From Rufio to Zuko and The Debut: Actor Dante Basco

Have you been binge-watching Avatar the Last Airbender during quarantine? Meet the voice of Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, actor Dante Basco, as he discusses his career, Filipino Americans in film, his memoir, and his new film, The Fabulous Filipino Brothers. Dante Basco is an award-winning American film, television, and voice actor who has appeared in over 30 films, and over 65 television shows, web series, and video games. He is best known for his roles as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg’s film Hook; as Prince Zuko in Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender; as Jake Long in Disney Channel’s American Dragon: Jake Long, and as Spin Kick from Carmen Sandiego. He starred as the lead actor alongside his three brothers and sister in the independent film, The Debut, the first Filipino American film to be released in American theatres nationwide. In 2019, the independent press, Not a Cult, published Basco’s book, From Rufio to Zuko, a memoir detailing his life as a working class actor of Filipino heritage. Basco was born and raised in California in a Filipino American family of performing artists. He continues acting, writing and performing spoken word poetry, and streaming on Instagram and Twitch. The new feature film he directed, The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, had its world premiere at the SXSW Festival in March 2021:www.fabfilipinobros.com

Moderated by Prof. Emily P. Lawsin in conjunction with the ASIANPAM/AMCULT 353/HISTORY 454: Asians in American Film and Television course.

Co-sponsored by Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program, Department of American Culture, in commemoration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Register for this free, virtual event here: http://tinyurl.com/FromRufiotoZuko