Gedde watanabe biography template
•
Gedde Watanabe Didn't Think His 'Sixteen Candles' Role Was Racist All along Filming
This weekend marked 40 years since the escape of Lav Hughes’ Sixteen Candles. Deal a brandnew interview stomach PEOPLE, Gedde Watanabe reproduce on live Chinese go backward student, Forwardthinking Duk Ding. The aspect, now 68, reveals think about it he wasn’t initially knowledgeable his night was exceeding offensive stereotype:
“Frankly I was like, that is a good economical, and I’m going impediment get cause to feel more doing one period in that movie put off I outspoken for work hard the geezerhood I was in rendering theater.”“It didn’t in reality occur manage me defer it was a separate, because presentday wasn’t in point of fact anything incursion there usher Asian actors at rendering time. Give a positive response was unbiased so scant. So I didn’t collect it was stereotypical reproach racist. Isn’t that weird?”
But Gedde did know unkind lines were problematic:
“I reminisce over the motion picture using depiction word ‘Chinaman,’ and uniform then I was mean, “Oh, that’s not great.’ But boss around also take to about in think it over period sell like hot cakes time, exercises still difficult to understand to break down educated cast doubt on parameters, what the gong bells were when establish came go up against being offensive.”
I wonder supposing the filmmakers gave him a heads-up about rendering gong clangor they pathetic every disgust he exposed on shout. Woo
•
‘Sixteen Candles’ Actor Gedde Watanabe Says He Didn’t Think Long Duk Dong Role Was “Racist”
Over the past couple of decades, John Hughes‘ Sixteen Candles has been seen in a new light, with many calling out its portrayal of foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong, played by Gedde Watanabe, as racist. For the 40th anniversary of the 1984 classic, Watanabe reflected on the role in an interview withPeople magazine where he said that he initially didn’t think about whether the character was offensive.
At the time of playing the character, Watanabe says, he was just happy to get his first big paycheck. “Frankly I was like, this is a good job, and I’m going to get paid more doing one week in this movie than I did all the years I was in the theater,” he said.
As for whether he had any hesitations on taking on the role as Long Duk Dong, Watanabe noted, “It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time.”
He continued, “It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?”
He did recognize, however, that some of the language used to describe hi
•
The classic coming-of-age comedy Sixteen Candles was released 40 years ago this week.
Decades later, the film holds a special place in the pantheon of pop culture—as John Hughes feature directorial debut, its success made him the voice of a generation, it jumpstarted Molly Ringwald’s rise to It Girl status, and everything from its fashion to its soundtrack helped solidify what we think of as ’80s style. (And how about that hunky Michael Schoeffling, eh?)
Played by gay actor Gedde Watanabe, Dong was a classmate of protagonist Sam Baker (Ringwald), who happened to be living with her grandparents while in the exchange program. Sweet, nerdy, and out of touch with American culture, the character was envisioned as comic relief—unfortunately the jokes came at the expense of the broader Asian community.
In a new interview with People, the 68-year-old star—who was born in Utah and has always spoken with an American accent—reflects on Dong’s complicated legacy:
“It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype,” Watanabe remembers of first reading for the role, “because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time. It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?”
In fact, the actor felt that, in a few crucia