New Twitter Account, Hashtag Re-Imagines Films #StarringJohnCho

After a series of recent hashtag campaigns — #MyYellowfaceStory, #MyBrownfaceStory, #whitewashedOUT — in which Asian Americans and others spoke out against the lack of Asian and Asian-American representation in film, theater, and books, a new campaign launched Thursday which is propelling the conversation to the next level.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race

Slide 1 of 1

#StarringJohnCho is a social movement and social media campaign that features blockbuster movie posters altered to show what these films could look like with actor John Cho, of “Harold and Kumar” and “Star Trek” fame, cast as the lead.

“#StarringJohnCho is about igniting a conversation about how Asian-Americans are perceived in today's Hollywood landscape and our greater society,” William Yu, the 25-year-old digital strategist behind the hashtag, told NBC News. “Films with more diverse casts result in higher box office numbers and higher returns on investments for film companies, yet Hollywood won't cast lead actors to reflect this fact.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race

Slide 1 of 1

Yu added, “I'm tired of hearing that a role can't be played by an Asian actor because people ‘just don't see it. #StarringJohnCho is here to literally show you.”

The campaign is not restricting itself to the virtual world, but taking it out to New York City subways as well. (The creator, Yu, is based in New York City.)

Cho fans were so ready for this:

Fans also presented Cho as a counter to the often-used argument about Hollywood needing a "bankable" Asian-American star:

“In creating the ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ poster, I kept catching myself chuckling at the idea of John Cho starring as Captain America,” Yu said. “But then I started to ask myself why such a casting might seem so outrageous, and I realized I didn't have a good answer! Why can't an Asian-American actor take on that role? This project has definitely challenged my own perceptions of where I, as an Asian-American, fit in our society.”

And although John Cho is not directly involved in the hashtag project, he did follow it on Twitter.

Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

• Add to Google

Scarlett Johansson Casting Raises Concerns Over 'Whitewashing'

00:58

RELATED

• Asian Americans Show Impact of Being #WhitewashedOUT
• Asian Americans in Theater Speak Out with #MyYellowfaceStory
• John Cho Calls Casting Revolutionary, But Will He Get the Girl
• John Cho Comedy 'Selfie' Cancelled by ABC
• 'The Martian' Faces Accusations of 'Whitewashing' Lead Characters
• 'Aloha' Draws Accusations of 'Whitewashing' Hawaii