Waverly

What do you think of one of the actresses in the film being Japanese?

I don't think they should recall the film. I do have to agree with the second post.

"No, in the film, Waverly was played beautifully by a Japanese actress named Tamlyn Tomita."

I come from a very large Italian family who were very close to a Japanesse family. For the longest time I thought we were all related but out parents told us different as we got older ... we were all just very good friends. My point is that while watching this remarkable film, I noticed many similarities in dress, art on the walls ... etc.

When they invite the young one to play with them (mohjong), there is a picture on the wall behind the door that I remember as a kid from the home of my Japanesse family.

Is Chinese culture similar to Japanesse or was this just a mistake of the set decorators and designers or is it all my imagination?

I remember asking a similar question of the Japanesse children and they answered "How would I know?"

In closing and I hope no offence is taken, I didn't think Waverly was Chinese. She looked different than the rest of the family. But still gave a truly a authentic performance.

Macklin Crew

She was born in Okinawa and is a quarter Filipino. If her ancestors are truly from Okinawa then she's less "traditional Japanese". Okinawa was its own country until Japan took over in the late 1800s. The culture in Okinawa was greatly influenced by China because the small country traded so much with these two countries. So Tamlyn probably has a bit of Chinese culture in her. My family is from there and it's a wonderful place. Also, I'm an asian actress and don't mind different nationalities to play different parts unless they do it poorly. Personally I liked all the actresses in The Joy Luck Club regardless of their heritage.

[deleted]