Mulan star Ming-Na Wen among those to criticise Hollywood for ‘whitewashing’ anime classic by failing to cast Asian actor as Major Kusanagi
Release: @ParamountPics & @DWAnimation “GHOST IN THE SHELL” is in production in New Zealand https://t.co/ReqqJmLh18 pic.twitter.com/bBi7yODque
— Paramount Pictures (@ParamountPics) April 14, 2016
The controversy is that they were supposedly going to use CGI to make Scarlett look Asian! That’s crossing the line. Either cast an Asian actress, or leave Scarlett as a white person.
Here are a couple tweet reactions:
Nothing against Scarlett Johansson. In fact, I'm a big fan. But everything against this Whitewashing of Asian role.? https://t.co/VS6r6iish9
— Ming-Na Wen (@MingNa) April 14, 2016
Ghost In The Shell, while just one film, is a pillar in Asian media. It's not simply a scifi thriller. Not to me, not to many others.
— Jon Tsuei (@jontsuei) April 15, 2016
This casting is not only the erasure of Asian faces but a removal of the story from its core themes.
— Jon Tsuei (@jontsuei) April 15, 2016
Good to see ScarJo embracing her Japanese heritage as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost In The Shell. pic.twitter.com/iAmTFJK8E4
— Andy Mannion (@andymannion77) April 14, 2016
gosh where could we possibly find a Japanese actress who kicks ass…????? NAH just cast ScarJo we can't find any pic.twitter.com/slP4pHrclo
— ♛RunD.Va-nRun♛ (@runDEVINrun) April 14, 2016
Ghost in the Shell's Kusanagi in both the original and the remake. pic.twitter.com/5GVWpegv22
— Samuel Dore (@Bursteardrum) April 14, 2016
Were all these women busy?? Were they contacted, Paramount? They've all acted in a superhero and/or SFF property. pic.twitter.com/YeHLbvIRJs
— ✨clara mae✨ (@ubeempress) April 14, 2016
But if you think about it, Hollywood’s been casting white people in Asian roles forever! A classic example, the opening scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s:
There’s no racism going on here! (Sarcasm people, sarcasm.)
Source: ‘Whitewashing’ row over Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in the Shell role reignites | Film | The Guardian
