Critics have sharply criticized Mark Wahlberg for handing out an accolade to the mostly Asian cast of ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ at the 2023 SAG Awards.
Critics Call Out Mark Wahlberg For Handing Out A SAG Award After Having Assaulted Asian Men-‘He’s Racist’
On Sunday, 26th February 2023, the actor presented the award despite having been convicted of attacking two Asian men. In 1988, at 16 years old, he was found guilty of attacking two Vietnamese-American individuals, Johnny Trinh and Thanh Lam, in the Dorchester region of Boston. Trinh was punched and Lam was hit with a wooden stick and became unconscious.
In 2014, he tried to be pardoned for the assaults. The choice to have the actor give the ultimate accolade of the evening for a remarkable performance by an ensemble in a film featuring Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh and Vietnamese actor Ke Huy Quan was called out.
And this was reflected in the comments that followed on social media. One person wrote: “Mark Wahlberg was arrested for hate crimes. He’s racist. An Asian man lost his sight after Mark beat him and another Asian man to the brink of death. Having him present an award to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” seems extremely sinister.”
Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the following points. First of all, the incident happened over three decades ago. Therefore, a lot of time has passed since then which should be recognised, as Wahlberg appears to have rehabilitated himself.
Secondly, the actor alleged that he was on PCP at the time of the incident. While that does not justify his actions, it does add some much-needed context. And yet, that did not prevent the critics from going away.
The following comments confirmed as much: “REALLY interesting that Will Smith wasn’t invited to present Best Actress while Mark Wahlberg is presenting the ensemble award to a film with a predominantly Asian cast when he punched and nearly blinded a Vietnamese man.”
So there you have it folks. What did you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. If you liked reading this article, then check out our other features on the Daily Soap Dish.
