Diamonds on the Couch Arte: This controversy over the movie’s Asian character

Channel Arte broadcasts the feature film Diamonds on the Couch, directed by Audrey Hepburn, this Monday evening. A great romantic comedy classic that was the subject of lively debate many years after its release. did you know

Since the 90s, there have been many voices, especially in the Asian American community, to protest the portrayal of the Japanese character in Couch Diamonds, Mr. Yunyoshi, who is considered racist. For the role of the owner of the apartment, it is a non-Asian actor, American Mickey Rooney, who was used for the occasion and fitted with prosthetics, chosen by director Blake Edwards.

In the Couch Diamonds DVD audio commentary, producer Richard Shepherd states that he did not want Mickey Rooney in the role during filming. According to him, the role of Yunyoshi should have been played by an Asian actor, but Blake Edwards insisted on keeping an American.

Years later, Blake Edwards regrets the casting. In a 2008 interview at the Deseret siteMickey Rooney said he would never have made the film if he had known people would feel so offended.

Released in French cinemas in early 1962, Diamants sur canapé tells the story of young Holly, a diamond digger who tries to marry a rich man while her neighbor, a writer, takes an interest in her. For all his innocence, he is also a messenger for a notorious mobster.

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