Hollywood mixes a smooth one
RK
This week’s episode of HBO hit series Entourage (#14, “Chinatown”) showed one of those seamless and beautiful moments—the ones Carmen has dubbed “yes we’re mixed but why even mention it because it doesn’t matter to the story… we’re normal” moments. I loved this scene so much, simply because of its verisimilitude, rather than shining a big glaring spotlight on the mixed race topic while everybody breaks out into I-statements and cheezy PC diversity love.
Queens-born rising star Vincent Chase, played by Adrian Grenier, is between projects and looking for a little cash-flow while waiting on his next film offer. At a lunch meeting with his best friend and manager, Eric (Kevin Connolly), and oily douchebag agent, Ari (terrifyingly well-acted by Jeremy Piven), Vince is presented with his interim project:
Ari: It’s the Chinese mother-f**ing Red Bull! They guzzle it over there, it’s on every corner…
Vince: I can’t believe you want me to do a commercial… Ari, I started in this business peddling Mentos, I don’t want to go back
Ari: Vinny, all the big shots—all of them—do foreign commercials. You think L.Ron pays for Travolta’s planes?? Big John has been pumpin’ the Japs full of Sanka for yeeeaaars!
Vince: All right, come on—my grandfather’s Japanese.
Ari: What? I said ‘Japs’, is that derogatory?
And like just like that, life continues in Hollywood. No harping on it, no fetishizing of Vince, no racism, nothing. Just a normal actor (ok, that’s an oxymoron) having lunch and talking to his agent… Good job, HBO!
In case you’re wondering, as I was, if actor Adrian Grenier is of mixed parentage, he is! Though not Japanese, as the episode might have you think. He is Irish and Native American.
John S. wrote:
So the character is mixed, but the agent does say “Japs.” Are we congratulating HBO for including a mixed character but also an ethic slur?!?
Posted 13 Jul 2005 at 10:20 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:
Haven’t seen it, but I think MMW was congratulating the way it was handled. You didn’t have to HEAR about the entire family tree, noone broke into song/tears/hugs, and the statement was being said by a visually plausible character.
[caveat: while I am very aware that mixed people can look like any and none of their heritages, I am also aware that when a “mixed” character is in a movie/show, they often don’t resonate w/ people in the mixed community if not played by someone who COULD potentially be mixed. OT case in point: Ian Malcolm’s “daughter” in JPII - that kid looked NOTHING like Goldblum, and it was beyond my suspension of disbelief to think that genetics could be that wacky. It was more of a distraction to me as a veiwer than the cold fact that Ian Malcolm wasn’t even IN the BOOK sequel, for very morbid reasons.]
Posted 14 Jul 2005 at 10:18 am ¶
lyonside wrote:
Carp… I didn’t mean to be Anonymous. So not my style.
Posted 14 Jul 2005 at 10:41 am ¶
Renu wrote:
Interesting point, John. Surely we would be remiss in congratulating HBO for perpetuating racial slur usage, given the mission of this blog.
My point in highlighting this story was that the writers of Entourage chose to handle this situation in a very natural way. Congratulations were for not handling mixed-race/mixed-culture issues like a circus sideshow of misunderstood freaks.
I don’t know if you are a frequent viewer of the show, or if you have any experience with Agents. It would have been untrue to the nature of Ari’s character for him to be sensitive about anything, including the sweeping use of racial epithets; it’s all about the lowest common denominator to him. Rather than derail the quick-fire dialogue that *is* Entourage, the situation was acknowledged, handled, and moved past… much as we all know could happen in real life.
Sure, there could have been a big love-in about using racial epithets, between Vince, Eric and Ari. I personally would have found that patronizing and really just embarrassing. Though Ari could have dropped another good “let’s hug it out, b**ch”.
Is Ari a prick for using “jap”? Absolutely. Am I surprised by the dialogue, given that it’s Ari’s character? Absolutely not.
Posted 14 Jul 2005 at 11:10 am ¶
Melissa Olson wrote:
I don’t think Adrian Grenier is Native whatsover. I has long been fashionable for so many people, including celebrities, to claim to be Native American. Usually, when someone identifies as native am they take care to specify ethnicity. Even then I think this whole thing about Grenier could have easily been a rumor started without his knowing.
I think it’s interesting that the writers of Entourage have chosen to portray Vince as mixed. Though I think it would have been cool if it had come up before now. I think the use of a racial slur is really problematic. Make Japanese-Americans the double Other, and mixed-race Japanese Americans a triple-double other–if that makes sense. I don’t think any use of derogatory words is acceptable, anywhere.
Posted 02 May 2006 at 5:49 pm ¶
JT wrote:
You’re an absolute moron for even wasting webspace with this comment/opinion.
They entire show is based around “Normal” actors having conversations, and also mixing in racist terms. (Jew, Jap, Mic, Guinea) One of these terms are used atleast once in every episode.
I did not understand your point, and to be quite honest….I’m not sure if you were even writing to make a point. Maybe you just wanted to sound intelligent with your versatile writing technique. It’s boring and mediocre.
Posted 10 Sep 2006 at 11:59 pm ¶