That’s just two out of 71 actors nominated — a mere 3% of total nods — a statistic that reflects both the lack of Asian people in prominent roles, as well as the lack of recognition for Asian actors in general. Where was the nomination for Fresh off the Boat’s Constance Wu? Or for B.D. Wong, who all but steals the spotlight as a recurring character on Mr. Robot? And what about Mindy Kaling, whose comedic timing on the long-running Mindy Project is second only to her nuanced portrayal of what it’s like to date as a single mum?And sure, I’ll concede that nominations are more diverse now than they have in the past; Viola Davis (Fences), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) are all rightly getting their due this year. But Asian actors have been largely left out of the trend: In 2016, it’s still the case that only 1 out of 20 Asian actors are cast in speaking roles. No wonder the nominations aren’t rolling in.Another move that could help usher Asian actors into more award-worthy parts? The industry could start by casting actual Asian people as Asian characters. The Emma Stone Aloha mess comes to mind — as does the outrage over Scarlett Johansson being cast as a key character in the screen adaptation of the Japanese manga series Ghost in the Shell. The filmmakers were accused of whitewashing the original story line ; some critics even alleged that Johansson's on-screen image was doctored with CGI to make her appear more ethnically Asian. And by more, I mean Asian at all — which the actress empirically is not.The list goes on: Matt Damon is currently facing backlash about his role in the upcoming movie The Great Wall, a mashup genre film that has been criticised for whitewashing as well as employing a “white saviour” narrative. In an interview with the Associated Press , Damon defended his role in the film, saying that he takes “whitewashing very seriously” and also that he “didn’t take a role away from a Chinese actor.” (Damon blamed clickbait and the fake news phenomenon for stirring up controversy about the project.) But Damon’s attitude about whitewashing only adds insult to injury: It’s a slap in the face for Asian actors to see a film about Asian heritage fronted by a white leading man.