Asian ACTORS!

[UlathSZ]

Best asian actors (Yes, the movies involving shaolin kungfu and lots of strings)

For male I'd say Donnie Yen. Jackie Chan is good but he's an acrobat, not a martial artist. Jet Li...I don't like most of his movies.

Female: Birgitte (sp?) Nelson. Whatcha guys think~?

[Robot]

You can't really call what Jackie Chan does acting. He's horrible. Jet Li's a little better, but still, awful english, why try?


Takeshi Kitano's great. So's Stephen Chow

[UlathSZ]

I only saw Stephen Crow in Shaolin Soccer, and it's not really about the acting, it's the fighting ^_^

[Szlia]

So many great actors and actresses..... it would be like asking who is the best american actor. Tough to make a pick really (and I reaLLy need to learn that reaLLy takes to L...). And there is a LOT more to asian movies than Kung-Fu and strings... Good luck in finding Kung-Fu and strings in a Japanese or Korean movie for example...

Anyway... I'll limit my pick in the "KF + wire" department and say:

Male: ANDY LAU!! He is able to mix a career in pop music, action movies and arty movies and is a very serious actor (I have a vibrant memory of him in Poon Man Kit's "Shanghai Grand" where he is a mobster in the 30s).

Female: MAGGIE CHEUNG!! Who else can rival her stunning beauty and her incredibly eclectic filmography? Who can be both a action movie star, a pop icon AND work with director such as Wong Kar Wai, Ann Hui , Stanley Kwan or Olvier Assayas? Maggie Cheung is an HK legend and an amazing actress.

[Awanka]

There are no really good asian actors, asians lack the kind of showmanship and histrionic ability that it takes to make a good screen presence. It's the same reason there are no good asian comedians, they just don't have that certain talent for pantomine, acting, whatever you want to call it that separates the performers from the duds. I saw Shaolin Soccer. It was a pretty decent comedy, although there was no real good acting. Some passable comedic performances was all. It was better than Austin Powers 3, but that's not saying a lot.

The first person who says Margaret Cho is a talented comedian will get a stick to the head.

[Awanka]

I'm trying to think of some good asian actors. Jet Li is pretty good, he has presence. So was that guy that fought him in Romeo must Die, the other asian guy. Not really good actors, but I could buy that they were badasses, which is something called star power gentlemen, much more rare and bankable than being able to play 10 different characters.

[aakla]

Gordon Liu (Chia Hui) from Master Killer is one of my all time favorite asian Kung fu stars.

[Solutions]

the one guy in battle royale that helped the two kids. one of the 'ringers', not the one that plays the game for fun but the other one. i cant remember his name. i think in the movie it was Kinichi or something.

[Drutt]

"asians lack the kind of showmanship and histrionic ability that it takes to make a good screen presence."

I´m sure you did a lot of research before making that statement...

[Szlia]

Ok... maybe you need to see more movies than just Shaolin Soccer to make a statement on all the asian actors? mmmkay?

Go back once you have seen some movies with Toshiro Mifune, Ken Ogata, Anthony Wong, Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Takeshi Kitano, Kazuo Hazegawa, etc etc etc.... and that only covers your "showmanship and histrionic" definition of the actor...

You do realise that in the whole asia there is a very important tradition of dramatic arts right? Be it opera in China, Pansori in Korea or No / Kabuki in Japan?

Bah now I am upset for no reason... your statement is just wrong.

[Awanka]

I've seen a lot of movies, albeit not a very great deal from Asia because there aren't a lot of movies made there that are worth my time. And in all those movies I have not seen a single asian that I would call a good actor or even a good comedian. That's pretty damning evidence if you ask me. All these serious asian actors that you mention aren't fun to watch. The only thing they do is this silent stoicism where they move and look around them slowly. Do these emotionless statues make for a compelling characters? Sometimes. Is it good acting? No. A good actor in the vein of Al Pacino Edward Norton or even Robin Williams has to have a character that comes out at you like a cannon, almost to the point of cheese. They can't hold back. The line between good acting and hamming it up is really quite thin. It's just a cultural thing. The asian mentality is too reserved and mouselike to produce compelling cinema characters, or comedians, or generate sex appeal. It's a whole thing. It's the same reason there are so many jews in film. As you all know Jewish people are a very expressive people and their over the top antics are ideal for Hollywood.

That being said, Toshiro Mifune could quite possibly be a good actor, maybe the only one to ever come from that culture. Maybe he's just a really obnoxious flamboyant asian, but for whatever reason he can portray powerful characters. Compare him to the giant heap which is all the other actors from Asia, and you can see what the problem is. What makes him stand out. Sometimes you just have to let go.

[Tabbran]

Ekin Chang, Aaron Kwok, Sonny Chiba, Kitano "Beat" Takeshi, Andy Lau, all great character actors. All play the "badass" role very well throughout the movies they're in, but are able to be more than just that. I'd say they have presence and acting ability on screen.

As for comedic acting value, Nick Cheung is great. Even though I can't speak mandarin, I can understand when he's funny, it's a whole body thing, and he's a great physical comedian.

[Deris]

Awanka are you an idiot? You should see the number of movies that come out here that will never make it to the states - Your statement is pure idiocy, its like saying Japanese base all american movies off the horrible ones they get here, and trust me we get them all.

Just because you haven't seen many Asian movies, or the ones that you have seen sucked doesn't mean a damn thing. You need to remember these cultures have been acting for over 1000 years, they take it so much more seriously than we ever will.

But then again your just an ignorant American

[Plan9]

"Im not a racist! Im just ignorant!"
bah. sad.

[Synd D`nys]

I think Chow Yun Fat has incredible screen presence. He carried The Replacement Killers and The Corrupter (both underrated movies, imo) despite barely speaking any English at the time. He was fantastic in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

I'm actually really looking foreward to Bulletproof Monk.