as an Asian, good choice him too.

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 12:46 PM

TRIBES

Have to go with laneyclassic on Joel de la Fuente from
Space Above and Beyond a very underrated show and a fine actor.

whispering's choice of Ziyi Zhang is right on , a beautiful young
actress who can teach our BDH proper Chinese while they teach her English. It's all good!

'and here I am'

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 2:27 PM

TETHYS

Though I am a fan of Marc Dacascas and Ken Watanabe...(have followed Dacascas' career for about 10 yrs now), and I think Watanabe would be good as a fed, and Dacascas would most likely be good as fed or non-fed......

The one I would most like to see is......*drumrool*

Russell Wong (Vanishing Son)...he is a good, strong actor with dramatic and comedic talents that would site very well with the 'verse

"You replaced Firefly with *barf* Fastlane?!"
Zoe:"Take me Sir. Take me hard" - War Stories

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 2:29 PM

CAPNRAHN

I humbly suggest Jason Scott Lee. As seen in "Solider" with Kurt Russell.

Hummm, make him the head of Blue Sun or something sinister like that.

I also suggest Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa. Best known from "Mortal Combat" as the evil wizard ... whosshizname ... doh, I fergot his character name!

Anyhoo - he is very good too.

"Remember, there is only ONE absolute - There ARE NO absolutes!!!"

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 4:58 PM

SAMURAIX47

How about Kim Chan. He's being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival next weekend. He's been on Kung FU: The Legend continues, Shanghai Knights... He's 90 years old. He'd be great as the head of the Alliance or one of the Core planets. Not necessarily like an evil overlord type... but maybe a wise beneficent leader who thinks he's doing the right thing for all of the human worlds by making them part of the Alliance.

Or James Hong for that part.

Adam Baldwin is the voice of Finn on Jackie Chan Adventures... maybe he can get Sab Shimono (uncle) Stacie Chan (jade) and James Sie (jackie) to come over for a cameo bit.

Jaymes

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Saturday, August 7, 2004 5:07 PM

XJAYMANX

i'd like to see Anthony Wong (played "Ghost" in the Matrix)... although he kinda sux as an emotion-less dramatic actor, his humorous stage background (including a transvestite role) and work as a stand-up comedian would be a great addition to the tongue-in-cheek firefly mix, not to mention his native Australian accent!

~~~
We gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero! ~ Wash

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Monday, August 9, 2004 5:40 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

For male actor my first choice would be Ken Watanabe. 2nd choice would be Daniel Dae Kim.

Female actor: Grace Park or Maggie Cheung.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Monday, August 9, 2004 6:29 AM

TETHYS

Quote:
Originally posted by CapnRahn:

I also suggest Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa. Best known from "Mortal Combat" as the evil wizard ... whosshizname ... doh, I fergot his character name!
B]

The character name is Shang Tsung..I agree with Tagawa. He has done a LOT of material throughout the years, including a gay asian character in a movie........oooopps.....forgot the movie....hate it when that happens

"You replaced Firefly with *barf* Fastlane?!"
Zoe:"Take me Sir. Take me hard" - War Stories

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Monday, August 9, 2004 6:30 AM

VARIATION23

Not to get too obscure, but I'd suggest korean actor Ahn Sung-Ki. I don't actually know if he speaks english, but I'm pretty sure he can speak Mandarin. I'm picturing a scene with him subtitled, speaking chinese and the other characters answering in english. Or just drop the subtitles and hear one side of the conversation. Cos, if Joss can do a show that's mostly silent he can do that.
And, not to mention, this guy has a name that can open movies in asia for those looking at a world-wide release. And as for why he would be good in firefly, well, he can do action and look gritty and weathered -- all good cowboy things. The fact that it takes place in space is incidental. Oh, and he's a pretty darn good actor.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0014227/
http://www.koreanfilms.host.sk/ahnsungki.html

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Monday, August 9, 2004 6:54 AM

INDY

I vote for BD Wong - ("Seven Years in Tibet", LAw and Order: SVU) and Fang Wong ("Shanghai Knights")

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"Hell if Jesus had the power than so do I
To rise up from the dead and take up to the sky"
--Scissor Sisters

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Monday, August 9, 2004 8:00 AM

CYBERSNARK

I'd vote for Byron Mann, on the strength of his turns as Matt Sung on Dark Angel. Possibly some Alliance investigator tracking down the Tams, who suddenly has a change of perspective and "accidentally" lets them slip through his fingers.

For a female, why has no one suggested Linda Park (no relation to Grace --"Park" is a common name), currently starring as Hoshi Sato on Enterprise? She's very nearly as kawaii as Kaylee.

Quote:
Originally posted by Shiny:
Anthony Wong [First suggested by XJAYMANX]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-16446/
The Matrix Revolutions (Ghost),

Wasn't the character's name "Seraph?" Or am I thinking of someone else? Seraph was the Oracle's "Agent" who helped Morpheus & Trin breach the Marovingian's security.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Monday, August 9, 2004 8:46 AM

WITLESSCHUM

How about Takeshi Kitano?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001429/

He could play Shan Yu in a flashback

"Hana bin" (Fireworks) is the one I've seen. Amazing.

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Tuesday, August 10, 2004 12:01 AM

JAYNEZTOWN

Folks as I mentioned I like some of those Asian stars check out the names I put forth above, but I would prefer if the Big Actors stayed away from Firefly

Sorry folks that's a no Chow Yun Fat and no Beat Takeshi ( Kitano ),
they have great skill but I don't think they would fit into firefly well

Two Reasons

1 Firelfy isn't about big stars and Big acting names, its a darn cool sci fi show that's more about the story, crew of Serenity and the Alliance

2 A big star may cause damage to the show. Take for example Kurt Russel, he's a star but he's not really a superstar or a big actor ( more modest I reckon ).
Now take his roles some good some bad..The-Thing, Big Trouble in little China, Captain Ron, Breakdown, Escape from NY, Soldier..
he's sometimes in good films, sometimes bad, some great and some terrible..at times he looks cool while other times he looks like a total goofball idiot
Big Trouble in little China is kind of a dorky B-movie and Russel does ok in it for the kind of whacky film it is, Take other Hollywood stars who have now risen in the ranks to become big stars..do you think Tom Hanks or John Travolta would allow themselves to look like idiots or morons on screen such as Russel's role in big trouble. No way !
And therefore lies the problem with the bigger stars, they become too big for their boots
Say if Joss wanted a weird scence where the top famous Asian star is in a gunfighting shoot-out inside a hotel and he slips on some fruit and falls down the stairs like a silly person..do you think the stars would go for it ? No Way ! Beat Takeshi and Chow Yun Fat have a lot of crew with them, their Asian entourage or pose would not allow their slick image to be destroyed or goofed with, therefore it could have a very negative effect on the creativity and direction of firefly. There are many other examples I can give on big names having a bad effect on a movie/show

That's why I say to go for the smaller more adventurous Asian actors who would be willing to do more creative or unconventional roles and can be as equallly talented as other big Asian stars.

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Tuesday, August 10, 2004 7:39 AM

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Quote:
Originally posted by JaynezTown:
...1 Firelfy isn't about big stars and Big acting names, its a darn cool sci fi show that's more about the story, crew of Serenity and the Alliance

And therefore lies the problem with the bigger stars, they become too big for their boots
Say if Joss wanted a weird scence where the top famous Asian star is in a gunfighting shoot-out inside a hotel and he slips on some fruit and falls down the stairs like a silly person..do you think the stars would go for it ? No Way !

I agree, its not about big names, but I can think of one Asian star who would slip and fall down the stairs...a guy who makes alot of films doing just that sort of "average guy facing adversity and somethings aren't always perfect" stuff.

Jackie Chan

And he's done it all, comedy, tragedy, action, adventure, thriller, romance AND he knows Chinese. Of course signing him would be a whole different problem, and his fame would probably overshadow the show/movie, but it is fun to picture him all Shanghai Nooned in space.

Gettin' just a little bit farther...
TCM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BROWNCOATS! Rise again and promote Firefly/Serenity!
visit: http://the11thhour.home.att.net

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Saturday, August 14, 2004 9:07 PM

MINH

I nominate Will Yun Lee. He did a great job co-starring in Witchblade.

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Sunday, August 15, 2004 6:31 AM

NICOLACLARKE

How about Jacqueline Kim? She did a stunning two-episode stint as Lao-Ma in Xena - definitely a Firefly-worthy talent.

IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0453492/

There are a couple of photos linked from that page.

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Sunday, August 15, 2004 7:10 AM

SHINY

Quote:
Originally posted by TenthCrewMember:
Jackie Chan

And he's done it all, comedy, tragedy, action, adventure, thriller, romance AND he knows Chinese.

Actually, he speaks Cantonese, not Mandarin...but I imagine his Mandarin is at least better than the rest of our BDHs'! ;)

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

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Sunday, August 15, 2004 7:32 AM

SHINY

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
Quote:
Originally posted by Shiny:
Anthony Wong [First suggested by XJAYMANX]:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-16446/
The Matrix Revolutions (Ghost),
Wasn't the character's name "Seraph?" Or am I thinking of someone else? Seraph was the Oracle's "Agent" who helped Morpheus & Trin breach the Marovingian's security.

You're thinking of Sing Ngai: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0628877/

I've added him to the list.

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

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Sunday, August 15, 2004 7:41 AM

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Quote:
Originally posted by Shiny:
Quote:
Originally posted by TenthCrewMember:
Jackie Chan

And he's done it all, comedy, tragedy, action, adventure, thriller, romance AND he knows Chinese.

Actually, he speaks Cantonese, not Mandarin...but I imagine his Mandarin is at least better than the rest of our BDHs'! ;)

Cantonese is his Primary, and yeah, he speaks Mandarin slightly better than his English. I own far too many of his films (including the VERY BAD ones! LOL), but not all, not yet. He was the one who began the trend in the Hong Kong Movies of filming scenes in alternating languages. So one scene would have the actors speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, and English at different points. This is why sometimes the voice dubbing matches and sometimes its not quite right. Jackie felt that people would be more comfortable watching his movies if people felt (especially in America) they were not necessarily watching a foreign film where all the voices were dubbed. And he was right, and it is amazing how your mind begins to ignore the dubbing that doesn't quite match.

But now I am off topic, so back to topic...I think he would do it if they asked him right, he's played second to others before, even though he seem to always get top billing nowadays. :)

Anyone else have thoughts on who could be the Asian actor of choice for Firefly/Serenity? I'd love to hear some more alternatives, as mine is quite a biased selection! ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BROWNCOATS! Rise again and promote Firefly/Serenity!
visit: http://the11thhour.home.att.net

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Tuesday, August 17, 2004 10:27 AM

WILDHEAVENFARM

BD Wong
Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung from "The Vampire Effect", an awfully good and terrifically awful film.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

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Tuesday, August 17, 2004 11:08 AM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Von Flores, who played Sandoval in Earth Final Conflict. The series itself sucked after the first year, but he was decent in it.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6
http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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