The whitewashing has to end. *May contain mild spoilers*
Very rarely does a film or show come along that leaves me so upset before I even see it, that it utterly clouds my ability to watch it. Yet somehow March brought not one, but two slaps in the face to my media consuming routine. I tried to watch both the offending show and movie with an open mind, but the experience was ultimately too painful as an Asian-American for me to stomach.
The first issue was the Netflix original, Marvel’s Iron Fist, which featured the very white Finn Jones as Danny Rand. Danny Rand is also known as the Iron Fist, master of martial arts. Yes, this character is technically white in the comics, so while you may be able to argue it’s not outright whitewashing, it is a beyond missed opportunity to update an antiquated comic to be more representative of the world we live in.
This brings us to Ghost in the Shell, also based on a comic/manga. A manga so utterly rooted and set in Japan, that of course Hollywood went “the logical casting choice here is Scarlett Johansson”…sure they tried to make excuses about how the robot casing (or “shell”) of the character doesn’t need a race tied to the original brain (or “ghost”) that inhabits it. On that, I call BS.
The live action film is set in a futuristic Japan, the company who makes said robots, seems predominantly Japanese. Though they didn’t hesitate to throw a few more white actors into the scientist roles too. Why would a company based in Japan make robots who don’t have features similar to them? Why would they not want to create products reflective of themselves?
The first issue was the Netflix original, Marvel’s Iron Fist, which featured the very white Finn Jones as Danny Rand. Danny Rand is also known as the Iron Fist, master of martial arts. Yes, this character is technically white in the comics, so while you may be able to argue it’s not outright whitewashing, it is a beyond missed opportunity to update an antiquated comic to be more representative of the world we live in.
This brings us to Ghost in the Shell, also based on a comic/manga. A manga so utterly rooted and set in Japan, that of course Hollywood went “the logical casting choice here is Scarlett Johansson”…sure they tried to make excuses about how the robot casing (or “shell”) of the character doesn’t need a race tied to the original brain (or “ghost”) that inhabits it. On that, I call BS.
The live action film is set in a futuristic Japan, the company who makes said robots, seems predominantly Japanese. Though they didn’t hesitate to throw a few more white actors into the scientist roles too. Why would a company based in Japan make robots who don’t have features similar to them? Why would they not want to create products reflective of themselves?
The secondary argument that “there aren’t any Asian actors with a big enough name to carry the film” is a larger issue. It’s a vicious cycle. If you won’t give Asian actors the smaller parts, parts that aren’t gross stereotypes, but are truly a chance to showcase their acting skills. How can you expect any of them to achieve a “fame” level that would make a studio sink an obscene amount of money into backing a film with their name headlining?
Asians make up the majority of the world, yet only ~1% of leading roles in Hollywood. Imagine how tough it is growing up seeing no characters who look like you on screen. Or on the rare occasion you do, they are mere bit part, or are glaring oversimplifications. Ghost in the Shell was a perfect opportunity to not only stay true to the source material, but also elevate or showcase an Asian actress.
This is only scratching the surface of the issue of the systematic whitewashing of Asian roles, or the antiquated Orientalism that seems to somehow persist in Hollywood. The other issue is: why has this been allowed to persist? It’s been a part of the conversation for a while, yet continues to happen. I promise if this issue had arisen about a film centering around a Black role/film the uproar would have been so loud they would have likely gone back and recast the part.
I found myself checking the box office numbers almost fanatically this weekend. I was afraid that once again the issue would be swept under the rug and this egregious behavior would be allowed to continue. I watched new releases The Boss Baby and The Zookeeper’s Wife (for both films I had the pleasure of sitting down with their filmmakers recently) try to take on the CG titan. I was pleasantly surprised to see The Boss Baby topple it.
Did Ghost in the Shell under-perform at the box office because of the controversy surrounding it, or because it was a mediocre film at best (and another unnecessary remake)? My personal hope is that the controversy around it caused people to join the conversation about whitewashing, and realize that it’s not okay.
Asians make up the majority of the world, yet only ~1% of leading roles in Hollywood. Imagine how tough it is growing up seeing no characters who look like you on screen. Or on the rare occasion you do, they are mere bit part, or are glaring oversimplifications. Ghost in the Shell was a perfect opportunity to not only stay true to the source material, but also elevate or showcase an Asian actress.
This is only scratching the surface of the issue of the systematic whitewashing of Asian roles, or the antiquated Orientalism that seems to somehow persist in Hollywood. The other issue is: why has this been allowed to persist? It’s been a part of the conversation for a while, yet continues to happen. I promise if this issue had arisen about a film centering around a Black role/film the uproar would have been so loud they would have likely gone back and recast the part.
I found myself checking the box office numbers almost fanatically this weekend. I was afraid that once again the issue would be swept under the rug and this egregious behavior would be allowed to continue. I watched new releases The Boss Baby and The Zookeeper’s Wife (for both films I had the pleasure of sitting down with their filmmakers recently) try to take on the CG titan. I was pleasantly surprised to see The Boss Baby topple it.
Did Ghost in the Shell under-perform at the box office because of the controversy surrounding it, or because it was a mediocre film at best (and another unnecessary remake)? My personal hope is that the controversy around it caused people to join the conversation about whitewashing, and realize that it’s not okay.
This article originally appeared on KFOG.com on April 3, 2017
