it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - when society is conditioned to only accept clooney/damon/etc-types in leading roles, then of course the focus groups will 'prefer' a white vs minority lead actor. the first step to changing that is understanding the past - so it's kind of moot whether hollywood reflects or decides.
we can, of course, make a converse economic argument. if we "have more asians" then that changes what people think of movies / culture. the industry might make less in the short-term, but in the long-term, having more diverse casts on screen opens up more diverse markets, foreign and domestic.
You're welcome to make that argument in the producer's room. I'm sure many are. You're dead in the water though, if you lead with, "you're going to make less money, but you might make more in the future."
And remember where Damon came from. It was a self-written, self-starring but extremely clever screenplay. Nothing can stop an ambitious asian from doing the same thing and working his or her way up.
we can, of course, make a converse economic argument. if we "have more asians" then that changes what people think of movies / culture. the industry might make less in the short-term, but in the long-term, having more diverse casts on screen opens up more diverse markets, foreign and domestic.