A Leading Man
| A Leading Man | |
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Theatrical Release Poster
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| Directed by | Steven J. Kung |
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| Written by | Steven J. Kung |
| Starring | |
| Music by | |
| Cinematography | Robert Lam |
| Edited by | Chris Witt |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Mance Media |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Leading Man is an 2013 American drama film written and directed by Steven J. Kung as his feature film debut, starring Jack Yang, Heather Mazur, and Tsai Chin. The film is distributed by Mance Media, and premiered on October 17, 2013 at the 33rd Hawaii International Film Festival. The film had theatrical release at the Music Hall theater in Beverly Hills, California on September 26, 2014.
"I originally came to Hollywood because I was sick of seeing Asian men in particular emasculated in front of the camera. No one was making the films that would portray Asian American men in a more well-rounded way."
After witnessing the repeated stereotypical and two-dimensional depictions of Asian Americans in film and television, Kung was inspired to write A Leading Man. He specified examples being media backlash against Jeremy Lin, the "appallingly offensive" stereotypes of Asians on the NBC television series Outsourced, and a SAG-AFTRA report which concluded Asian Americans are underserved within the entertainment industry, coupled with the fact that people were not aware of the issue.
He based Jack Yang's character of GQ Chi on an Asian actor friend of his who had had extensive experience and training and who had landed a major role in Broadway theater, whose difficulty finding steady work despite his skills and accomplishments, was "emblematic of how Asian actors are treated in general."
With a few key exceptions, casting choices were made with the intent to "cast unknowns to introduce a new generation of Asian American performers".
Filming took place during August 2012, with financing provided by Kung's mother, who also held the role of GQ Qi's mother.
GQ Qi (Jack Yang) finally makes it big playing a coveted role on a television sitcom. Everyone is happy for him – the network, his mother, his best friend – everyone except GQ himself. He is stuck playing an offensive stereotype. The day he decides to speak up for himself on set, the executive producer fires him. To salvage his career, he starts dating A-list casting director Rachel Cohen (Heather Mazur); work and love soon become intertwined.
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