Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 5/12/2007

Question
I am a highschool student who is aspiring to become a Talent Agent because it appears to be a far more realistic goal than opposed to becoming an actress. To make matters more difficult, I am Asian, and I don't see many Asians appearing as a lead on the big screen. I  am curious towards why that is so. If I choose to act, I want to be certain that there will be many opportunities that I can vie for.

Answer
Hi Dakota!

Many people in the "biz" started out as actors and became something else. One advantage of that is they know what it's like being an actor. I have noticed "on set" that many times the crew have a kind of attitude (not voiced, but you can sense it) about actors and aspiring actors. Almost as if they think we are foolish. Or maybe, it's a jealousy thing because they didn't have the courage to try doing what they secretly wanted to do -act. I think if they had tried to do it and had gone through the struggle, they would have more respect. I worked in a chain restaurant in my twenties. The day I started training to be a waiter, I started with a busboy, clearing tables. Then I went on to the kitchen to fry alongside the fry cooks...and so on. Finally, I changed and worked with the hostess.
By the end of that day, I had tremendous respect for the vital function of everyone's job.
Just like that restaurant, everyone on set does a job that affects everyone else.
If you have a dream and want to act, go for it! Don't worry about your "chances". Here's why: THINGS CHANGE.
I used to play guitar and some keys in bands. I was really good. Music suddenly went heavily to synthesizers and very little guitar. I thought, because I was like 19 at the time, that it was over for guitar-driven bands. With the short time I had been alive, experiencing history, I had no concept of change yet. That's why so many people get tattoos I think. No concept of how styles, trends and life can change. Would you say anyone plays guitar in bands these days?
Yes, there are few Asians in acting. Will that change? It is...I am seeing more and more. Why has there not been?
I could guess all day! Maybe because of the position and visibility of the Asian person in the Western World? As far as period films set in the U.S., you would see slaves, played by black actors in greater number simply because there were few Asian immigrants here back then. Many workers came as railroad builders in the day, but comparatively, that number was small. Culture and language barriers may also have prevented or more damagingly, created the notion that the quiet Asian "didn't have anything to say"...therefore, no conflict. As you know, the key to a drama, is conflict. Conflict breeds change.  
Accurate perception? no. Unfortunately, there hasn't been enough visible efforts made to agitate for change in the Asian acting community as in the black and Latino communities.
But you know what? Things have changed in this modern world. We have Asian comics (Margaret Cho, Mark "Chinaman" Britton) Asian athletes (Houston Rockets' Yao Ming), and of course, Sandra Oh, George Takkai, B.D. Wong and the late Mako (to be heard in his final performance in the new "Teenage Ninja Turtles" movie). If you Wikki "Asian actors" you would not believe how many listings there are.
Has Hollywood ignored Asian actors? Yes. Stereotyped? Yes.
But like I said, things are changing.
Sorry to be so long an answer...
My advice is that you give it a shot, always have a backup plan (I tell EVERYONE that) and be really, really good.
You may have to face a lot of competition for fewer roles at the beginning, but don't look down, keep climbing!

Best to you,
Taylor