by ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Now that Denzel Washington and Halle Berry have their Oscars, other actors of color say the diversity celebrated at this year's Academy Awards should extend beyond blacks to include more Asians, Hispanics and American Indians.
Ken Narasaki, 43, a Japanese-American actor from Los Angeles, joined other show-business minorities Monday in saying the Oscars and entertainment industry in general were overdue for broader racial representation.
"It meant a lot to me to see the wins," Narasaki said. "On the night they give the Oscars to Berry and Washington, and honor Sidney Poitier... it was more than an accident. To me, it signaled a sea of change. It showed that race is no longer a fumbling block."
Some previous minority Oscar winners include Japanese-born Miyoshi Umeki for her supporting role in 1957's Sayonara and Cambodian native Haing S. Ngor in 1984's The Killing Fields. Meanwhile, American Indian actor Graham Greene was nominated for his supporting role in 1990's Dances With Wolves.
Sonny Skyhawk, an actor who's appeared in Young Guns II and Geronimo: An American Legend, downplayed the significance of Berry's and Washington's victories.
"What's historic about equality? Historic for me will be when all people of color are represented and are capable of garnering these awards," said Skyhawk, president of the advocacy group American Indians in Film.
Felix Sanchez, president of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, was optimistic about the significance of the black victories for others.
"This is the new dynamic," he said. "I think we are going to see more and more success stories for minorities ... I hope this means (studios) are going to tap more writers with diverse stories and cast more actors that represent the true face of American diversity."
The Academy Awards have honored Hispanics several times, with Mexican-born Anthony Quinn winning two supporting actor prizes in the 1950s for Viva Zapata! and Lust for Life.
Last year, Puerto Rican Benicio Del Toro took home the supporting actor trophy for Traffic, and Rita Moreno, also Puerto Rican, received the supporting actress award in 1962 for West Side Story.
This year, however, the Hispanic community may have lost a chance for an Oscar when Jennifer Connelly claimed the supporting actress award for playing Alicia Nash, the wife of delusional mathematician John Nash in best-picture winner A Beautiful Mind.
The real woman she portrayed was born in El Salvador, while Connelly was not.
"It's unfortunate they portray a real person and the ethnicity is not included," said Manny Alfaro, a New York stage performer and executive director of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. "It hurts us who are working, coming up the pipeline."
Some organizations say minorities will have power in front of the camera only when there is more minority representation behind the scenes as directors, writers and producers.
Washington, who received a supporting award for 1989's Glory, won this year's Oscar for playing the flamboyantly corrupt cop in Training Day, becoming the first black to be named best actor since Poitier for 1963's Lilies of the Field. Now that a trail has been blazed for blacks, he suggested, other minority actors must struggle for more significant roles.
"I don't recall seeing any Asian Americans, women or men, being recognized and not too many Latin Americans," Washington said on NBC's "Today" show. "So there is still lot of work (to be done.)"
Washington and Berry became the first black duo to take the top- acting honors, and Berry's win for Monster's Ball made her the first black woman in history to claim the best actress award.
Some black actors predicted Berry's and Washington's wins could signal that studios are more comfortable giving prestige roles to minorities.
"It's one step at a time," said former "L.A. Law" co-star Blair Underwood. "There's no way that you can go back from the progress made tonight. That window has been opened."
© 2002 Associated Press