However popular TVB’s Barrack O’Karma is, the network caught a lot of flak recently for using “brownface” in an episode of its sequel Barrack O’Karma 1968 金宵大廈2. Played by Canadian-born Hong Kong actress Franchesca Wong, a now deleted Instagram post from colleague Lam King Ching saw the actress putting on makeup to darken her skin whilst laughingly attempting a Filipino accent. “I am transforming to another person, to Louisa… I am sun tanning right now sir”, she said.
Whilst Franchesca’s portrayal has received praise from viewers and local media, it’s the way minorities are often depicted in Hong Kong media that’s sparking a lot of criticism. There’s also plenty of uproar over her casting for the role. Folks have pointed out the production could’ve just put more effort into casting an actress with Filipino heritage instead of resorting to darkening her skin to portray a person of a different ethnicity.
TVB Pulls the Episode
Following the barrage of criticism, TVB pulled the plug on the episode after the issue started gaining traction online. In a recent statement, the network said “The seventh episode of “Barrack O’Karma 2”, which aired on April 12, tells the story of the plot between domestic helpers and employers, and is a creative-based drama. In the series, actress Franchesca Wong plays domestic helper Louisa. She has successfully portrayed this role with her professional and stellar acting skills. TVB has always been committed to providing audiences with a high-quality entertainment experience. The station emphasises that is has no intention to express disrespect or discrimination against any nationality in any program. We apologise to anyone affected by this.”
Source: 1
lil
If you want America to portray Asian better in their dramas/movies, then you should do the same.
Anonymous
I don’t think it’s HK or China that wants Asian to be portrayed better in Hollywood films. That’s more of an Asian American movement that wants better change.
However, the title doesn’t seem to help with the brown face controversy either. I get that it’s a little different, but for sure it’s a cheek in tongue situation going on.
Jia
I do think China wants Asians to be portrayed better. That’s why they were all up in arms when Shang-Chi casting was announced. They said Simu Liu and Awkwafina were too ugly. They also slammed the Dior photographer for using an Asian model with small eyes and freckles that play into stereotypes.
Not funny at all
The Dior photoshoot would’ve been more well received had they used multiple models for the shoot with varying looks because not every Chinese looks the same. Some people are tired of seeing the West cast Asians in their shows with a specific type of look all the time, as if every time they hear the word Asian that’s the type they think of. Have those casting directors been to Asia? to China? and looked around to see how people actually look like? There are asian actors who have mentioned they find it difficult to find work because they have been told they don’t look or act Asian enough by some old white casting director guy. Isn’t that hurtful?
Anon
I’m no sure what the controversy is. Filipinos do speak with their distinctive filipino slang and style. That’s the reality. Not only those who work as maids. Is it because she has to darken her skin with make-up? But that is also reality. In general, native filipinos are darker skinned than asians living in the more northern regions. She was playing a filipino girl, wasn’t she? She did have to look and act like one, didn’t she? What was it that she had said in jest that is offensive? Goodness, stand-up comedians do it all the time.
Nonny
Did you time jump from the 1920’s or something? What you are equating is the same as white people painting their faces black back in the day. Yeah Filipinos are generally darker than Han Chinese and yeah a lot of them do domestic work in HK but why not actually hire an actual Filipina? I am sure out of the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos living in HK, SOMEBODY must want to be an actress instead of being a maid or nanny.
Anon
Oh seriously, do you think you can just pick anyone off the streets to be an actor? All foreign workers in other countries are under work visa and contract terms? Do you think you can just up and go for another job even if you are qualified for it? I think you better jump back to realism instead of living in a fantasy world
And what’s wrong with make-up to depict the character they are playing? Don’t the film, drama industry do it every day? When actors play rural folks, farmers or fishermen, they also darken and roughen their skin with make-up. Should we get a real farmer to be an actor instead?
Not funny at all
Didn’t the Chris Rock issue show us that some jokes coming from these so called comedians sometimes crosses the line? They can’t use their job as a comedian as an excuse all the time, because if they make bad jokes that goes too far don’t expect people to lie down, laugh it off and take it.
You don’t see the issue because you’ve never been in the shoes of the kind of people this production mocked. It’s filled with hurtful tropes after hurtful tropes. How they tried to deliver and execute the show is also distasteful.
What is this production supposed to be? Is it supposed to cheer up and inspire those kinds of people who faces discrimination in their country daily because if it is, their execution doesn’t make it seem so. It made it look like it serves the opposite purpose.
They should’ve hired an actor with filipino ancestry or an actual Filipino instead of resorting to brown facing this actress. They should’ve chosen another title for the production. Barack o karma really? Do they think that’s funny? They say they had no intention on making a mockery of other nationalities but they did those things?
Wou
Just go to google & do the search for Filipino
See the result yourself
SuperIdol_105°C
Yes. Google the term and you will see they don’t all look alike. One doesn’t need to be a genius to realize this. If you live anywhere with a diverse population, you would know that despite people having the same race or home country they won’t always look alike. TVB picked an outdated stereotype to include in their show. Lazy writing.
Coralie
At first glance, my knee-jerk reaction was that it’s fine how she portrayed a Filipina character because she was referencing the closest depiction of someone of Filipino descent that she could find, copying mannerisms, tongue and physique.
But on further introspection, it’s not fine because 1) she shouldn’t have darkened her skin to appear more stereotypical of Filipinas and 2) the role should’ve been given to a real Filipina.
Addressing point 1) this criticism is justified, because there are many Filipinas who are not dark, even if a good chunk is, and that it’s a trait that’s stereotyped by the public. No race likes being made a caricature of by another race. It’s like saying all white ppl playing Asians should always slant their eyes or color their skin ivory/brown to portray us more accurately. We just don’t like ourselves being generalized by another race, because they are not us. 2) the role should’ve gone to a real Filipina to be the MOST authentic and any other person would just be a charlatan. But, to be fair, the actress tried her best to provide the most accurate representation of a Filipina based off research within her periphery, so she’s not trying to offend or make a mockery of them. And this is also TVB, who is known for depicting white people as Asians with blond hair sooo, there ya go. They’re not likely to change
Coralie
Sometimes I have real trouble with figuring out what we are mad about in terms of our portrayal in the media. Is it because western media likes to cast Asians with stereotypical features (slanted eyes?), even though they are very common amongst all Asians? Because they also cast actresses that are not like that in recent years, like Gemma Chan and Constance Wu and even Michelle Yeoh. But when they decide to hire a stereotypical Asian like Sandra Oh or Awkwafina to be casted, a lot of us Asians are in an uproar, saying things like they’re so ugly (ugly with their differences from stereotypical Hollywood stars?) Maybe someone here can enlighten me.
Jia
[MAJOR SPOILER ALERT]
I watched these two episodes, and she plays a helper that slowly gets “possessed”/manipulated into becoming the HK couple’s daughter. I think the skin color was used as a tool to show her transition of losing her self identity to becoming their dead daughter. Is it distasteful? Maybe. I’m not sure. I don’t think they did anything to make her look bad though. The show made a point to address how helpers are sometimes unfairly discriminated against, and how hard their life is. There was a scene in an elevator where a HK person told her to leave the elevator, and another person stood up for her and treated her as an equal. I don’t think it had an intention to slander or put down Filipinas.
Jia
PS in case in wasn’t clear, by the end of the story, her skin was no longer dark.