What Blackpink Jennie's role in 'The Idol' possibly reveals to us about Hollywood's treatment of Asian women
According to sources who spoke to Rolling Stone, she has an "inconsequential story arc"
(Jennie of Blackpink, in The Idol. Photo credit: HBO)
As Everything Everywhere All At Once heads to the Oscars this weekend with the most nominations — and possibly wins — it will mark a huge victory for Asian representation in Hollywood. After all, it’s a remarkable achievement for an ambitious indie film to premiere at South by Southwest Festival last March, then make its way to film’s biggest night a year later.
As someone who has screamed about the need for better Asian representation on all levels, I’m obviously rooting for this movie (and for my Asian Toronto girlies, Turning Red) to take home all the awards. But I would be naïve to say the work is finished.
In fact, it was quite eye-opening to read a bombshell piece from Rolling Stone about the behind-the-scenes chaos on HBO’s upcoming series The Idol recently. The article details the alleged drama that went on during the filming of the series, which also stars Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd. Sources who spoke to the magazine said the production of the show has "gone widely, disgustingly off the rails”, and that it “contained disturbing sexual and physically violent scenes."
But among the allegations, there were also insights on the role (or lack thereof) that Blackpink’s Jennie plays in the show.
Last July, it was confirmed that the Blackpink singer would be joining the HBO series for her first acting credit. And she’s since appeared briefly in The Idol’s teasers and social media accounts. According to sources who spoke to Rolling Stone, casting Jennie in The Idol was "the biggest get” for co-creator Sam Levinson (the showrunner behind Euphoria).
In a November interview with ELLE USA, Jennie also praised Levinson’s work, saying the two of them got to meet and talk about the possibilities of her being on the show. It worked out “magically.”
“I’ve never had to be in a place where I was surrounded by so many people that I’m not familiar with, and especially in a different language,” Jennie said. “Luckily, I had Sam there…What he said was to just be me.”
Levinson on the other hand, praised Jennie for being “so professional and hardworking.”
When I first heard about Jennie’s role in The Idol, I was intrigued in seeing what the show would be like. As a real life K-pop idol, no one is more qualified than Jennie to be in a series literally called The Idol. Jennie is a global musical and fashion star. I thought this could further catapult her into the mainstream world.
But as detailed in that very Rolling Stone article, it was revealed that Jennie “has barely any air time and an inconsequential story” in The Idol. A production source added: "It was like three or four lines per episode for her. They didn't let her talk that much. Her job was to sit there [and] look pretty, basically."
As seen in trailers and images, Jennie’s face has been prominently used to promote The Idol. That’s likely due to the fact that she has more than 75 million Instagram followers, which would be a big draw for viewership.
But I just can’t help but feel her image has been used for all the wrong reasons.
Personally, I do not know what kind of character Jennie plays in The Idol. But given recent reports, it doesn’t sound very promising. My fear though, is that she’s going to be subjected to the silent Asian woman trope. That’s disappointing, but also completely unsurprising.
From Madame Butterfly to Full Metal Jacket, Hollywood has a long history of portraying Asian women as proper, demure and exotic objects of the white male gaze. Knowing that Jennie has a place in a show that’s currently being described as “sexual torture porn” only further perpetuates those harmful stereotypes and tropes. She deserves SO much better. And at a time when K-pop continues to find mainstream success, it appears that once again, the idols are being taken advantage of for the sake of clicks and views.
The truth is, Jennie’s role could have brought important Asian representation to a network like HBO and significant opportunities for other East Asian stars in Hollywood. Representation is not about asking Asian people to show up on set and look pretty for the camera. It has to feel genuine and not reactionary. Not to mention, it doesn’t equate casting someone to meet some “diversity quota”.
If you haven’t already read Cheyenne Roundtree’s story in Rolling Stone, I highly recommend you do. I know Jennie’s role is just a small part of the whole story, but I really can’t stop thinking about how The Idol’s co-creators appear to have used Jennie for clout and attention.
That’s why I can’t help but feel the irony that the Rolling Stone article is coming out the same month as films like Turning Red and Everything Everywhere All At Once head to the Academy Awards. It’s almost as if every time our community makes a positive step forward, something stupid and appalling sets us back.
Jennie deserves better. So do all of us Asians. Let’s not forget that.
Further reading:
What the 'twisted' Weeknd saga says about journalism
I’ve recently been loving PassTheAux, a newsletter by Eleanor Halls. Her recent post is also about The Idol, but discusses what The Weeknd’s response to the Rolling Stone piece says about media literacy today. It is also well worth your time!
In other news…
Blackpink Jisoo set to make her solo debut
In more positive Blackpink news, Jisoo is set to make her long-awaited solo music debut on March 31. A teaser posted this past week included a mysterious “Coming Soon” poster featuring a red piece of cloth in a grassy field.
“See you soon” Jisoo captioned on Instagram. She is the fourth and final member of Blackpink to branch out with her own music.
HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk joins CNN for wide-ranging interview
In a wide-ranging CNN interview with HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, he pushed back on accusations that he is trying to monopolize the Korean music industry. He added that “misinformation” has clouded his company’s bid to raise its stake in SM Entertainment.
Last month, HYBE announced it would become SM’s largest shareholder by picking up a roughly 15 per cent stake in the company for 422.8 billion Korean won directly from the agency’s founder, Lee Soo-man, who had been battling his firm’s management on multiple fronts. HYBE later said it would seek to raise its overall holding to 40 per cent, kicking off a heated public dispute with the leadership of SM.
Soon after the HYBE acquisition was made official, the company announced a new campaign website last week called “SM with HYBE”, in order to share its latest business strategy and plans.
Apart from SM Entertainment, Chairman Bang also addressed K-pop’s role in mainstream music during his interview with CNN, saying the genre “is not as hot in the market as you might perceive.”
“Globally, it’s not occupying much of the market. On the other hand, Latin music and Afrobeats are very rapidly growing,” Bang said, adding that it is “urgent” to increase the exposure of K-pop.
ATEEZ tries fish and chips for the first time
It seems as though ATEEZ has been on tour forever. And while I hope the boys are getting much needed rest, it’s also nice to see them exploring their surroundings.
Members San and Hongjoong were recently featured on YouTuber Jolly’s account trying fish and chips for the very first time.
“I’m scared now, but I want to try this,” San says, as copious amounts of vinegar and salt is put on his meal.
But it appears the the boys liked it! Fish and chips are a must when in the UK.
Also seen in the video: Hongjoong eating a pickled onion. I just hope he rinsed his mouth thoroughly after it. It looked dreadful LOL.
And my latest musical obsession: XG
If you haven’t heard of the South Korean-based Japanese girl group XG, you better get on it!
I have been playing their latest singles “Shooting Star” and “Left Right” on rotation for weeks now. I am just obsessed with their vocals, but also their Y2K fashion sense and swag.
Now this week, it was revealed that their single “Left Right” has entered the Mediabase Top 40 Radio Airplay Chart. Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 U.S. and Canadian markets. This achievement marks the first time a Japanese girl group has made the list. Onwards and upwards, ladies!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Accountability is important to me, so please address corrections and concerns by sending me an email at bunnipopnewsletter@gmail.com. Continue the conversation by following Bunni Pop on Instagram and Twitter.
This post encapsulates the fears I had after watching the trailer. It was hard for me to believe that Jennie would play a significant role. Especially with Lily Rose Depp posed to play the central character, which is ironic considering that Jennie is an actual idol whereas Lily is..well Johnny Depp’s daughter. Based on what’s been said about the drama so far it seems that my worst fears are nearly confirmed: Jennie has been cast so that the drama can leverage her fame and her presence within the film is tokenistic at best.