Don’t box me in, put me on the box: TV’s diversity drive

When Yerin Ha realised she had rarely seen an Asian actor on Australian television, she made a radical decision.

Actress Yerin Ha, among 20 young people selected from across the country for the inaugural Diversity Showcase. Picture: John Feder

Yerin Ha was born and raised in the northern suburbs of Sydney, where she lived with her brother and their Korean-born parents.

At that time she could comprehend — though barely spoke — the Korean language, and was even less interested in her cultural heritage. But when her acting ambitions crystallised at the age of 15, and she had rarely seen an Asian actor on Australian television ­“besides Jackie Chan or Lucy Liu”, she made a radical decision.

“I flew to Korea and auditioned for a performing arts school in Seoul, got accepted, and spent my final high school years there,” says the 20-year-old actress, who is due to graduate from Sydney’s ­National Institute of Dramatic Art this year. “I learned a lot about hard work and about myself.”

Despite the enriching experience, Ha hopes a drastic journey like hers is rendered unnecessary for the next generation of multicultural Australian performers. She is among 20 young actors, screenwriters and directors from across the country who will ­assemble for the inaugural Diversity Showcase in Sydney later this month, selected from culturally ­diverse backgrounds and others under-represented on screen such as the disabled.

The week-long event, supported by Screen Australia, the Australian Writers’ Guild and the Australian Directors Guild, among others, will comprise a “boot camp” of mentoring and training, culminating in a live performance for broadcasters, producers and casting agents.

Ha says it’s not about political correctness or tick-a-box casting; it is about acknowledging the rich stories that multicultural Australians can offer, and the under-served markets they represent.

Bali Padda, the chair of the ­equity diversity committee of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, who has organised the Diversity Showcase, agrees: “We are adamant about presenting ­diversity as a solid business case to the entertainment sector. In western Sydney, where I grew up, there are families beaming content from India via satellite dishes because Australian content doesn’t speak to them. In an industry suffering major disruptions, these are audiences simply not being reached.”

Padda says the Diversity Showcase is modelled on longstanding practices in America, from which performers such as Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o and Golden Globe and Grammy winner Donald Glover emerged.

“Will there ever be a day where we say, ‘OK, there is no need any more for diversity programs’, and where it’s just happening naturally? That’s my ultimate goal,” he says.

Ha says more and more of her contemporaries are watching ­Korean reality and drama series via streaming services such as Netflix. She hopes one day to establish a production company with fellow Asian-Australian performers.