‘Asians make up only 4% of roles, and Muslims…,’ Malala calls out Hollywood bias
PremiumIn a recent event, Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai called out upon limited representation of Muslim and Asians in Hollywood industry
Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has brought people's notice to a skewed version of Hollywood which has a limited representation of Muslims and Asians, at an event ‘Power of Women’ organised by an entertainment website Variety on Wednesday.
“To me, representation is just a consolation prize, I want our shows and our friends to be the mainstream," said Malala Yousafzai at the event.
She highlighted the fact that only 4% Asians and 1% of Muslim actors get roles in Hollywood's popular movies and shows. Moreover, she also asked for a change in the scenario by not only ensuring more representation but also bringing them into mainstream roles.
“We have so many young, diverse roles on TV. Just look at ‘Never Have I Ever,’ ‘Sex Education,’ ‘Ms. Marvel,’ and ‘Coda’ won the best picture. All of that is true and I’m so grateful for every opportunity to see new faces and hear new stories," Malala said Wednesday.
Even when Muslims consist of as much as 25 % of the global population, Malala pointed out that only one per cent of characters represent them in popular TV series.
“I know that the executives have passed on dozens of quality, equally amazing projects because they thought that the characters or their creators were too young, too Brown, too foreign, too poor," Yousafzai added. “Sometimes it feels like they’re saying we just don’t belong here."
She expressed her hope that the talented artists from Asian countries and their representation in Hollywood will provide a lot of entertaining content for the people. What it needs is a little bit of experimentation for new content.
“I don’t expect Hollywood to change because it’s the right thing to do, or even because it’s good for business. I want you to do it because you’re artists and you know that art belongs to everyone," Malala said. “If you are an artist who has heard your story, or have been told that you are too young, that you don’t have the right background, then come sit at my table and let’s work together," said Malala Yousafzai.
It is worth noting, that the Nobel laureate is going to embark her journey as a movie producer with some of her new projects. Last year, she inked a program with Apple TV. Her recent projects are a collaboration with streamer, which are backed by her banner Extracurricular.
According to Variety, she will be working on shows of a variety of genres including dramas, comedies, documentaries, etc. She will also be working with Oscar winner Adam McKay's production house on a feature film.
Her company will be working on projects like a series based on "Fifty Words for Rain", a documentary revolving around the lives of South Korea's matriarchal Haenyeo society of elderly fisherwomen, and many more.
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