Fortune favors the bold, and boldness is certainly a key trait of Dante Basco‘s! One time leader of the Lost Boys and crown prince of the Fire Nation, Dante has a career spanning over two and a half decades. He is a Hollywood actor who has become a cult classic and pioneering figure in Asian American cinema. He was first introduced in Steven Spielberg’s fairytale movie Hook, as “Rufio,” aforementioned leader of the Lost Boys, quickly jumped to leading roles like New Line’s Take the Lead, opposite Antonio Banderas, and The Debut, which became the voice of a Filipino American generation. From breakdancing in the streets of San Francisco to starring in movies on the silver screen, Dante Basco has become one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment. I was lucky enough to score five minutes of his time before he was zoomed off to another interview at Emerald City Comic Con.
L: Hi! I’m Leia and since we have so little time, let’s get started!
DB: Hi, Leia! – Zuko voice- “I’m Dante and I’m talking with Leia!”
L: Haha, oh my God, you did the voice! Um, I was reading a recent interview of yours where you were talking about Asians having a place in film (Dante is Filipino American) and I’m noticing that Hollywood seems to be slowly getting the picture that people of color need to have a place in movies too –
DB: Definitely!!
L: – and I wanted to know if you have any projects you wanted to do.
DB: Well, there’s lots.I have a company called Kinetic Films that I’m partner of and we do Asian American/Pacific Islander films out of Hawaii, and we’ve done three so far that I’ve co-written some of, produced with my partner James Sereno, and with KevJumba we did Man Up. Me and Kev did Hang Loose together, we did Paradise Broke when it came out. Those are actually all out online. We’re actually funding a film right now for AJ Rafael called Red Roses! We are part of this movement…I created an Asian American arts collective in downtown LA where it’s all about curating, educating, and inspiring the next generation of content creators and it meets on the 8th of every month.You go to WeOwnThe8th.com and it’s about co-opting the 8th of the month for Asian media in America. I’m that generation now where I’m a “young veteran.”
L: What a bizarre sort of title!
DB: – laughs – The world has changed so it’s about getting into the conversation and really understanding that …Hollywood is recognizing that we need to be a part of the system but also we have to recognize that it’s also on us to create the content. It’s not like “oh, Hollywood needs to put us in their movies.” As much as that goes on, it’s still limited to their point of view of who we are as opposed to us as a community, whether it be Asian American, African American, Latino, going, “no, WE have to make content, WE have to be filmmakers.” It’s on us to represent us. It’s not on us to go and say you have to do this for us. That’s not how it works. How it works is we have to write and make the stories and it might start small. It might be a $10,000 project, maybe a $100,000 project. We’re not coming off the blocks making million dollar films and it’s okay! We have to create the stars and stories from our own experiences and not have the system dictate to us. You know what I’m saying?
L: Absolutely. It’s so important to find our point of views in media, especially for kids. I’m sure you get a lot of kids coming up to you and they’re probably ecstatic to see representation in you.
DB: It’s a LOT of kids!
L: My other question is with big franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, they’re putting more and more Asians into their films. How does that effect you as an actor?
DB: EXCITED! You know, it’s great. There’s so many great franchises that you grew up watching and you were in. Like, we all saw ourselves in them in our minds, but to see it actually happening on screen is just great. To be credited as a pioneer that helped usher in this wave of change is also cool. To be part of a franchise like…Avatar the Last Airbender, which is like a Star Wars for its own generation and being a pivotal piece of that, wow. It’s dream come true kind of stuff. I can’t wait to be a part of this future.
As much as I wanted to continue talking with Dante, his other obligations beckoned and I can successfully mark this interview off my bucket list.
Note: Interviews transcribed from audio are edited for clarity only.
Interview | Ashley Eckstein
Jen’s Tribute
When we’re little, we’re all taught a few basic truths. In my house, those truths were as follows: The Mets are the best baseball team on the planet, UCONN is the only basketball team worth rooting for, and the Vulcan salute is how you greet people.
The original draft of my tribute went on for about a page and a half about how I grew up watching Star Trek, how I made friends through Star Trek, how the show was one of the few things my dad and I shared while I was a kid–but I think that sentence sums it up in all its meta-elegance.
I don’t really want to talk about me. It feels wrong and selfish, when a man’s amazing and inspiring life has come to an end, to focus on my own that’s barely begun. Leonard Nimoy has always surprised me. His performance as Spock was consistently challenging and fascinating to watch, but more than that, every time I learned something new about the Man, I found myself grinning. He never stopped working, and learning, and trying new things. He never shied away from the role that bought him international fame and his status as a pop culture icon. He never appeared as anything less than dignified and wise.
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015
Even as I read through his obituaries today, I was finding out things about Leonard Nimoy I never knew–but somehow none of them surprised me. It would seem that here, at the end of his life, he truly took his Vulcan signature to heart. Here’s what the rest of our team had to say about Leonard Nimoy’s life and death.
Sam’s Tribute:
“He taught me that being weird was normal, that science and logic were magical. He taught me that in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. He taught me that ‘Live long and prosper’ could mean so much more than a television catch phrase. Not being able to meet him is one of the biggest regrets I’ll always carry. Live Long and Prosper Sir, you’ve taught us all so much. I wish you well on that final frontier.”–Samuel Lee Smith
Colby’s Tribute:
“I was never exposed to the original Star Trek, so Leonard Nimoy came in to my life way past the acceptable date for most geeks. Even then, he was only vaguely associated with Spock, more of a nerd Demigod like Bruce Campbell than the blue-sweatered half Vulcan. Instead, Mr. Nimoy’s most well-known work for me is the Bilbo Baggins song. If you haven’t seen the video, be prepared for a lot of cringe-worthy 60s nonsense and overacting, but in such an energetic and offbeat way, that you can’t help but laugh. And be forewarned, this song will plant its hooks in your brain and you’ll find yourself singing it weeks later.”
Leia’s Tribute:
“I grew up all Star Wars, and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I found a place in my heart for Star Trek. Leonard Nimoy called out to the melancholy teenager still inside of me with his gorgeous photography, and touching poetry, so when he was slated to appear in Dallas, I made it a goal to sit in on his Q&A. It was miraculous. His voice and presence oozed wisdom, and I felt at peace listening to him speak. I made it a point to check his Twitter every day, just to see the little life tidbits he would throw up, ending in a loving LLAP. I bid you farewell, sir. It was life changing being in your presence, and all of space and time will never be the same”–Leia Calderon
Tushar’s Tribute:
“
Leonard Nimoy was one of the true geek OG’s and one of the stars of a series that was well ahead of its time. Though he did a lot of things in his life he was always Spock to me – the hyperlogical intellectual that was an archetype I was drawn to since I was a kid. And he accepted that status as geek idol – maybe reluctantly at first – but eventually – purely and whole-heartedly, he *was* Spock in the end. I remember reading an article a while ago about how when he found out Nichelle Nichols was getting paid less than other cast members, that he made it a point to correct that with the front office because it wasn’t right. Geek culture and entertainment at large took a big hit today.” –Tushar Nene
“Loss of life should be mourned, but only if the life is wasted.” –Spock
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News broke earlier today of Leonard Nimoy passing away. Here are the facts, presented in cold, Vulcan-approved format:
The Vulcan Side
- Nimoy was 83 years old. That is below average for a healthy man born in 1931, but Nimoy was not healthy and therefore his expectancy would be considerably lower.
- Nimoy suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease, caused by a heavy smoking habit that he gave up over three decades ago. The disease affects ones lungs, with a decreased ability to breath, and frequent cough and mucous buildup.
- The news was delivered by Susan Bay Nimoy, his wife. She had also announced he was going into the hospital several days ago, and many suspected this would be the end for the pop-culture icon.
- Leonard Nimoy was human, as are we all. Humans have not been able to manufacture nor evolve into a form that benefits from immortality, therefore it follows that Nimoy would have to die eventually. Likely this death would be caused by complications due to his chronic illness.
These facts should make us feel better. We should be unsurprised by this news, which seems only the logical conclusion to the recent turn of events. However, we at Sub-Cultured feel varying levels of confusion and upset, and if social media is any indicator, we are certainly not the only ones.
The Human Side
So we know that half of Spock–the Vulcan half–would simply acknowledge the news and move on. But the other half would grieve, likely in a deep way, and likely in a way never full expressed. Spock is an essential character to the science fiction canon. He was the lone alien on a ship full of humans. He was the center of the crew’s conscience, and certainly the character who grounded Kirk one wacky adventure after another.
But more than that, Nimoy was a beacon of wisdom. He completed his college degree in his 40s, proving that it’s never too late to finish what we start. He sang his heart out regardless of criticism. He took his turn behind the camera, directing two Star Trek movies and Three Men and a Baby (yep) among many other projects. He published books of his own writing, across genres and formats, illustrating his poetry with his own photography. He worked tirelessly on voice-overs for television and movies, and returned to his most famous role in 2009 when Star Trek returned to the big screen. It wasn’t just Spock that inspired us–it was the man who portrayed him, too.
Later today, we’ll post our personal tributes to the man who would be Vulcan, but for now, we hang our heads with grief and raise our hands in salute.
Live Long and Prosper, old pal, wherever you might be now. We still don’t think it’s logical that that’s anywhere but here.
Leonard Nimoy’s New York Times Obituary.
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