VICE: Recent debate about Hollywood whitewashing has sparked conversation on how difficult it is for Asian performers to land a role free of stereotypes—never mind a leading role in a blockbuster. But Disney's upcoming live action reboot of Mulan—which will reportedly feature an all-Chinese cast— could set a precedent on how Asian actors are cast in Hollywood films.
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I think that this article is right up Vice’s ally and it is not surprising that this came from them. As a new source of news and expanding into Viceland, this is really cool. With such large shows as Huang’s World, it is almost surprising to see such a misleading headline from Vice. I did not see anything in the article that would support the headline. I see an amazing conversation surrounding a movie which is going to consist of only Asian actors in roles which defy the racial stereotypes of the actors; however, I do not see them going beyond the movie at all or how this might affect the industry as a whole. While the article’s title does make you think and draw connections to see how influential this movie might be; however, nothing in the article mentions the industry as a whole nor directly mentions the effect this movie could have.
This is an issue that is extremely prominent in todays theatre scene! I am shocked that it is 2017 and this still an argument. I am totally an advocator for nontraditional casting, however, it is important to stay true to the authorial intent for the piece. White wash casting is detrimental to story telling because it is not giving an accurate depiction of society. Shows that celebrate diversity are important because they are able to reach out to a different demographic of audiences members. They fight their fights and they tell their stories. Mulan can not be told through the lens of a white woman- it is not the same story. There are plenty of shows for white people to be cast in- lets not take away opportunities from people already battling with being underrepresented in mainstream art.
Coming across this article on the blog reminded me of just how much I enjoy the posts on this blog. It is so diverse in content and who the posts support and fight for. It is very commonly known how african american actors get stereotyped as the angry and aggressive, mexican woman sexualized, etc. etc. It is much less often that I hear about Asian actors at all, let alone how they might be stereotyped. Many Disney films are coming back to the screen, it just seems to be a trend, but I was very worried about the Mulan reboot in particular. Many shared this view, and there was even a petition that went out to try and prevent whitewashing of the cast. It has gotten to the point that every time there is a film, or show about the minority, there is little time to celebrate before the characters are whitewashed over. I am thrilled about this accomplishment, and it gives me hope. Hope that one day actors will be seen as actors and have equal opportunities to play characters that look like them.
This is a topic that has just reached its smallest amount of fame in the artistic community which is absolutely ridiculous. I can't even believe that we are just starting to talk about it as if it hold the amount of moral credibility that is does. It's crazy that we even have to have the conversation in the first place but if we do I will say that our movements and our resistance has to include Asian Americans as much as it includes black or latinx people. When Scarlett Johansson got up to speak at the women's march I was uncomfortable because she had recently played an Asian character in a movie, and they used prosthetics to make her look less white instead of just hiring an Asian actor. That presented an enormous about of hypocrisy at the march that I was not comfortable with. We have to start paying as much attention as possible to this very important issue and start giving it the space in our movement that it rightly deserves.
Before coming to CMU I could never really fully understand my view on issues relating to ethnicity and casting choices. In a case like this I think we can all agree that Mulan and all of its cast should without question be played by Asian actors. We've all heard of color blind casting, which rarely exists, and have no doubt seen the glorification of white people throughout all forms of media. But the real question always ends up boiling down to whether the ethnicity of an actor should bar them from specific roles.
Since I've been at CMU I've heard a very appropriate phrase numerous times that I think is ultimately the best answer to this question: taking responsibility for the bodies you put on stage. This essentially means that the color of somebody's skin cannot be ignored. One's features should not have to be altered in order to play a specific role. If ethnicity is pivotal to the story, in cases like Milan or The Color Purple, it no doubt has to play a large part. There are many cases where ethinicity, race, or body type do not effect a story. In these cases, ethnicity should have little effect on casting decisions. But there's still a responsibility on the part of directors and casting directors to look at their actors for who they are and to have their characters represented appropriately.
The topic of diversity in material is a whole other ball game that I'll likely address in a different article. But I will touch on this by saying that it is something the industry desperately needs in order for people if all colors, shapes, and sizes to feel as though they have equal opportunity for success.
For the five billionth time, why is this something that actually needs to be discussed? If a film is somewhere like hm let's just say China, obviously it should have a Chinese cast! If a film is set in India it should have an Indian cast. If a film is set in the US it should have a mixed cast. Why is this so hard. Why is this something that gets so deeply debated. Cast people of the right descent in roles about that culture! Mulan is such a no brainer! It's about China!!!! It's about a Chinese girl who saves China. Anyway that all being said I'm very glad that Disney has finally somewhat gotten it together and is not whitewashing this cast. I am continually amazed at how ridiculous the world is. In the end, don't we all have the same goal of better storytelling? Stories are better the more realistic the actors are and shockingly, if the actors are of the correct descent the story will be more realistic too.
I'm so glad that instead of this article being full of people's opinions that have not actually lived through any of the experiences being discussed, it actually got the opinions of asian actors and spotlighted their opinions. I am also happy that the industry has moved slightly away from "colour-blind casting" and more towards colour-conscious casting. The author and initial script's intention need to be honored in certain ways, especially if it will affect the way the story is told in a dramatic or negative way, and sometimes that includes what ethnicity the actors that represent the characters are. I think that the more we talk about and the more coverage this Mulan reboot gets, the more likely it is that Disney will hear people's disdain with potential whitewashing and keep the characters true to what they originally were and are supposed to be. I think this could, because Disney is so reputable and well-known, be a great jumping off point for more inclusion and diversity in Hollywood.
It’s so good to hear that the live action cast of Mulan will be not only fully Asian, but fully Chinese! It sucks to recognize that this is such a low bar to be set for a movie set in China, about Chinese people but as we well know, this is a big deal for a mainstream Disney movie. With examples of Emma Stone and Scarlett Johannson playing Asian/ half- asian characters with little questioning from the casting directors or production teams, it’s clear to see that Asian actors rarely get a chance at being in front of the camera, even when their stories are being told onscreen. It definitely is a vicious cycle, because asian actors don’t get famous because they aren’t cast in mainstream films, which is because they aren’t famous- a sorry excuse that big-name production companies give all the time, when they hold the power to create a larger pool of ethnically diverse actors to choose from. As someone who is only half- asian, with a chinese mother and a white father, I often don’t feel like it is my place to complain about asian representation because to many I don’t appear asian on sight. However, I would hope that anyone, regardless of their ethnicity/ appearance can see the ridiculousness of the current state of Hollywood in regards to whitewashing and the same stories being seen over and over again.
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