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I’m Not Mad When People Call Me ‘Jackie Chan’
He was the most universally recognizable Asian actor in Hollywood when I was growing up
I have a hard time thinking of Asian actors. Honestly, off the top of my head, I can list Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Aziz Ansari, and George Takei. The latter two I had to really think about.
I started teaching in the Baltimore City Public Schools two years ago, and during a work icebreaker last year, my boss asked us to name an actor we’re most similar to. When it came time for me to share, I just had to say “I don’t know — George Takei? There aren’t many Asian actors I can name off the top of my head.” Another Asian female teacher also said the same thing. We got into a heavy discussion on Asian American representation in the media—that is, the lack thereof.
Last year, my school district was short staffed, so I was asked to cover a math SAT prep class. One of the high school seniors greeted me by saying, “Hey! Jackie Chan!” Another called me Bruce Lee. At the time I laughed it off and thought it was funny — other people might think differently but it really wasn’t too big of a deal to me. Throughout the year, kids would say, “Be careful around Mr. Fan because he can karate kick you,” despite the fact that I don’t know any karate or any martial arts.
