Should Performers Brag About Donning Yellowface?

Over the weekend I saw an actress post a #tbt photo on her Facebook page of when she played Kim in a production of Miss Saigon. She gushed about what an honor it was to perform the role and how it opened her eyes to the struggles of sexism, race, etc. This was an otherwise typical post of an actress talking about how playing a role impacted her.

Except there was one problem. She was as white as the driven snow. Worse yet, her make up for the role of Kim was a prime example of what many call, “yellowface”.

So I couldn’t help but think, should this actress be bragging about a role she was never supposed to play in the first place?

Look, I think we can all agree that blackface, brownface, yellowface or any other type of “face” is wrong and shouldn’t be happening in theatres in 2020. If you don’t have a diverse population to do productions such as Avenue Q, The King and I, Hairspray or In the Heights, I would much rather you do productions with no diversity whatsoever. Anything and everything is better than having actors donning makeup to change their race.

Thankfully, many theatres are becoming “color-conscious” when it comes to casting. Many have reached out to me asking for advice on how to cast shows and also attract more diversity through their doors. It’s great to see these conversations take place.

But getting back to the question at hand - no, I don’t think a performer should brag or celebrate problematic casting they were involved with unless the point was that the practice needs to stop.

I have a friend who happens to be a white actress who talks about the time she was cast as Eva Peron in Evita. But rather than brag about how she was cast in the role over Latin actresses, she stresses how she wouldn’t play that type of role again nor audition for one. That’s being an ally.

So if you’ve donned any type of “face” in your performing career, it might not be something to expect a lot of people to “like”.

Photo: Broadway Revival of Miss Saigon (Matthew Murphy)