By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
How far has Hollywood advanced on the big screen when it comes to diversity?
A new report released this morning by The Media, Diversity, & Social Change (MDSC) Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism shows it’s stuck in neutral.
An overwhelming 73.7 percent of all characters in Hollywood in 2015 were White. Only 3.9 percent were Asian. 49 films had no Asian speaking characters at all. Not one lead or co-lead went to an Asian actor.
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12.2% of the roles went to Blacks, 5.3% to Hispanics. Those percentages are virtually unchanged since 2007.
The statistics for the report were compiled from the top 100 grossing films of 2015. The report has been compiled since 2007, excluding 2011.
“Everyone deserves a chance to be seen and heard, and their stories should be told,” says Marc Choueiti, Project Administrator for the Initiative. “Our research points out the gaps and shows where change is possible.”
The Hollywood hierarchy appears to be no different from the diversity shown in the acting ranks.
Somewhat surprisingly, even within the Asian characters, 70 percent were male characters. Asian women were 38.5 percent more likely to be portrayed as mothers. 32.6 percent were dressed in sexy attire. 34.8% of Asian women characters appeared nude. Those percentages were all slightly higher than other ethnic groups. Asian men were the least likely to appear in sexy attire (5.4%). Latino men were the most likely (12.7%). Asian men were also the least likely to appear nude (5.4%). Latino men were the most likely (15.5%).
“Our work is about bringing evidence and insight to media industries on where diversity is needed. I am in this to change the landscape of humanity, flanked by the next generation of world leaders: USC graduates and undergraduates,” says Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Director of the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative.
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