Abstract

There exists little to no scholarship about early cross-racial playing in the silent era. This research intends to introduce the issue of cross-racial casting and playing in the silent era by foregrounding female stars and their roles performed as other ethnicities. In many of these examples, the films are vestiges of Hollywood’s persisting racial issues, such as whitewashing and self-Orientalizing. One example is Tsuru Aoki, who not only starred in roles as other races, but also served as a model for assimilation into American culture. Another is Mary Pickford, a beloved white film star, often assigned to play other minorities. Moreover, there are other film stars who require further investigation into their cross-racial roles. These women include Beatriz Michelena, Yvonne Pavis, and Lilian St. Cyr. This research delineates silent era actresses and their cross-racial playing, while also highlighting some points of tension raised during a film’s production. More research and analysis are needed regarding the racial and cultural implications of these casting choices. For example, how does racial passing factor into their stardom? By looking at cross-racial playing in the silent era, scholarship might come to understand more about Hollywood’s enduring racial dynamics.

Tsuru Aoki

Tsuru Aoki is a Japanese actress who often played opposite her husband Sessue Hayakawa, an internationally renowned Japanese actor of the silent era (Miyao 1). Although Aoki bolstered her husband’s popularity, she also had her own complex star image in which she frequently played cross-racial roles. For example, in the 1914 Kay-Bee Western entitled The Death Mask/The Redskin Duel, Aoki portrays a Native American woman. She also reprises another Native American role as the heroine Laughing Moon in Mother of the Shadows (1914). Moreover, while performing alongside her husband Hayakawa, the Japanese actress appears as Indian Princess Nada in Each to His Kind (1917). Although Aoki did play many Japanese characters, the roles casted in her own cultural heritage point to the racial complexities fraught within Aoki’s star image. For example, in the Courageous Coward (1919), Aoki depicts Japanese immigrant Rei Oaki, who must transform herself into a modern American girl. The film exemplifies the star image typical of the Japanese actress. As Ross argues, Aoki often presented a model of assimilation by erasing her immigrant background. Her modern American lifestyle contrasted to the “diminutive Oriental ‘doll’” she often characterized (Ross, “Tsuru Aoki”).

Filmography

Mother of the Shadows (1914) … Laughing Moon (Native American)

The Death Mask/The Redskin Duel (1914) … Kay-Bee (Native American) The Courageous Coward (1919) … Rei Oaki a Japanese woman who tries to transform into a modern American girl

Each to his Kind (1917) … Princess Nada (Indian)

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford, considered one of the greatest performers and pioneers of the silent era, played multiple roles as different races. As Whitfield discusses, Pickford may materialize as “a citizen of Japan, an Inuit, a native of India, or a Native American” (1). However, not much has been written regarding her earlier cross-racial roles. During the beginning of Pickford’s career, in the films The Mexican Sweethearts (1909) and The Two Brothers (1910), the actress performs in roles generically titled as “The Señorita” and “Mexican,” respectively. Likewise, in A Pueblo Legend (1912), Pickford plays a Native American woman, whose character is referred to as “The Indian Girl / The Little Stranger.” More scholarship, however, has been written about her later cross-racial roles. In 1915, Pickford starred in yellowface as Cho-Cho-San in Madame Butterfly. During the production of Madame Butterfly, tensions and disagreements transpired between the director Sidney Olcott and Pickford. Olcott insisted the actress play the role with “Japanese reserve;” meanwhile, Pickford desired to “make the role more Yankee” (Whitfield 142). According to Whitfield, the beloved silent era star had doused her curls in black mascara and pulled the corners of her eyes to play the role as Olcott envisioned (Whitfield 142). The disagreements between the actress and director could point towards issues related to cross-racial casting.

Pickford expressed her dissatisfaction with Madame Butterfly by referring to the film as “Madame Snail” (Whitfield 142). From her perspective, the film was a failure and fans were appalled (141). Madame Butterfly, however, was not the only cross-racial role that disappointed audiences. Less than the Dust (1916), a spin-off of Madame Butterfly, also fell short of satisfying spectators. The film generated only modest profits. In Less than the Dust, Pickford plays an Indian woman named Rhada, who Scott Eyman describes as a ‘waif of the bazaars’ and a ‘half-caste Indian scamp’ (89). To manipulate her racial features, the white actress covered her fair skin in Fuller’s Earth, a substance similar to clay. Unfortunately, critics deemed the film as one of Pickford’s worst and the actress expressed a dislike towards Less than the Dust by nicknaming it “Cheaper than dirt.” In sum, Pickford has appeared in a variety of cross-racial roles. While many scholars have discussed her prominence as a silent film star, more research could be generated regarding the issues related to Pickford’s cross-racial playing.

Filmography

The Mexican Sweethearts (1909) … The Señorita

The Two Brothers (1910) … Mexican

Fate’s Interception (1912) … The Mexican Girl

A Lodging for the Night (1912) … The Mexican Girl

A Pueblo Legend (1912) … The Indian Girl / The Little Stranger (Native American)

Madame Butterfly (1915) … Cho-Cho-San (Japanese)

Rosita (1923) … Rosita, a Street Singer (Spanish)

Less than the Dust (1916) … Radha (Indian)

Image Gallery

Other Women in Cross-Racial Roles

A few other notables featured in the Women Film Pioneers Project have performed in cross-racial roles. One such actress is Yvonne Pavis, also known as Marie Pavis in Hollywood. Although not much information exists regarding Pavis, the actress has played in a few cross-racial roles as Chinese and Native American women. Moreover, in Just Squaw (1919) Beatriz Michelena, one of the first Hispanic women to become a prominent figure in silent cinema, stars as a white woman raised to believe she is Native American. Finally, although she often portrayed an “Indian maiden” during Hollywood’s pioneering days, Lillian St. Cyr, a Native American woman, had a remarkable career that raises issues related to cross-racial playing. In her roles, St. Cyr frequently portrayed a romanticized version of Native womanhood. However, she did so with awareness towards satisfying what her audiences wanted.

Image Gallery

Filmography

Beatriz Michelena

Just Squaw (1919) (Caucasian who believes she is Native American)

Yvonne Pavis

Scarlet and Gold (1925) … Indian Maid (Native American)

The First Born (1921) … Chan Lee (Chinese)

An Arabian Knight (1920) … Soada

Lillian St. Cyr

The Squaw Man (1914) … Nat-u-Ritch

In the Days of the Thundering Herd (1914) … Starlight

Further Resources

See Madeleine Collier Jump-Start Project.

References

All images courtesy of lantern.mediahist.org.

Works Cited

Miyao, Daisuke. Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007.

Ross, Sara. "Tsuru Aoki." In Jane Gaines, Radha Vatsal, and Monica Dall’Asta, eds. Women Film Pioneers Project. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2013. https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-x7rv-gq22

Schmidt, Christel. "Mary Pickford." In Jane Gaines, Radha Vatsal, and Monica Dall’Asta, eds. Women Film Pioneers Project. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2013. https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-nkzz-e525

Whitfield, Eileen. Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 1997.

Citation Box

C de Baca, Marissa. “Jump-Start Project: Cross-Racial Casting.” In Jane Gaines, Radha Vatsal, and Monica Dall’Asta, eds. Women Film Pioneers Project. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2013. <PDF LINK>