Why white actors need to stop being cast in non-white roles
Time and again, the film and media conglomerate known as Hollywood ignores public outcry against casting controversies.
Recently, Netflix released a short trailer for its live action remake of the Japanese anime classic, Death Note.While many fans were initially excited to see a Netflix reboot of one of their favourite anime franchises, they were disappointed to discover that the lead role of Light Yagami was renamed Light Turner, and would be portrayed by American-born actor, Nat Wolff.
Netflix’s live action film version of Death Note is set to be released on August 25, 2017. Not much information has been released except for casting, which notably features only two actors of Asian heritage in the main cast of seven. Interestingly, black actor Keith Stanfield is set to play L, the antagonist (or protagonist, depending on which side of good and evil you’re rooting for) who has been described as being only quarter-Japanese in the original manga.
In response to the accusations of whitewashing, producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee (who has a reputation for remaking well-known Asian films for American audiences) said in a press release published to the Netflix Media Center that their “vision for Death Note has always been to bring this captivating story to the screen for its long-time manga fans and to introduce the world to this dark and mysterious masterpiece.”
The release continued, “The talent and diversity represented in [the] cast, writing, and producing teams reflect [their] belief in staying true to the story’s concept of moral relevance—a universal theme that knows no racial boundaries.”
Another Japanese anime film remake that has recently received a lot of criticism for its casting decision is Ghost in the Shell (2017).Scarlett Johansson, who plays the lead role of Major Motoko Kusanagi, completely missed the mark when she responded to the controversial casting call. Rather than recognizing her ignorance in her decision to accept the role, she misdirected the blame towards the lack of female roles available in Hollywood.
Johansson continued to defend her portrayal of Kusanagi by mentioning that, “Having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity.”
In an interview with Marie Claire, Johansson said, “I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.”
The whitewashing of Asian characters has not been limited to anime remakes. Other actors and films that have been accused of whitewashing characters include Kai played by Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin (2013), Allison Ng played by Emma Stone in Aloha (2015), and the Ancient One played by Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange (2016).
Many of the directors, producers, and actors have defended these casting decisions by iterating in some form or other that the characters were never explicitly stated to be of a certain race or skin colour and were therefore open to ambiguous interpretations.However, these excuses are harmful and offensive. It says that Asians aren’t able to tell their own stories—stories that are inherently rooted in Asian culture.
What is most baffling is how Hollywood wastes so much effort trying to defend themselves over casting controversies when they could be so easily avoided by making better casting decisions in the first place. The lack of Asian actors in Hollywood is not only perpetuated by the lack of available roles for them, but the fact that Asian actors aren’t even allowed to portray Asian roles.Hollywood has taken steps forward and become more open to diverse casting thanks to positive responses to characters portrayed by Asian actors such as Sandra Oh and Steven Yeun, but has sadly taken even more steps backward with willfully ignorant casting decisions. Constance Wu, lead actress of ABC’s sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat, has often spoken out about the lack of diversity, whitewashing, and the role of the white saviour in Hollywood.
In a season two episode of Fresh Off the Boat, titled “Good Morning Orlando,” Wu’s character makes an almost metafictive comment about the diversity in television and film, stating: “We don’t get opportunities to be on TV. That’s why when we get opportunities like this, it matters.”
It’s important to have an accurate representation of all types of culture in the media. What can be dangerous is when stereotypes come into play, and characters become the butt of the joke because of their ethnicity. The team of writers for Fresh Off the Boat (which includes stand-up comedienne Ali Wong), have been careful to avoid these jokes. Even though Wu’s character speaks with a Chinese accent, her accent is never the focus of a joke.
Wu’s character, Jessica, is based on the real life Jessica Huang, who was an immigrant with an accent. On her choice to keep the accent in her portrayal, Wu spoke to TIME in an interview and said that, “Making the choice to have that is a way of not watering down the character and making it politically correct. It’s choosing authenticity over safety, and I think that’s bold.”
While petitions to boycott TV shows and movies with whitewashed casts seem to have had little effect on casting decisions so far, it is not without hope that we look to the future. More and more people are becoming aware of the injustice of this cultural erasure and refuse to support the whitewashing of Hollywood. It’s time to send Hollywood a message that consumers will not continue to stand for this passive racism, and that minorities deserve to have their stories properly told.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.