Lily Gao's actual response

[B]

Edit: Hey mods, feel free to lock this thread or delete the post. Pretty sure nothing more constructive will be said.

Edit: I've been at this for 4 hours now. Pretty sure any issues that could be brought up have been and I've done my best to address them all. I'm out. Peace till next time 👍/edit

Figured this should be up there for the people who only read the forum posts raging at her and won't bother to look at what she actually said.

Her response:

"Being the first Asian actor to portray Ada in the Resident Evil video games is an honour, and I will forever be grateful to our producer and director, for making the decision on authentic representation," says Gao, speaking in her first statement since she took a break from social media.

(edit missing part of statement): "It's unfortunate that with the game's release, also came the all too familiar feeling of 'I don't belong'. (edit end of missing part of statement)

"While criticism is expected, it's not the first time an actor of colour faces racist and sexist harassment, for simply participating. Inauthentic casting perpetuates an unhealthy image that further dehumanizes the community they seek to reflect." she continues. "It is time we stop only capitalizing on the sexualized, eroticized, and mysterious Asian woman, and make space to honour every kind of Asian woman."

"My Ada is a survivor. She is kind, just, intelligent, and funny. She is unpredictable, resilient, and absolutely not a stereotype."

She refers to the criticism and harassment as two separate things. No where does she equate the two as the same thing. She refers to the harassment as being racist. Which racism is always harassment.

Again, You will notice that nowhere did she say that criticising her is racist as some forum posts describe her saying. She didn't mention the criticism. She's talking about the harassment. She doesn't owe you or anyone a response to the criticism. Those who harassed her gave her the hate fueled podium/microphone to make this statement. Stop harassing her if you want her to stop talking about the harassment.

[Alyx]

Originally posted by Samad Al Hayadi:

Wait, is this whats going on? It was a chatGPT thread all along?

Seems that way at this point.

[witness]

Originally posted by RotFox:

Originally posted by Exi:

She might be advocating for better portrayal of characters in media, but that creates a problem. The job requirements should be not just be "be Asian," but there should be an audition, with the best voice fit for the character getting the role. If there's a race requirement, there should at least be an Asian person picked who has a great voice for the character. This statement just makes it seems as if being Asian is the top priority of getting the role, I think that presents a problem. While playing a video-game, I think most would prefer to hear great voice acting, not bad voice acting with the reason being "representation."

I don't think the voice actor being Asian brings the character more to life in any way, if anything the Ada in this game sounded monotonous and uninspired, like there was rather a lack of life. Also, I don't think anyone hears the voice and thinks, "wow! That's an Asian voice actor." I mean, how could you tell? What primarily brings characters to life is good, accurate voice acting. Authenticity can be sought as long as the voice actor authentic to the role would do a better job than one that wasn't.



How is Ada in this game a more diverse, and nuanced character? She hasn't changed much, except for some lines and the worse voice acting. What I take from your point of "harmful representations" is that Asians being portrayed as mysterious, exotic etc. is a harmful stereotype. I also assume that the actress is referring to the original Resident Evil 4 portrayal of Ada Wong, but that seems to present a problem that the actress has with that game's portrayal, does it not? She was portrayed in the original as a "femme fatale," is the idea that it has something to do with voice acting, how the lines are delivered?



Is a landscape where actors are chosen primarily because of race and not voice acting ability truly desirable?
Good for her that she's advocating for change, but fact is she applied for a voice acting position for a remake of a game that did not take it self seriously, and was purposeful in its portrayal of all characters. She did not apply for a new game where she could create and portray an entirely new character. The wish for many was for this game to be a faithful re-imagining of the original, but her statement basically says "Asian culture first, faithful remake of one of the most iconic video games ever second."

The actress emphasized the significance of better representation of Asian characters in media rather than advocating for casting an Asian person based solely on their race. The selection of the most suitable voice actor through auditions regardless of their race is imperative. The aim is to provide equal opportunities for Asian actors and actresses to audition and be considered for roles.

Concerning the portrayal of the Ada Wong character, it's not only about the voice acting but also about the representation of the character. If the original portrayal of Ada Wong in Resident Evil 4 was harmful or stereotypical, it's crucial to address and rectify it for the better.

It's not about prioritizing "Asian culture" over the faithful recreation of a video game, but rather recognizing the importance of diversity and representation in media. The objective is to establish a platform where people of all races and backgrounds can feel acknowledged and represented in the stories being told.

Well how did she rectify the portayal of Ada Wong in the original Resident Evil 4 for the better? She contributed nothing, her voice acting was just bad. I don't see how she helped rectify the character at all.

Originally posted by RotFox:

The actress emphasized the significance of better representation of Asian characters in media

I want to bring something else up regarding the representation of Asian characters. Who is to say that the original Ada Wong could not be a realistic character, just because she was mysterious, and "sexualized." This is saying that no Asians are mysterious or sexual, why could Ada Wong not have these characteristics? Why is it harmful?

[Dank Sidious]

Originally posted by RotFox:

Originally posted by Pääpeelsepuuppi:

Rotfox I'm not going to directly respond to your copypastas, don't even try. I will ignore any further nonsense you post.

I can assure you that it's not copypastas. I'm just really good at expressing myself and conveying my thoughts. But I appreciate your concern. Maybe I should start sending you handwritten letters to prove it. I'll even use a quill pen and wax seal for authenticity. How does that sound?

Compliments to the AI you are using my dude!

[Alyx]

Originally posted by RotFox:

Originally posted by Pääpeelsepuuppi:

Rotfox I'm not going to directly respond to your copypastas, don't even try. I will ignore any further nonsense you post.

I can assure you that it's not copypastas. I'm just really good at expressing myself and conveying my thoughts. But I appreciate your concern. Maybe I should start sending you handwritten letters to prove it. I'll even use a quill pen and wax seal for authenticity. How does that sound?

That sure suddenly took a subtley violent turn.

[Alyx]

Originally posted by Exi:

Originally posted by RotFox:

The actress emphasized the significance of better representation of Asian characters in media rather than advocating for casting an Asian person based solely on their race. The selection of the most suitable voice actor through auditions regardless of their race is imperative. The aim is to provide equal opportunities for Asian actors and actresses to audition and be considered for roles.

Concerning the portrayal of the Ada Wong character, it's not only about the voice acting but also about the representation of the character. If the original portrayal of Ada Wong in Resident Evil 4 was harmful or stereotypical, it's crucial to address and rectify it for the better.

It's not about prioritizing "Asian culture" over the faithful recreation of a video game, but rather recognizing the importance of diversity and representation in media. The objective is to establish a platform where people of all races and backgrounds can feel acknowledged and represented in the stories being told.

Well how did she rectify the portayal of Ada Wong in the original Resident Evil 4 for the better? She contributed nothing, her voice acting was just bad. I don't see how she helped rectify the character at all.

Originally posted by RotFox:

The actress emphasized the significance of better representation of Asian characters in media

I want to bring something else up regarding the representation of Asian characters. Who is to say that the original Ada Wong could not be a realistic character, just because she was mysterious, and "sexualized." This is saying that no Asians are mysterious or sexual, why could Ada Wong not have these characteristics? Why is it harmful?

IKR???? It's like saying " it's not okay for an asian lady to be sexy in real life "

[B]

Originally posted by Necrilem:

Originally posted by Samad Al Hayadi:

Wait, is this whats going on? It was a chatGPT thread all along?

Rotfox perpetuates the same responses and has been for nearly days at this stage. It very much feels like chatai-written responses made by prompts and maybe slightly altered to fit their political narrative

Thanks for the compliment. But no all of the responses have been manually written out. I am a software engineer though so I am pretty quick with my fingers.

[Necrilem]

Originally posted by Exi:

Originally posted by RotFox:

The actress emphasized the significance of better representation of Asian characters in media rather than advocating for casting an Asian person based solely on their race. The selection of the most suitable voice actor through auditions regardless of their race is imperative. The aim is to provide equal opportunities for Asian actors and actresses to audition and be considered for roles.

Concerning the portrayal of the Ada Wong character, it's not only about the voice acting but also about the representation of the character. If the original portrayal of Ada Wong in Resident Evil 4 was harmful or stereotypical, it's crucial to address and rectify it for the better.

It's not about prioritizing "Asian culture" over the faithful recreation of a video game, but rather recognizing the importance of diversity and representation in media. The objective is to establish a platform where people of all races and backgrounds can feel acknowledged and represented in the stories being told.

Well how did she rectify the portayal of Ada Wong in the original Resident Evil 4 for the better? She contributed nothing, her voice acting was just bad. I don't see how she helped rectify the character at all.

Originally posted by RotFox:

The actress emphasized the significance of better representation of Asian characters in media

I want to bring something else up regarding the representation of Asian characters. Who is to say that the original Ada Wong could not be a realistic character, just because she was mysterious, and "sexualized." This is saying that no Asians are mysterious or sexual, why could Ada Wong not have these characteristics? Why is it harmful?

Don't even start questioning it xD
There is no logic.
Why not also ask why a character called "Wong" for example HAS to be actually asian?
I have a polish name, but I am not polish and my family hasn't been for generations.
There is NO representation of ethnicity in non-live-action media. It is these people shoehorning it in at the expense of quality.

[psychotik12]

This thread makes me laugh! Also, this theoretical actress and full time activist should take acting lessons!

[Dank Sidious]

Originally posted by Alyx:

Originally posted by RotFox:

I can assure you that it's not copypastas. I'm just really good at expressing myself and conveying my thoughts. But I appreciate your concern. Maybe I should start sending you handwritten letters to prove it. I'll even use a quill pen and wax seal for authenticity. How does that sound?

That sure suddenly took a subtley violent turn.

I don't know. I think it would be pretty cool to receive a handwritten letter that's written using a quill pen and authenticated with a wax seal. Not many of those floating around. So I definitely accept this offer.

[B]

And here we get to the point in the thread where everyone has given up on talking about the actual topic and start with the character assassinations.

Was wondering how long it'd take to get to this point.

[Dank Sidious]

Originally posted by RotFox:

And here we get to the point in the thread where everyone has given up on talking about the actual topic and start with the character assassinations.

Was wondering how long it'd take to get to this point.

I guess it's time to move on to your next trolling project then ;)

Respect for the effort my dude!

[Alyx]

Originally posted by Pääpeelsepuuppi:

Originally posted by Alyx:

That sure suddenly took a subtley violent turn.

I don't know. I think it would be pretty cool to receive a handwritten letter that's written using a quill pen and authenticated with a wax seal. Not many of those floating around. So I definitely accept this offer.

Oh dang...you right, send me one of those too!

[B]

Originally posted by Pääpeelsepuuppi:

Originally posted by Alyx:

That sure suddenly took a subtley violent turn.

I don't know. I think it would be pretty cool to receive a handwritten letter that's written using a quill pen and authenticated with a wax seal. Not many of those floating around. So I definitely accept this offer.

As long as you are willing to pay for shipping from Australia lol.

[Alyx]

Originally posted by RotFox:

And here we get to the point in the thread where everyone has given up on talking about the actual topic and start with the character assassinations.

Was wondering how long it'd take to get to this point.

It was already that way long ago when your spam bot started making the same exact replies noticeable.

[witness]

Originally posted by RotFox:

Originally posted by Exi:

So you're saying that the original RE4 portrayal of Ada was harmful to the Asian community?

Constructive criticism should not even be necessary for a voice actor. A bad voice actor should never even be given the role, that's it.



Maybe she should write a blog then, because simply voice acting a character does not add any special insight unique to a person of the same race as the character.

It's not necessarily about the original portrayal of Ada being harmful to the Asian community, but rather the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes about Asian women in media.

While it's ideal to have a talented voice actor who is a good fit for the role, it's also important to consider diversity and representation in media. If there are already systemic barriers for Asian actors to get opportunities in the industry, it's not unreasonable for an Asian voice actor to advocate for more roles specifically designed for Asian characters.

As for writing a blog, there's nothing wrong with using one's platform to speak out about issues that they're passionate about. Voice actors are artists in their own right and can bring their unique perspective to a character, which can add depth and nuance to the portrayal. Additionally, seeing someone who looks like you represented on screen can be a powerful and empowering experience for underrepresented communities.

Originally posted by RotFox:

Additionally, seeing someone who looks like you represented on screen can be a powerful and empowering experience for underrepresented communities.

What does this have to do with the voice actor. Ada already looked Asian in the original, so I don't understand your point.

Originally posted by RotFox:

Voice actors are artists in their own right and can bring their unique perspective to a character

What unique perspective did she bring? I'm curious, because to me it's just bad voice acting.

Originally posted by RotFox:

While it's ideal to have a talented voice actor who is a good fit for the role, it's also important to consider diversity and representation in media

You keep saying this, so what is more important? It's one or the other. Should only Asians be allowed to voice Asian characters, or should the best voice for the character be chosen? Your points are pretty broad, and you seem to be remaining neutral, but I would like you to elaborate on which one is more important to you, because otherwise it is not saying much.

Originally posted by RotFox:

It's not necessarily about the original portrayal of Ada being harmful to the Asian community, but rather the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes about Asian women in media.

It's not? So what is the mysterious, exotic portrayal of Asian women she is referring to? Any examples of stereotypes of Asian women in media?