Last year, we brought you a list of Gods of Egypt to Oscar-winning screenwriter David Franzoni’s recent comments that he’d like to see Leonardo DiCaprio play Perisan poet Rumi in his film.
Actors and actresses of color, fans, and activists alike have criticized each of these examples below — and the poor critical reception and low box offices that hit most of these movies demonstrates the need for filmmakers to think twice before casting a white actor or actress to play a character of color.
Here are the 12 Biggest Whitewashing Controversies Of 2016.
12. Gods of Egypt (February 2016)
Despite the title, Egyptian actors are nowhere to be found in director Alex Proyas' Game of Thrones star Nickolaj Coster-Waldeau as Horas, Geoffrey Rush as Ra, and Brenton Thwaites as Bek. There are a few people of color in the film, including Chadwick Boseman, who plays Thoth, but the vast majority of the cast is white, and the general public was not happy about it.
The film faced some major backlash for "ethnically inaccurate casting,” as the Associated Press politely termed it, including public criticism from Selma director Ava DuVernay and Chadwick Boseman himself, who said that he agreed with the criticisms and had taken his role so the film would have at least one person of African descent playing a god. Many people pointed out that after the backlash faced by recent Biblical epics (Exodus: Gods and Kings), director Alex Proyas really should have known better. Proyas and Lionsgate apologized, saying, “it is clear that our casting choices should have been more diverse.”
11. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (March 2016)
Girls star Christopher Abbott plays a local fixer.
Tina Fey, who also produced the film, commented on the backlash and refused to apologize: “In 2015, in the pool of actors in New York City that [casting director] Bernie Telsey very, very diligently searched through, these were the best people for the role. And I did say to John and Glenn, ‘Guys, I hope you’re sure, because I’m telling you, a year from now, the only person who will get in trouble for this is me. Because that’s what I do for a living, is get in trouble on the Internet.’ I try to make myself feel warm about it in the fact that, y’know, Afghans are Caucasians, it’s Caucasians playing Caucasians. If you really wanted to go to the mat on it, you could say it’s not any different than, y’know, an Aussie playing a Brit, although I’m sure people feel that it is.”
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was far from a commercial success despite it's mostly positive reception, only recuperating about a third of its production budget at the box office. While the casting controversy probably isn't solely responsible for the film's underwhelming box office take, it certainly didn't help.
10. Nina (April 2016)
“Whitewashing” may not be the correct term to describe the decision to cast Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone, but the casting certainly this biopic. Many people, including Simone’s daughter Simone Kelly, said that a dark-skinned actress such as Viola Davis or Kimberly Elise should have been cast to play Simone, especially because Simone faced discrimination because of her appearance throughout her career.
Simone’s estate publicly criticized the film, as did many other celebrities, including award-wining author Ta-Nehisi Coates, the writer of the year's highest-selling comic book series, Black Panther. “There is something deeply shameful — and hurtful — in the fact that even today a young Nina Simone would have a hard time being cast in her own biopic. In this sense, the creation of Nina is not a neutral act. It is part of the problem,” Coates wrote.
The film was absolutely blasted by critics (it currently sports a woeful 3% on Rotten Tomatoes) and came and went with a whimper this past April.
9. Absolutely Fabulous (August 2016)
The Absolutely Fabulous movie is an adaptation of the beloved early ‘90s BBC sitcom about a trend-obsessed PR agent and magazine editor. The film is getting buzz for its cameos — Kate Moss, Harry Styles, Kim Kardashian and Rebel Wilson are just a few of the 60 celebrities who are set to appear — but there’s also been controversy over a character called “Huki Muki,” who is based on Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. “Huki Muki” is played by a white Scottish comedian, Janette Tough, and critics are already comparing the character to Mikey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Actress Margaret Cho criticized the film on Twitter, writing, “#YELLOWFACE is racism. Sorry. It's unacceptable. Not now. I was thrilled about #abfabmovie but now I just can't be. I'm very disappointed. We've tried to shame racism out of existence but I guess some people really don't care. They're shameless but NOT BLAMELESS.It's hard enough to get into film and TV as a person of color - and when roles written for us are played by white actors - it's an outrage.”
The movie is still two months away from its release, but with such a strong controversy dominating the narrative surrounding the film, you'd be wise to keep your expectations low.
8. Doctor Strange (November 2016)
Marvel has gotten some major criticism for casting Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, who is Tibetan (and male) in the original Marvel Comics depiction, in Doctor Strange.
People behind the film offered several different explanations — but no apologies — for the casting choice. more than a few political statements were being made. Whether or not Marvel meant to make such a stand is another debate entirely.
Swinton said that she wasn’t cast to play an Asian character, and while the controversy hasn't been killed entirely, it's been a few weeks since we've heard any more negative press surrounding the film. Will the Marvel movie machine suffer it's first check in the "L" column? Only time will tell.
7. Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon (Expected late 2016)
The British TV movie Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon is based on a 2011 Vanity Fair story about Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando escaping New York City after 9/11. The story may or may not be true.
When it was announced that Joseph Fiennes was cast to play Michael Jackson, the backlash was quick — and the filmmakers offered no apology. Fiennes said, "I’m as shocked as you may be. [Jackson] definitely had an issue — a pigmentation issue — and that’s something I do believe. He was probably closer to my color than his original color.” Sam Kashner, who wrote the original Vanity Fair story, called the casting “inspired.”
Critics pointed to a 1993 interview with Oprah in which Jackson said that he did not ever want to be played by a white actor. Actor Orlando Jones tweeted that Fiennes could play Jackson “IF AND ONLY IF Angela Bassett is cast as Elizabeth Taylor” — to which Basset responded, “ordered my violet s & bathed in White Diamonds this morning, so I’m READY!”
6. Power Rangers (March 2017)
Some Power Rangers fans criticized the casting of Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, a villain based on a Japanese TV series character. The character — an alien witch — was originally played by Japanese actress Machiko Soga and was later played by Hispanic actress Carla Perez and Filipina-Australian actress Julia Cortez. However, two white actresses, Barbara Goodson and Susan Brady, provided the voice for the character at different points in the series.
A small fraction of fans tweeted that they wanted to see Rita played by an Asian or Hispanic actress, thus igniting the conversation. Many others were less critical, however, pointing to the rebooted Power Rangers’ largely diverse cast, including Mexican-American singer and actress Becky G, African American actor RJ Cyler, Chinese-Canadian actor Ludi Lin, and Indian-British actress Naomi Scott as four of the five Power Rangers (white Australian actor Dacre Montgomery is the fifth).
5. Ghost in the Shell (March 2017)
Although Rila Fukushima, and Kaori Momoi, but they aren’t the leads by a long shot.
Many fans have criticized the casting, particularly Johansson’s — and especially after reports broke that the film used CGI to make Johansson and other actors appear more “Asian.” Director Max Landis responded with a YouTube video called “ “If You’re Mad About ‘Ghost In the Shell,’ You Don’t Know How The Movie Industry Works,” in which he cites Johansson’s “marketable celebrity” as the reason for her casting. “There are no A-list female Asian celebrities right now on an international level,” he said. In response, digital strategist William Yu created a website and Twitter campaign called “#StarringJohnCho,” replacing white actors in film posters with John Cho. #StarringConstanceWu soon followed.
The publisher of the wildly popular manga (which served as a direct influence for come out in of the film in recent weeks, though it remains to be seen what sort of impact this controversy will have on the blockbuster.
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 2017)
Marvel also came under fire for casting a white actor — Spider-Man: Homecoming character who is rumored to be based on Ganke Lee. In the comics, Ganke Lee is the teenage Korean American best friend of the other Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Barbieri’s character is expected to share many personality traits with Ganke.
Actress Constance Wu tweeted about the news: “Yet. Again. SMH.” Some fans tweeted that Wu’s Fresh Off The Boat co-star, 12-year-old Hudson Yang, would be perfect for the role. Many fans saw this as one more way that Marvel has failed fans of color, citing the delay of the Black Panther movie and the whitewashing of the Ancient One in Doctor Strange as other examples.
To Marvel's credit, they've not only whether or not Miles Morales is on the way has safely drowned out this brief whitewashing controversy, but Marvel still has more on their plate...
3. Iron Fist (Expected 2017)
Netflix’s Luke Cage (premiering September 2016). When it was announced that the Iron Fist will be played by white actor Finn Jones, fans were split. Some pointed out that, in the comics, the Danny Rand is white, so the casting was a non-issue. Others pointed out that when they debuted in the ‘70s, the comics were inspired by popular blaxploitation and kung fu movies, and the character is a Buddhist monk who knows kung-fu — so it would make sense for Marvel to cast an Asian actor in the lead role.
An Asian American organization called 18 Million Rising started a petition asking for an Asian actor to be cast in the lead role. The petition stated, “this is a case in which changing Iron Fist’s race has the potential to add depth and layers to an already beloved comic book icon.” While their petition may not have paid off, an Asian American superhero could very well still be on the way in the MCU in the form of Master of Kung-Fu" in the Marvel world.