My first short story Instagram reel as the writer/director/actor (allow me) has been published. It’s less than one minute long. The concept is simple: an Asian guy contemplating Hollywood’s influence couldn’t keep his eyes off Henry Cavill.
It’s not trying to make fun of the character, nor to offer a justification (is one even needed?). It’s making an observation. It’s social commentary, not social critique.
It’s an observation that in 2026 the tall, handsome, muscular white male is still the most desired in society. Instead of focusing on my character, it’s much more interesting to think about what influenced — and is still influencing — the character.
Perhaps I should clarify which society I’m talking about. The fact that Hollywood makes movies with mostly white male leads is not at all strange, as the U.S. has a white majority. Yet we can’t ignore the language factor, nor that the U.S. has been the most culturally influential country in the world for many decades. Let’s start with the impact of the English language. I don’t doubt that France also has many handsome movie stars, yet I can’t name even one. One of the most well-known French actors has to be Lucas Bravo (I had to look up his name), of Emily in Paris fame. Sandra Hüller is amazing, and I’m sure she has been for years but she didn’t become a recognizable global star until her English-speaking role in Anatomy of a Fall. And the U.S., it’s a well-financed English-content-producing powerhouse. So many people from vastly different cultural backgrounds watched the TV show Friends over and over again. At this very moment, some teenager in Asia is watching Friends for the third time. Henry Cavill is British, but it was Superman — can you think of anything more American? — that catapulted him to global fame.
My character exists in 2026. He probably watched Friends more than once. More than one Marvel movie. His latest favorite TV show is likely American. He uses a MacBook, Instagram, and Reddit. All American.
Yet we’re also in an era where it has become easier to discover and explore beyond what’s readily offered; an era where as long as one has a camera and an idea, one can create. Who do you listen to? Where do you set your eyes? What would you point your camera at?