With the recent cries of indignation over The Great Wall
trailer release, I took to Facebook. This isn’t always the best idea,
considering my track record for getting into arguments online and in person
over film, feminism and change, but this time it was different. A couple of old
buddies from work suggested I write this post and they were right.
The Great Wall, just to give some context is a film where
Matt Damon is in China for some reason, to help the Chinese defend themselves
against monsters. Set during the Northern Song dynasty, the film explores some
fantastical mysteries that surround The Great Wall of China. But only Matt
Damon can help save everyone, or something.
The current poster for the film is just Matt Damon’s face.
This is not looking good Hollywood.
But wait, why am I getting annoyed by this stereotypical
sounding film from Hollywood? Because enough is enough. Hollywood has been
accused of white washing before and it looks like they won’t stop. We might
even end up with a John Wayne as Genghis Khan situation – absolutely
ridiculous. Whoever thought that casting was a good idea is obviously been
banished from the land. For those who don’t know what white washing is, it is a
term used when a white actor is cast as an ethnic character. And it’s happening
more and more.
Actress Constance Wu, currently in comedy, Fresh Off the
Boat, was at the forefront of doing more than pointing out the choice of
casting a white actor. Wu posted a large response saying “Our heroes don’t look
like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when
she stood up for you to those bullies that one time. We don’t need salvation.
We like our colour and our culture and our strengths and our own stories.” Wu
also criticized the reasons behind the casting choices saying that they need
bankable movie star to tempt an audience to see the films is all about money. “Money
is the lamest excuse in the history of being human. So is blaming the Chinese
investors,” she wrote. And I agree. Casting the typical white guy actor in
these ‘saviour roles’ is taking an opportunity away from another actor who
would actually be suited for the part. The idea that Hollywood ‘just wants to
make money’ is a pitiful excuse. The Daily Beast covers this story far better than I could and you can read it here.
Writer, Nicole Chung also pointed out via Twitter, ‘...why
would white men need to be in a movie about the Great Wall, even if it's a
monster movie?’. I was reading another article where the writer told everyone
to ‘Shut Up About Matt Damon ‘Whitewashing’ Chinese History’ and his defence
was that it was a monster film. So, in a fantasy film, its ok for a white guy
saves the day? Still doesn’t explain why he is even on The Great Wall in
Ancient China.
The controversy around The Great Wall is not a one off
situation. We all saw the ghastly posters for Gods of Egypt that came out
earlier this year, we have even sat through the trailer. I actually stopped it
half way through and thankfully didn’t have to see it before another film. But
we would have noticed the absence of Egyptian actors in the lead roles. They
were played by Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and various other
non-Egyptian actors. Even though the film description makes a point of saying
the film is set ‘In an alternative Egypt’, it doesn’t change the white washing.
The same response was given to Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, a version
of the story of Moses that featured white actors to play Rameses and Moses.
Most recently, a lot of backlash was received when Hollywood
announced the live action remake of the popular series, Ghost in the Shell. But
the uproar started when it was announced that Scarlett Johansson would be playing
the lead role, cyborg detective Major Motoko Kusanagi. Twitter exploded with
rants, suggestions and even a petition to have Johansson to be removed from the
role. Looking over the articles that came out a few months ago when the first
photo from the production was released, there are some excellent suggestions
for who could have been cast, including Rinko Kikuchi, star of Brothers Bloom,
Babel and Pacific Rim. But Hollywood didn’t call her or any other Asian
actress. Screenwriter of the film Max Landis even tried to ‘defend’ the casting
choice by saying that there were no other bankable Asian actresses. He tried to
turn this around by saying that he wasn’t defending the casting of Johansson
but merely pointing out the system is broken. Ghost in the Shell is a major
part of Asian Media and from what I’ve read, this remake/live action film is
more than white washing, it seems more like erasing.
Finally, I read this article from The Guardian makes some
great points but I don’t entirely agree. The fact that some of the films that
have been met with controversy over white washing casting have also been
unsuccessful at the box office. Coincidence? The Last Airbender, an adaptation
of the much beloved animation was probably one of the worst things I sat
through. Firstly, an unknown was cast in the lead role, this was a good move.
But then two major characters were two white actors. As these actors weren’t ‘big
names’ I didn’t see the logic in the casting. The Lone Ranger (which I actually
enjoyed) was also surrounded by a cloud of doom when Johnny Depp played Tonto,
the Native American partner in stopping crime. Depp is obviously one of the
biggest stars in Hollywood and can get his way but it doesn’t stop it making it
wrong and the fact that this role was taken away from a Native American actor.
This was the same situation with Joe Wright’s odd fantasy prequel, Pan. I was excited about this film when I first
heard about it but the more trailers I saw the more I felt an uneasy feeling in
my stomach. When Rooney Mara was cast as Tiger Lilly, I think was the last
straw. I was no longer interested in seeing this film. Mara very moodily defended
herself at being cast saying that Neverland is fantasy island and that the
natives are natives of this make believe place. While she has a point, it is
still a beloved story that didn’t need to be changed and AGAIN deny a Native
American actress of a breakthrough role.
I haven’t gone through some of the worst casting choices and
numbered these white washing casting but from the looks of the internet and
Hollywood habits, this will continue. But I hope I won’t have to write another post
like this. White washing casting, to me, is a pointless exercise. A white guy
doesn’t need to save the day or in fact isn’t wanted. I would much rather see a
diverse cast not just the token here and there in the background.