Lunar New Year: 12 Asian Film Characters to Celebrate

Excluding Indians, of course, as they don’t celebrate Lunar New Year? To celebrate the Lunar New Year with those who … celebrate it, instead of looking at films from the East, we thought we’d look to the colourful film characters that we’ve seen instead. The list will only include notable characters (as opposed to performances or actors) of the following ethnicity:

Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, formerly the Japanese before 1873, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

(Wikipedia, I love you.)

Let’s get to it, shall we? In no particular order (list compiled by FLEA and Aurelle, based on what we have seen, which, unfortunately, was not everything).

Top row to bottom row:

Wong Fei Hung – Once upon a time in China (HK) / Lai Yiu-fai – Happy Together (HK)

He may not mean much to the North American audience, but Wong Fei Hung is a revered name in Asia, so much so that they made movies after movies based on his supposed legend. This would not be a complete list without the character that inspired legions of fans and made a household name of anyone who played him, most notably Jet Li. More than an ordinary film character, Wong was a folk hero, a doctor, and a martial artist rolled into one. I’d probably compare him to James Bond, without all the womanizing and the gadgets, though that would probably take away the appeal of Bond to the Western (more specifically, North American) culture. He’s the straight face hero who kicks a lot of arse, and looks better than you doing it. That’s important, I think. – Aurelle & FLEA

Lai Yiu Fai, on the other hand, is not as famous a name, even if the actor playing him (Tony Leung) is. This character is as different from Wong Fei Hung as one can be. First of all, he’s gay. Second of all, he cooks and knows nothing of martial arts. Third of all, he’s got a tumultuous affair with a dude who is, in effect, a self-destructive, indecisive playboy. He is no folk hero, but a complex, modern man facing the uncertain complexion of relationships as they are on the brink of structural changes, giving voice to the much maligned gay subculture in the East in the process as well. – Aurelle

What marks a great performance?

This is Kate Winslet’s year. Having won the Globes for both best supporting and lead actress, and coming off a supporting win for The Reader at the SAG, she’s set to win the Oscars for her performance in The Reader (but in a different category). She is the youngest actress to have the number of Oscars nominations she does. So she’s pretty impressive, acting wise, yeah? Here’s the thing: I don’t think Kate Winslet is all that great. Not to be the contrarian for the sake of being a contrarian or some shock value, having seen Kate Winslet in many of the roles that she’s acclaimed for and won the adoration of fans the world over, I can safely say that none of them has been great, to me. There have been some good ones: she was serviceable in Sense and sensibility, for example. While no actor is without a disbeliever, the fact that she’s got such a huge fan base (presumably because of her acclaimed performances) prompts me to ask: what marks a great performance? I mean, not just good performances, but great ones. I looked far and deep to bring you this very scientific break down:

1. S/he  (33.33%)
2. The role as written & directed (33.33%)
3. Me (33.33%)

All characters are necessarily, to be authentic in some ways, born from some part of the actor’s self. I think it’s important that there’s a fit between the role and the actor (or his/her persona, if s/he’s famous). Or, if there is no obvious fit, the actor should transform him/herself in a way that makes him/herself ‘disappear’ into the role, physically and emotionally. Actors are more successful at this with some roles than others, depending on the fit they find. Keira Knightley’s pouty looks and angly demeanour, for example, in my opinion, were soften more drastically (and therefore worked better) for Pride and Prejudice, but not so much for the role of The Duchess (and therefore less successfully), even though both were period pieces that required her to look a certain way. In Kate Winslet’s case, I’ve always felt like she was Kate Winslet acting in different roles, even with the different ways that she transformed her looks. Admittedly, it is harder for more famous actors to just simply become characters, but it’s not impossible (with or without the help of disguises; Charlize Theron gave a great performance in Monster, albeit with the help of make-up).