40 years after ‘Sixteen Candles,’ gay star Gedde Watanabe reflects on controversial Long Duk Dong role
Sixteen Candles was released 40 years ago this week.Decades later, the film holds a special place in the pantheon of pop culture—as John Hughes feature directorial debut, its success made him the voice of a generation, it jumpstarted Molly Ringwald’s rise to It Girl status, and everything from its fashion to its soundtrack helped solidify what we think of as ’80s style. (And how about that hunky Michael Schoeffling, eh?)But, these days, Sixteen Candles is also not-so-fondly remembered for its most notorious supporting role: foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong, a walking caricature of Asian stereotypes.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Played by gay actor Gedde Watanabe, Dong was a classmate of protagonist Sam Baker (Ringwald), who happened to be living with her grandparents while in the exchange program.
Sweet, nerdy, and out of touch with American culture, the character was envisioned as comic relief—unfortunately the jokes came at the expense of the broader Asian community.In a new interview with People, the 68-year-old star—who was born in Utah and has always spoken with an American accent—reflects on Dong’s complicated legacy:“It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype,” Watanabe remembers of first reading for the role, “because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time.
It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?”In fact, the actor felt that, in a few crucial ways, Hughes’ script was actually working against stereotypes so often found in Asian characters back then, allowing Dong to party, cut loose, “be in bliss,” and even get the girl in the end.However, not everyone agrees…Though certain bits of dialogue gave him pause (like the use of the word “Chinaman,” for example), the actor remembers Sixteen Candles being too good of an opportunity for him to pass on.
