The director of the hit romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" are warning everyone that he and producers are not currently casting for "new lead roles." Jon M. Chu said this after finding out about phony press release and social media post, which have since been taken down.
Chu took to his Twitter account to express his dismay and disgust after a user named Alan Baltes — claiming to be an actor and casting associate — posted a notice saying that the supposed "Crazy Rich Asians" sequels, "China Rich Girlfriend" and "Rich People Problems," were casting Asian actors, ages 20s through 40s, for lead roles via "live Zoom auditions."
The post asked that talent who wanted to be considered pay Baltes a US$ 99 "submission fee" via Google Pay or Venmo.
"I kept reading it, and when it said '99 dollars,' I was like, 'This is f—ed up,'" Chu told Variety. "There’s so many scams like that in L.A. anyway and to actually target, specifically, Asian actors, was very frustrating."
Chu said he was first alerted about the notice when he was tagged in a tweet, after which he notified Twitter and flagged Warner Bros.' legal department. After posting his own reaction, Chu said he was promptly blocked by Baltes on Twitter. Baltes' account has since been deactivated, as has a link to the original press release, of which Variety obtained a text copy.
The "In the Heights" director called the scam a "direct attack," as Asian American actors have only lately begun to see opportunities expanded for them on screen.
It appears that this is not the first time Baltes has solicited money for "submitting" talent for auditions in big movies. In 2018, Twitter users flagged their concerns to director Colin Trevorrow over a similar casting notice for "Jurassic World: Dominion," where Baltes asked for a US$ 99 audition fee.
Chu took to his Twitter account to express his dismay and disgust after a user named Alan Baltes — claiming to be an actor and casting associate — posted a notice saying that the supposed "Crazy Rich Asians" sequels, "China Rich Girlfriend" and "Rich People Problems," were casting Asian actors, ages 20s through 40s, for lead roles via "live Zoom auditions."
The post asked that talent who wanted to be considered pay Baltes a US$ 99 "submission fee" via Google Pay or Venmo.
"I kept reading it, and when it said '99 dollars,' I was like, 'This is f—ed up,'" Chu told Variety. "There’s so many scams like that in L.A. anyway and to actually target, specifically, Asian actors, was very frustrating."
Chu said he was first alerted about the notice when he was tagged in a tweet, after which he notified Twitter and flagged Warner Bros.' legal department. After posting his own reaction, Chu said he was promptly blocked by Baltes on Twitter. Baltes' account has since been deactivated, as has a link to the original press release, of which Variety obtained a text copy.
The "In the Heights" director called the scam a "direct attack," as Asian American actors have only lately begun to see opportunities expanded for them on screen.
It appears that this is not the first time Baltes has solicited money for "submitting" talent for auditions in big movies. In 2018, Twitter users flagged their concerns to director Colin Trevorrow over a similar casting notice for "Jurassic World: Dominion," where Baltes asked for a US$ 99 audition fee.