Ridley Scott accused of 'whitewashing' Asian roles in The Martian

[Serendipity 7,821]

Director of hit space adventure called up by watchdog group for hiring white and black actors to play Asian characters

 

Ridley Scott has been criticised by the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans for ‘white-washing’ Asian roles in his hit adventure The Martian.

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The film, which is based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, features a diverse set of characters, two of which are Asian yet are played by white and black actors on screen.

“This feelgood movie, which has attracted Oscar buzz, shouldn’t get any awards for casting,” said Guy A0ki, MANAA founding president, in an open letter released on Thursday.

The anger focuses on the character of Mindy Park, who is described as Korean-American in the book and played by white actor Mackenzie Davis, and Dr Venkat Kapoor, an Asian-Indian character who is a Hindu yet embodied by black actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and renamed Vincent.

 

“Was Ridley Scott not comfortable having two sets of Asian-Americans talking to each other?” said Aoki. “So few projects are written specifically with Asian-American characters in them and he’s now changed them to a white woman and black man. This was a great opportunity to give meaty roles to talented Asian American actors – and boost their careers – which would’ve enabled our community to become a greater part of the rescue team.”

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It’s not the first time Scott has come under fire for “whitewashing” characters after his 2014 biblical epic was criticised for using white actors Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton.

“I’ve got no regrets on anything with Exodus,” he said during a recent press conference for The Martian. “I’m very proud of it but when they start saying, “Well gee, shouldn’t Moses have been black and shouldn’t the wife be Ethiopian”, well I don’t know, I wasn’t there. And also, I would never have got it, it would have been limited.”

There are concerns from the MANAA that the choice to change the ethnicity of Asian characters is a continuing trend in Hollywood with Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton both taking on Asian roles in Ghost in the Shell and Doctor Strange, respectively.

“This insulting practice of whitewashing has got to stop,” said Aki Aleong, MANAA president. “Alarmingly, it has been increasing in frequency. Today’s audiences expect multi-racial casts in entertainment, as they reflect the multicultural environment in which they’ve grown up.”

 

 

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In Hollywood, you are either white, black or latin, that's pretty much it

 

 

Thanks to Hollywood, now people think Egyptians are white

[Red 98,494]

Almost every movie is whitewashed basically. Gladly people are getting mad now.

[Serendipity 7,821]

Almost every movie is whitewashed basically. Gladly people are getting mad now.

Literally have you ever seen any asian person getting lead in any Hollywood movie

 

Hats off to PC for trying to break the stereotype and thanks to @yASSsss

[Red 98,494]

Literally have you ever seen any asian person getting lead in any Hollywood movie

 

Hats off to PC for trying to break the stereotype and thanks to @yASSsss

In Charlie's Angels and those cheesy Jackie Chan/karate movies 

[retroglamx 5,177]

Almost every movie is whitewashed basically. Gladly people are getting mad now.

It's a little late now tho...

[RAMROD 111,936]

It's a little late now tho...

Nothing is too late except end of day is today.

[Melech 9,900]

Literally have you ever seen any asian person getting lead in any Hollywood movie

 

Hats off to PC for trying to break the stereotype and thanks to @yASSsss

Kill Bill maybe ? I don't know

In general it like that:

Black people: criminals, thugs, lower class in movies 

Jews: usually used for comedy movies and alwas Adam Sadler. Always portrayed the same. 

Asian: over intelligent, speaking with accents

[retroglamx 5,177]

Nothing is too late except end of day is today.

[Morphine Prince 107,825]

Kill Bill maybe ? I don't know

In general it like that:

Black people: criminals, thugs, lower class in movies 

Jews: usually used for comedy movies and alwas Adam Sadler. Always portrayed the same. 

Asian: over intelligent, speaking with accents

Hispanic/Latinos: Immigrants, usually live in poor neighborhoods and have to overcome some obstacle. Always speak "Spanglish"  Food and customs exaggerated while whites think they're so exotic for eating at Chipotle  

[Melech 9,900]

Hispanic/Latinos: Immigrants, usually live in poor neighborhoods and have to overcome some obstacle. Always speak "Spanglish"  Food and customs exaggerated while whites think they're so exotic for eating at Chipotle  

Yes and hispanic woman often protayed as "sl*ts"

[RAMROD 111,936]

 

Jews: usually used for comedy movies and alwas Adam Sadler. Always portrayed the same. 

How can you missed Sacha Baron Cohen, sis??

He is super talented and funny.

[Red 98,494]

Kill Bill maybe ? I don't know

I would say the main role in Kill Bill is The Bride but idk, O'Hen is major too I guess  

[Creyk 18,086]

I don't see what's wrong with white washing.

Movie makers want to sell their movies. Then they have to choose actors who will sell the product they are making. It's really simple. People complain about everything.

[Alien Tulip 12,428]

I kinda feel like asians have it the worst in hollywood amongst the rest of the minorities. They usually are portrayed as the joke of humanity and normally get roles as nerdy or clowns. 

[Alien Tulip 12,428]

Hispanic/Latinos: Immigrants, usually live in poor neighborhoods and have to overcome some obstacle. Always speak "Spanglish"  Food and customs exaggerated while whites think they're so exotic for eating at Chipotle  

I also noticed that the white latinos such as Julie Gonzalo and Carlos Ponce who are both argentinian or puerto rican mostly just get white roles. They are discriminated against white media because white media has this image of what a latino looks like not knowing latino isn't really a race and the community if filled with many people of all shades of the book.