By Monique
Let’s give props to the guy who has entertained us as Harold in the Harold and Kumar series, Sulu in the Star Trek reboot series, the scary/tragic character Andy Brooks in Sleepy Hollow and the stuffy Henry Higgins on Selfie. Say hello to John Cho.
Yes, he’s handsome, funny and charismatic, but that’s going to be a given with everyone on the MOC Monday list. The real reason John Cho’s the man of the day? He is very much about recognizing and fighting against the double standards and stereotypes in Hollywood. Just read his interview with August Man magazine. I could just write the entire interview, because of it is quotable, but here’s a little snippet:
AM: Do you still find that there are stereotypes in Hollywood today for any particular minority? Or is it every minority?
JC: Yes. It’s rampant, and you have to be vigilant at all times. In fact, everyone keeps coming up with new stereotypes. It’s very difficult to find an original thinker in terms of casting when you’re talking about race at all. And really, although more egregious versions of Asians have fallen by the wayside and become unfashionable, new Asian stereotypes pop up and they’re really sort of anti-stereotypes that become stereotypes, if you get my drift.
For us Sleepy Hollow fans out there, let’s hope that he can come back to Sleepy Hollow as Andy. I feel like he really got a kick out of that role, a role that wasn’t bogged down in Asian stereotypes or fan expectations. Ditto for the sadly-cancelled Selfie.
What do you love about Cho? Write odes to him in the comments section below! By the way, if you’ve got a nomination for MOC Monday, tweet me @moniqueblognet and hashtag it with #MOCMonday on Twitter or leave a comment below!
