Introducing Hidden Diversity To An Industry With Third Culture Actor and Filmmaker James Tang

By Myra Dumapias

Among some of the challenges with finding transnational filmmakers for this column is how relatively new the genre is itself. Unlike other genres, such as horror, sci-fi or comedy, transnational film and filmmakers are not simply a type of content.

Transnational film is the body of work that challenges static national identity, as mentioned by author Chris Berry in his article “What is transnational cinema? Thinking from the Chinese situation” in the journal Transnational Cinemas. It is also the process involving multiple nations are involved in filmmaking.

The Transnational Film Column in Culturs recognizes how multiple national cultures can be represented in a filmmaker who does not call only one country home.

A rare gem in the filmmaking industry is James Tang, an actor and filmmaker who outwardly claims his Third Culture identity in his biography descriptions. Our United States (U.S.)-based readers may already recognize him from roles in television shows “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Brooklyn NineNine.” More may recognize Tang from his appearance in the award-wining web series “Black Girl in a Big Dress.” Tang may be perceived as only Asian American in the U.S. However, he is familiar to global citizens who know what it means to be a hidden immigrant in one’s own country.

Tang’s transnational identity is revealed as he shares his story and how he approaches his craft:

Myra Dumapias — James, I understand that you identify as a Third Culture actor and filmmaker in some of your bios. Can you tell us about how you came to discover this part of your identity?

James Tang — I was born in the U.S. but grew up mostly in Thailand. My family is mostly Chinese culturally, but I went to an international school with a Western-based education system. I can’t fully remember how I stumbled upon the concept of TCKs; I believe it was in college at some point that I got turned onto [the book] “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds” itself. That was what gave a label to the experiences I had growing up and being able to relate to other TCKs in university without having understood the exact name for it.

MD — How has it been to identify yourself as Third Culture in the industry?

JT — Most people I come across don’t fully understand what this is, so I usually try to simplify my explanation of my background. The industry tends to be about presenting things in as simplified a package as possible, mainly in TV, though luckily this seems to be changing.

MD — Is there a difference between how actors and filmmakers understand or approach “Third Culture” as an identity or a genre?

JT — I feel like “Third Culture —ness” can be so rare in larger populations that most people don’t know about us. It definitely isn’t any sort of genre, and I definitely don’t see any sort of descriptions of acting roles that involve TCK identity, unless it’s specifically written by a TCK, which is also very rare.

MD — You have quite a growing list of acting roles. How does it feel to reflect on these opportunities, knowing all the work and, I’m guessing, your share of rejections that led up to them?

JT — I’m very grateful to be so lucky as to book roles that don’t conform to any sort of Asian male stereotypes. It’s always nice to look back at my prior work to see how far I’ve come, but also to see that there’s so much more to be done. I don’t view rejections as any sort of negative situation; they’re simply situations where I wasn’t the right fit and I just focus on the things I can control and on keeping my eye on the larger goal of bigger and more memorable roles that can help improve representation.

MD — In the role of filmmaking, you have already accomplished some work in writing a screenplay for the 2019 short film “Batfished” by Director Reid Columns. I can easily see “Batfished” both as a pilot for a series that attracts audiences from diverse genres and a stand-alone short. How did you come up with the concept behind it?

JT – “Batfished” was a Frankenstein monster of an old project idea that I combined with my growing awareness of myself and the types of roles I can play as an actor. I started focusing on writing projects with myself as the lead lately to try to kill two birds with one stone, so I basically just put a character that would work really well for myself in an old project and retooled it to fit better.

MD — I understand you use your craft to address racism. Given all that happened in 2020 with the global movement to confront racism and the movement in the U.S. to end excessive force by police officers, how does it impact how you approach future roles you may potentially fit or future filmmaking projects?

JT — It’s an opportunity for me to bring a look into the experiences we’ve had to the world, to show people that in the end, we’re all human no matter what our cultural backgrounds are, because, as we know best, when our identities are such a huge mishmash of cultures, we tend to judge people for who they are, not what we think they represent.

MD — What does identifying as a Third Culture actor and filmmaker really mean to you?

JT — I’m inspired by so many filmmakers and actors, but I definitely have to give credit to all the Asian diaspora actors and filmmakers that have helped carve a path through history for me to follow in Hollywood, Bruce Lee of course being one of the biggest trailblazers.

MD — Among those who came before you, who did you relate to and who inspired you before becoming an actor and filmmaker yourself?

JT — There’s definitely been a huge light that’s been shone onto systemic racism and how it is perpetuated, especially in U.S. society. Anti-racism is a journey of growth, and not an on/off switch, so having a better understanding of how to fight it and how to be aware of it is important and something I’ll definitely keep in mind when approaching or creating future projects. Luckily, there are many other people in this industry that are fighting for this same goal, so we can all work together to keep anti-racism going strong in both the workplace and the stories we tell.

MD — What is on the horizon for you that your fans can watch for?

JT — Nothing I can actually talk about directly, unfortunately, but I will always post about these projects once I can on my social media pages, so anyone that’s interested can give me a follow to stay updated!

MD — How do you define home?

JT — Home is more of an idea and a memory for me now. The city I’m most familiar with, Bangkok, is where I feel most at home, yet it changes as I live away from it. I feel most at home with people that I’ve known for a long time but sometimes I meet someone with a similar upbringing or a personality that just meshes with mine and it just feels like home.

MD — What helps you feel a sense of belonging?

JT — Shared experiences help the most, and the deeper they go, the more belonging I feel. I can feel closer to someone I just met that had a similar international student upbringing than someone I’ve known for a few years but who had never really left their home country.

MD — How has being a TCK influenced the interests, dreams and passions currently close to your heart?

JT - Living outside of the US allowed me to see just how wide the reach of their film distribution system was, when I would always see advertisements for local films alongside Hollywood films at the theaters. Being a TCK helped me understand that humans are all essentially the same outside of our superficial differences, and I want to bring that understanding into a larger scope of storytelling.

Discover more of James Tang’s work at his website jamesthetang.com/