Many fans are angered over the decision to cast Scarlet Johansson as the lead in Ghost in the Shell. Hollywood's film is actually a remake of the classic Japanese anime, by the same name. Fans and actors alike have voiced their frustration, pointing out the never ending list of Asian actresses who are more than qualified to act in the role. Last year, a petition against Scarlet's casting was created, and since had obtained over 65,000 signatures.Jon Tsuei, a comic based writer stated; “Ghost in the Shell, while just one film, is a pillar in Asian media,” he wrote. “It’s not simply a sci-fi thriller … This casting is not only the erasure of Asian faces but a removal of the story from its core themes.”
It still amazes me that in 2017, that there would still be remnants of minstrel shows, and black and yellow face. In the Antebellum America, a popular form of entertainment was theater performances of whites preforming in blackface and portraying blacks in dangerous stereotypes. Now only were these types of injustices preformed to blacks, but to all people of color In the 1930's-1960's white actors simply darkened their faces to play people of color. Even in the American classic, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' the the actor hired to play an angry Asian man preforms in yellowface. It's insulting, Hollywood's persistant claims that there are no talented actors of color to play roles designed for them. We will never achieve a truly diverse society if the main Media continues to devalue the talent and existence of people of color.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/15/scarlett-johanssons-role-in-ghost-in-the-shell-ignites-twitter-storm
Totally agree, we will never achieve diversity if Hollywood doesn't give diversity a chance. They go out on a limb more for the LGBTQ actors.
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Whitewashing is an extreme issue. By repeatedly hiring the same five white people for every lead, not only are other actors losing out, but the actual material grows stale- not to mention the cultures that are erased and/or marginalized completely. While we're on a similar topic, can we also stop hiring cishet white people to play transgender people? especially offensive transgender stereotypes (coughbenedictcumberbatchlostwhatlittlerespecthehadfrommeinZoolander2cough)? It sucks? There are actual trans actors? Just like there are actual Japanese performers and actual Chinese performers? Don't just hire cisgender white people for everything, maybe???
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