Race and Hollywood

[Alphanumeric]

The cast for the Hollywood remake of the... how to say... near-religiously iconic monument of anime and manga, Akira, is underway. Unfortunately, the decisions of Hollywood execs (Dicaprio included) comes of no surprise when the Japanese characters are casted with White Americans. Whitewashing is nothing new to Hollywood. Most notably, Avatar, an anime of Asian influences, was casted using European, Indian, and White American actors. As an Avatar fan, I tried my hardest to look the other way. But again and again I was reminded of the decisions that are continuously made by Hollywood when it comes to Asian actors and characters. Why does Hollywood suck the life out of Asian culture and film industry by sporting their styles and ideas in their movies, yet rarely cast Asian actors in their films? Why remake an obviously Asian influenced piece of work with non-Asian actors?

When I first heard Akira was set to be remade into a live action film, my heart nearly broke. This was recently after the release of "The Last Airbender", a live action remake of an Asian-influenced American anime, which was primarily casted using non-Asian actors. I've seen Akira years ago, and was completely overwhelmed by it's sheer awesomeness. The anime first came out in 1988, based of a manga (Japanese comic) of the same name.

My question to you is, does Hollywood overlook the obvious racist tendencies it spouts, or are its decisions regarding not casting Asian actors for Asian roles completely intentional? As a fan of the original Akira, do you feel I should cast my judgments aside, and try to enjoy the movie, or do you think I should join a movement such as Racebending.com and finally stop supporting Hollywood productions? If you find that you don't care, put yourself in my shoes and replace my issues with something sensitive to you. What would you do? If you've decided to stop monetarily supporting Hollywood productions, why?



http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/its-co ... ira-movie/



Thanks for reading.

[Kukri]

Remember the last samurai? Played by a white midget named Tom Cruise.

Now i hear the remake of Roots is been planned. with Nicolas cage as kunta Kinte, Matt Demon as chicken George, Hugh Grant as Fiddler.

[1nemansquad]

It’s the movies, a total fantasy world. Unless you are talking about historical figures, why should anyone care. Isn’t it supposed to be about the performanc­e of the actors? And are you saying well the acting can’t be good if the performers are not Caucasians­? Or that fictional characters from a book cannot be made to change their ethnicity? The movie business is a billion dollar business with a worldwide audience. The characters should reflect that more often. The money that makes these movies a hit do not come from out of thin air. They come the from patrons who pay to see these movies

Will Smith played James West in ''The Wild Wild West''. I rest my case sxb, its all about who can bring in big money

[tightrope]

ANYONE REMEMBER THE DRAGONBALL LIVE-ACTION MOVIE

[Alphanumeric]

It’s the movies, a total fantasy world. Unless you are talking about historical figures, why should anyone care. Isn’t it supposed to be about the performanc­e of the actors? And are you saying well the acting can’t be good if the performers are not Caucasians­? Or that fictional characters from a book cannot be made to change their ethnicity? The movie business is a billion dollar business with a worldwide audience. The characters should reflect that more often. The money that makes these movies a hit do not come from out of thin air. They come the from patrons who pay to see these movies

Will Smith played James West in ''The Wild Wild West''. I rest my case sxb, its all about who can bring in big money

Thanks for replying.

Most of what you said made little sense to me. I do not suggest White actors are better in any way. I think anyone who's scene a handful of Korean and Taiwanese movies can also attest to that. I can also understand that fact that sometimes race can be bent. Extraterrestrial characters originally played by Asian actors can pretty much be played by anyone I think. So, I was unmotivated to speak about the Dragon Ball live action film. But seriously? Casting a white girl to play Chun Li? C'mon dude. That's unacceptable. Fans of original sources go to see remakes. Fans should be kept in mind, if money is to be made.

Your points in bold, I can accept that. Yeah, it's all about money to these folks, and they'll put whatever faces will sell their movies. The average movie goer doesn't think "Hey, isn't that a remake of that awesome 90s anime?", they think "Hey, isn't that the movie with Kristen Stewart in it? Let's see it". So, do you think I should overlook my judgment and watch the film, or should I stick to my principles?

[ToughGong]

A1;Even the originators of these cartoons,made the characters look western n their appearance though
So maybe HLWD just reflected their (The writers) wishes on film

[Alphanumeric]

A1;Even the originators of these cartoons,made the characters look western n their appearance though
So maybe HLWD just reflected their (The writers) wishes on film

You haven't seen Akira, have you? Yes, race and anime are at times subjectively intertwined, but Akira (a Japanese name, btw) is set in a future Tokyo, where the characters have Japanese names. That's kinda hard to play off.

[blitzkrieg]

My question to you is, does Hollywood overlook the obvious racist tendencies it spouts, or are its decisions regarding not casting Asian actors for Asian roles completely intentional?

Hollywood clearly white-washes movies for monetary reasons; films with 'ethnic' casts aren't thought to be particularly lucrative endeavors, and I suppose Hollywood's behavior is simply somewhat of a projection of Middle America's feelings towards minorities: that is, white Americans tend to feel more comfortable with a fair-skinned, blonde-haired individual playing a role meant for a non-white actor; it's also why films with minority protagonists almost always tend to have a white person playing the role of a benevolent savior of sorts (The Help, The Blindside, etc.).

White folks just ain't comfortable with their white world being colored and shit. Will Smith's the only colored-person they trust, and lord knows he hasn't done a decent thing in the last five years.

[1nemansquad]

when I said Isn't it supposed to be about the performance of the actors, I wasn't making the assumption that white actors will perform better than Asian ones at all but its your logic that what was inherently Asian anime cannot be played by caucasian actors on the big screen that is flawed

I love how people bother themselves over what is inherently a fantasy. It is not real sxb, that is my initial point. My second point, many of these Asian anime roles were fairly race neutral and can be rewritten quite easily to reflect that, no?

Your principles are yours alone and I understand if you want some sort of representa­tion, especially if the text describes someone who looks like you, then its frustratin­g but Hollywood is not concerned with keeping the ethnicity of a character accurate. If they think someone of a different ethnicity will work better in the role and perhaps also has more box office clout then they will use that person. Simple as that. And they will not put more Asians, Blacks or Latinos in a film simply because some people would like to see it. If it would help the film make more money then you would CERTAINLY go with that.

Liberal Hollywood is not THAT liberal. It is a bussiness..

[Alphanumeric]

My question to you is, does Hollywood overlook the obvious racist tendencies it spouts, or are its decisions regarding not casting Asian actors for Asian roles completely intentional?

Hollywood clearly white-washes movies for monetary reasons; films with 'ethnic' casts aren't thought to be particularly lucrative endeavors, and I suppose Hollywood's behavior is simply somewhat of a projection of Middle America's feelings towards minorities: that is, white Americans tend to feel more comfortable with a fair-skinned, blonde-haired individual playing a role meant for a non-white actor; it's also why films with minority protagonists almost always tend to have a white person playing the role of a benevolent savior of sorts (The Help, The Blindside, etc.).

White folks just ain't comfortable with their white world being colored and shit. Will Smith's the only colored-person they trust, and lord knows he hasn't done a decent thing in the last five years.

I'm not sure how much of what you've said I agree with. I don't feel comfortable placing the blame on the entirety of Middle/White America. Perhaps they subconsciously fuel Hollywood's patterns of whitewashing? Likely naive of me to say, but that's my stand. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find the average American being so openly racist. But maybe I'm wrong. I haven't seen either of the movies you've listed, simply due to the issues raised in them. I try not to mix race and entertainment. And off the top of my head, I can of think of at least one movie where the roles are reversed (or equalized); Half Nelson (and Akeelah and the Bee). That is if memory serves.

I also disagree with your Smith comment. Goldberg, Murphy, Cheadle, Washington, Ejiofor, and others clearly show that Black actors, although it may have taken them decades to overcome prejudices, have become clearly acceptable in American/European media. Although you may argue the roles they depict aren't always the best. Also, I kinda liked I Am Legend, even if it differed from the source. And I haven't seen Seven Pounds, but it's got its share of good reviews.

[blitzkrieg]

I'm not sure how much of what you've said I agree with. I don't feel comfortable placing the blame on the entirety of Middle/White America. Perhaps they subconsciously fuel Hollywood's patterns of whitewashing? Likely naive of me to say, but that's my stand. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find the average American being so openly racist. But maybe I'm wrong.

But the thing is, as a 1neman said, Hollywood is a business; as an institution, it doesn't act on its own accord, but rather it's fueled by what the majority desires. To blame the issue of white-washing simply on Hollywood is far, far too grand of a simplification.

I haven't seen either of the movies you've listed, simply due to the issues raised in them. I try not to mix race and entertainment. And off the top of my head, I can of think of at least one movie where the roles are reversed (or equalized); Half Nelson (and Akeelah and the Bee). That is if memory serves.

I haven't seen either of the movies you've listed, so I can't comment on the authenticity of your claim.

I also disagree with your Smith comment. Goldberg, Murphy, Cheadle, Washington, Ejiofor, and others clearly show that Black actors, although it may have taken them decades to overcome prejudices, have become clearly acceptable in American/European media. Although you may argue the roles they depict aren't always the best. Also, I kinda liked I Am Legend, even if it differed from the source. And I haven't seen Seven Pounds, but it's got its share of good reviews.

I was kidding about that comment, though.

[Alphanumeric]

when I said Isn't it supposed to be about the performance of the actors, I wasn't making the assumption that white actors will perform better than Asian ones at all but its your logic that what was inherently Asian anime cannot be played by caucasian actors on the big screen that is flawed

I love how people bother themselves over what is inherently a fantasy. It is not real sxb, that is my initial point. My second point, many of these Asian anime roles were fairly race neutral and can be rewritten quite easily to reflect that, no?

Your principles are yours alone and I understand if you want some sort of representa­tion, especially if the text describes someone who looks like you, then its frustratin­g but Hollywood is not concerned with keeping the ethnicity of a character accurate. If they think someone of a different ethnicity will work better in the role and perhaps also has more box office clout then they will use that person. Simple as that. And they will not put more Asians, Blacks or Latinos in a film simply because some people would like to see it. If it would help the film make more money then you would CERTAINLY go with that.

Liberal Hollywood is not THAT liberal. It is a bussiness..

When it comes to race neutrality and anime (a pretty controversial topic in and of itself), I've already stated this particular anime is set in Tokyo and the characters are Japanese. Subjectivity on race with other animes (Dragon Ball) is due to the fact that many characters are not from Earth and the setting is a questionable one. Tbh, this argument itself deserves an entirely separate topic and would be difficult unless you can source quite a few animes. I'm willing to go into it though.

Take for instance, Amin Arts decided to produce a political Somali cartoon that runs on late night TV in several Somali cities (Amin Arts founder, if you're reading this, I want my cut). This cartoon is so massive that it's picked up and aired in Gulf states in an Arabic dub. Now, Amin Arts the late night cartoon's popularity suggests it's time for a movie. The entire cast is an Arab one (and perhaps even the issues raised are no longer Somali specific). Does that seem right? In the end, is it still all fantasy?

The rest of what you said, I agree with.

[Alphanumeric]

But the thing is, as a 1neman said, Hollywood is a business; as an institution, it doesn't act on its own accord, but rather it's fueled by what it feels the majority desires. To blame the issue of white-washing simply on Hollywood is far, far too grand of a simplification.

If you were to have added that, I would've agreed completely. But maybe media pretty much reflect the majority. I don't know. That's also a separate topic.
Anyway, I concede.



I'll just not watch it and keep my opinion to myself. :'(

[blitzkrieg]

I'll just not watch it and keep my opinion to myself. :'(

If it helps, I was really annoyed that they white-washed Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I was then thrilllllllllllled when the movie flopped.

[Alphanumeric]

I tried to ignore the obvious issues with Avatar (poor casting and giant cross on the kids back ) right up to deciding to watch it. Couldn't get myself to actually see it though.