Gender politics has always been a hot topic that Hollywood has grappled with. It was often embarrassing reporting, including hard-to-watch today movies that portrayed "other" people in tragic or vicious roles. There's been a big toll in the movie world since then, but it happened relatively recently.
Yet progressive movies have been around for decades. Some like it hot managed to capitalize on the comedy that still resonates today when two straight men pose as women to hide from the crowd. Jaye Davidson managed to earn an Oscar nomination for his role in The Crying Game, although his performance ultimately led to his early retirement from acting due to limited roles and the harsh backlash he received.
But Hollywood often seems to take two steps back for every step forward. This is the case with the 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously. In the film, Mel Gibson's Australian television correspondent travels to Jakarta, Indonesia. There he meets Billy Kwan, a local Chinese-Australian photographer who helps him navigate the politically turbulent climate.
For the role of the Kwan, director Peter Weir did not consider the large number of true Chinese-Australians living on the mainland island at the time. Weir originally cast choreographer David Atkins, a white Australian, for the role. When Atkins and Gibson didn't have the chemistry Weir was looking for, he decided to switch roles. It was then that he made a groundbreaking decision: Weir cast American actress Linda Hunt for the role.
Hunt, a successful stage actress before turning to acting, had made her film debut two years earlier in the Robin Williams-directed adaptation of Popeye. Still, a photo of Hunt was enough for Weir to convince him to go with her. With the help of heavy makeup, Hunt transformed from a white American woman into a Chinese-Australian man.
Although there's been a long history of gender swapping in entertainment, Hunt was the rare example of a modern performance in which the actor in question didn't hide his true gender. Hunt did not act like a woman pretending to be a man: her character was a man who happened to be played by a woman. This award became legendary when Hunt was nominated for an Oscar.
At the 56th Academy Awards, Hunt took on the mighty Cher and Glenn Close for Best Supporting Actress. When she won the award, Hunt became the only actress to receive an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. While Hunt's role would likely go to an actual Chinese actor today, Hunt's performance in The Year of Living Dangerously is as moving as ever.
Read Also : Who is the male actor who has won the most Oscars in history?
Answered 2 years ago
ragini singh
Gender politics has always been a hot topic that Hollywood has grappled with. It was often embarrassing reporting, including hard-to-watch today movies that portrayed "other" people in tragic or vicious roles. There's been a big toll in the movie world since then, but it happened relatively recently.
Yet progressive movies have been around for decades. Some like it hot managed to capitalize on the comedy that still resonates today when two straight men pose as women to hide from the crowd. Jaye Davidson managed to earn an Oscar nomination for his role in The Crying Game, although his performance ultimately led to his early retirement from acting due to limited roles and the harsh backlash he received.
But Hollywood often seems to take two steps back for every step forward. This is the case with the 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously. In the film, Mel Gibson's Australian television correspondent travels to Jakarta, Indonesia. There he meets Billy Kwan, a local Chinese-Australian photographer who helps him navigate the politically turbulent climate.
Read Also : Who is the male actor who has won the most Oscars in history?For the role of the Kwan, director Peter Weir did not consider the large number of true Chinese-Australians living on the mainland island at the time. Weir originally cast choreographer David Atkins, a white Australian, for the role. When Atkins and Gibson didn't have the chemistry Weir was looking for, he decided to switch roles. It was then that he made a groundbreaking decision: Weir cast American actress Linda Hunt for the role.
Hunt, a successful stage actress before turning to acting, had made her film debut two years earlier in the Robin Williams-directed adaptation of Popeye. Still, a photo of Hunt was enough for Weir to convince him to go with her. With the help of heavy makeup, Hunt transformed from a white American woman into a Chinese-Australian man.
Although there's been a long history of gender swapping in entertainment, Hunt was the rare example of a modern performance in which the actor in question didn't hide his true gender. Hunt did not act like a woman pretending to be a man: her character was a man who happened to be played by a woman. This award became legendary when Hunt was nominated for an Oscar.
At the 56th Academy Awards, Hunt took on the mighty Cher and Glenn Close for Best Supporting Actress. When she won the award, Hunt became the only actress to receive an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. While Hunt's role would likely go to an actual Chinese actor today, Hunt's performance in The Year of Living Dangerously is as moving as ever.