Why is The Assassination of Gianni Versace interested in killer Andrew Cunanan’s sexuality but not his Asian heritage?

Slate

Darren Criss, whose mother is Filipino and father is white, portrays Cunanan, who is the product of a Filipino father and a white mother. Yet for as much as this American Crime Story season delves into Cunanan’s struggles with homophobia, it seems to deemphasize the fact that he is of Asian descent, says Inkoo Kang. Kang credits Ryan Murphy for hiring a half-Filipino actor for the serial killer role, but points out that there are only a handful of TV shows with Asian leads. “So it’s a bit strange, and off-putting, that the latest series with an Asian lead—one of the most anticipated shows of the year, it so happens—isn’t being described as such,” says Kang. “In fact, its network—once a standard-bearer for prestige TV’s lack of diversity—is highlighting the drama’s focus on queerness and homophobia—and by doing so largely erasing its main character’s racial identity, especially in the first half of his story.” Kang adds: “A few character details here and there suggest Andrew’s racial self-hatred and the prevalence of anti-Asian racism within the gay community, but the relative sparseness of these implications is all the more noteworthy in contrast with the richly developed portrait of the decade’s homophobia.”

ALSO:

• Darren Criss on avoiding a “whitewashing” controversy: “I would joke with (Ryan Murphy) saying, ‘Hey man, I would love to do this, but if you don’t want me to do it with you, I defy you to find another guy who looks kind of like him, who’s in the same age range, who’s in your Rolodex of actors. Because if you don’t cast a half-Filipino guy, the Filipino community is going to cry bloody murder. So I don’t know what your other options are!’"