Sarah Green is a white detective and a star of Black and White. She’s a confident and skillful detective, though her physical attractiveness often overshadows these qualities in the eyes of her colleagues and viewers of Black and White. She’s more culturally sensitive than Turner in their on-screen interactions with Asian characters on Black and White and condemns some of Turner’s racist remarks, though she, too, struggles to see through the racial stereotypes that mainstream society has forced on these characters. Green acts as a mediator when Turner butts heads with Willis. During Willis’s trial, Green takes the stand to testify that Willis, in his claims of being “invisible” to society, ignores the many ways that society discriminates against women of all backgrounds.
Sarah Green Quotes in Interior Chinatown
The Interior Chinatown quotes below are all either spoken by Sarah Green or refer to Sarah Green. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1: Generic Asian Man
Quotes
Black and White always look good. A lot of it has to do with the light. They’re the heroes. They get hero lighting, designed to hit their faces just right. Designed to hit White’s face just right, anyway.
Related Characters:
Willis Wu (speaker), Sarah Green, Miles Turner
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2: Int. Golden Palace
Quotes
GREEN (turns to you) You speak English well.
GENERIC ASIAN MAN Thank you.
TURNER Really well. It’s almost like you don’t have an accent.
Shit. Right. You forgot to do the accent.
Related Characters:
Willis Wu (speaker), Sarah Green (speaker), Miles Turner (speaker)
Related Symbols:
Chinatown
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3: Ethnic Recurring
Quotes
“I’m working with them now. This could be good.”
“Happy for you,” he says. He looks skeptical. Worried.
Related Characters:
Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols:
Chinatown , Kung Fu Guy
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
No. But you’re going along with it. Look where we are. Look what you made yourself into. Working your way up the system doesn’t mean you beat the system. It strengthens it. It’s what the system depends on.
Related Characters:
Miles Turner (speaker), Sarah Green (speaker), Willis Wu
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Are you doing the right thing? Something about this feels wrong.
But this is Black and White. They let you have a part. You can’t stop now.
You look at your dad. He shifts his eyes away, and you know in that moment that he is disappointed. But he won’t ever say it. You’ll never talk about it again. He’s gone, slipped back into Old Asian Man. He’s not going to make the choice for you. It’s your role to play.
Related Characters:
Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man (speaker), Sarah Green, Miles Turner
Related Symbols:
Chinatown
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5: Kung Fu Dad
Quotes
KAREN You wanted them to find you.
KUNG FU DAD I wanted them to find us.
Related Characters:
Karen Lee (speaker), Willis Wu (speaker), Sarah Green, Miles Turner, Phoebe
Related Symbols:
Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 6: The Case of the Missing Asian
Quotes
But at the same time, I’m guilty, too. Guilty of playing this role. Letting it define me. Internalizing the role so completely that I’ve lost track of where reality starts and the performance begins. And letting that define how I see other people. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. Fetishizing Black people and their coolness. Romanticizing White women. Wishing I were a White man. Putting myself into this category.
Related Characters:
Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols:
Kung Fu Guy
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Interior Chinatown LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sarah Green Character Timeline in Interior Chinatown
The timeline below shows where the character Sarah Green appears in Interior Chinatown. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2: Int. Golden Palace
...in his screenplay, introduces the two leads of Black and White. White Lady Cop (Sarah Green) is “the most accomplished young detective in the history of the department.” Black Dude Cop...
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INT. GOLDEN PALACE CHINESE RESTAURANT—NIGHT. White Lady Cop (Sarah Green) and Black Dude Cop (Miles Turner) enter the restaurant, where Dead Asian Guy is dead,...
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BLACK AND WHITE. The opening credits of Black and White feature White Lady Cop (Sarah Green) and Black Dude Cop (Miles Turner) driving around in the police car, though they’re detectives,...
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...GOLDEN PALACE CHINESE RESTAURANT—TAKE TWO. The screenplay introduces White Lady Cop in greater detail. Sarah Green, 31, is pretty, tough, and an excellent detective. She’s a laid-back “gal,” the kind who...
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...to become a detective, and he’s recently been recruited by the FBI. He hasn’t told Green that he’s thinking of leaving the force, though, as they’re a team—and “maybe something more?”
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Turner thinks he hears something. Turner and Green draw their weapons. Willis, meanwhile, stands off to the side and watches the scene go...
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INT. GOLDEN PALACE CHINESE RESTAURANT—NIGHT. Dead Asian Guy is dead, and Green and Turner are investigating. Green reminds Turner that they need “to be sensitive here.” Just...
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...take him down to the station. He gets his handcuffs out and draws his gun. Green pleads with him to put the gun away and asks Old Asian Man, one last...
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Green turns back to Generic Asian Man (Willis) and compliments his good English. He thanks her....
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Act 3: Ethnic Recurring
...the front of the shot, and Willis, the “Special Guest Star,” is in the background. Green and Turner engage in flirty banter, and it almost makes Willis forget his lines to...
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Green and Turner flirt some more. Willis (as Special Guest Star) interrupts their banter to announce...
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Attractive Officer enters and hands Green a paper. Green reads it and announces that Dead Asian Man’s last known contact was...
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...with attractive extras seated at tables. He doesn’t see anyone he knows and gestures for Green and Turner to follow him into the kitchen.
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Willis tells his dad that he’s working with Green and Turner now and that it’s a good thing. Old Asian Man praises Willis but...
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...a thing or two. This offends Turner, and he moves to fight Special Guest Star. Green stops him, reminding him that they need to cooperate with “the Asian Guy.” Willis prickles...
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...wonders if Older Brother would fight Turner. But before he can decide what to do, Green moves in and breaks up the fight. Special Guest Star accuses Turner of calling him...
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Green turns to Old Asian Man and thanks him for his cooperation, her voice louder than...
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...(as Lowlife Oriental) is at the door. Willis (as Special Guest Star) approaches him with Green and Turner in tow, and Fatty Choy whispers his congratulations to Willis. But Turner threatens...
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INT. GAMBLING DEN-BOSS’S OFFICE—CONTINUOUS. Willis (as Special Guest Star) leads Turner and Green to the boss’s office. Young Fong is here, already back at work, though he’s still...
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...locks eyes with the woman. He asks if she knows him, but she ignores him. Green announces that Willis (as Special Guest Star) is working for them. Special Guest Star, nervous,...
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...continues, explaining that Older Brother had a plan, but money wasn’t a part of it. Green threatens to arrest Mini Boss for all the illegal activity that happens in the building...
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Green breaks character to applaud Special Guest Star (Willis), though Turner (also breaking character) grumbles about...
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Lee turns to Turner and Green and tells them that Fatty Choy knows something but will never talk. Turner, nodding, notes,...
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...he realizes that his side is covered with blood, and then his legs give out. Green screams and calls for someone to get help. She kneels beside Special Guest Star (Willis)...
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Act 4: Striving Immigrant
...smoking. He looks up at a billboard for Black and White, Miles Turner and Sarah Green’s large faces staring down at him, “the light hit[ting] their faces just right.” Their features...
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...the billboard for Black and White. He knows he has to get out. He sees Green and Turner’s car parked nearby. He goes to it, breaks in, hotwires it, and then...
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Act 5: Kung Fu Dad
...that everything is okay—they’re there for him because he stole the police car. Turner and Green call out for him to surrender and nobody will get hurt. Karen tells Phoebe that...
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Act 6: The Case of the Missing Asian
The judge enters the courtroom. Willis notes Green and Turner seated behind him—they’re going to testify for the prosecution in “The Case of...
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...Willis turns red at the accusation. Turner finishes his testimony, and the prosecution calls Sarah Green to the stand.
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Sarah Green takes the stand. Older Brother observes that there’s way too much sexual tension in the...
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Green ignores the judge’s remark, instead turning to Willis to ask if he assumes Asian people...
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As the jury exits the courtroom, Green and Turner approach Older Brother and compliment his performance, suggesting he come to work for...
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...nods to Willis, and Willis, speaking as “Generic Asian Man,” addresses the judge, Turner and Green, and the jury.
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INT. GOLDEN PALACE CHINESE RESTAURANT—NIGHT. Green and Turner look down on Kung Fu Guy’s body and observe that he is dead....
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