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Thursday, February 09, 2017
Scarlett Johansson on Ghost in the Shell White-Washing
The Mary Sue: Scarlett Johansson has opened up about her decision to accept the role of Major Motoko Kusanagi in the live-action Ghost in the Shell movie. But her reasoning will probably disappoint you.
9 comments:
Sarah Boyle
said...
I get it, she thought it sounded like a cool movie and a cool character, she wanted it, she had the opportunity, so she took it. She is not a monster or a racist, she’s human. But accepting that role was narrow minded and a little selfish. They needed an A-list star to cast and didn’t feel like they could get that from an Asian-American actress. Johansson is perpetuating the problem, there won’t be A-list Asian-Americans to cast in lead roles if no one casts them in lead roles! Additionally, there is a fandom for this movie, and the director is known (not for good things, but apparently that’s not that big a deal since he obviously can find work) so they aren’t entirely relying on a big name to catch interest. Yes, the lead character is female, but even if she had declined the role, the lead character was still going to be female. This movie could have been getting publicity for casting a Japanese-American female lead, instead its getting publicity for missing a rare opportunity.
It's always disheartening to see yet another article about white washing a cast in Hollywood. This article sets up the Johansson side of the article as if she simply didn't know any better, and just saw the part as a good lead female role, however, upon learning about how Ghost in the Shell is an important piece of Japanese culture and a huge part of their media, I can't help but put some of the blame on Johansson as well. I don't know much about how Hollywood casting goes, but was there no research involved at all? It doesn't that an entire research team to simply type into google "Ghost in the Shell" for it to tell you on the first page it's Japanese background. Furthermore, it isn't like Johansson is a struggling actress who really needed the role or anything with a nearly 80 million dollar net worth. There's something to be said about the fact that the director of this project was also white. If a strong piece of Japanese culture is going to be produced into a live action film, there should at least be some form of consideration and respect for the culture it originates from.
After the numerous articles I have seen on this particular casting decision, I am glad to finally hear Johansson’s opinion on it. Only highlighting the director and producers who made this decision and taking the focus off of everyone sets a dangerous precedent for who should feel responsibility for the political and social implications of a work. As a technician, I think it is way too easy for production/technical people to distance themselves from the work and assume the stance of “I’m just doing my job.” It doesn't have to matter to them what the politics of a piece are because they will rarely, if ever, be questioned about it. But if we are lending our skills to help make a production happen, we should be asking critical questions about the content of the work. For Johansson, she merely accepted the job offering, “the rare opportunity”, so she can shift the blame to the people who decided to hire her. But she should have to take responsibility for taking away this opportunity from the people it belonged to. The culture of our industry will never change if every single person does not begin to think and act consciously regarding the work they are creating.
This is so disappointing to read. I've been following this story for a long time now so I was excited to hear what Johansson would have to say about her decision to take this role. She seems to completely ignore the significance of the race of this character and focus on the fact that's a franchise lead by a woman. This an example of why feminism must be intersectional, as she's neglected to think about the fact that Asian women face many more obstacles than she has had to in terms of casting. It's not good enough to just think about gender when Japanese culture is so interwoven into this story. Also, am I really supposed to take Scarlett Johansson seriously when she says she took this job because it was such a "rare opportunity"? She has one of the best careers of any female actress right now so I hardly think that these types of roles rarely come up for her. Obviously it's too late to change this movie now, but hopefully all of this backlash will show her and the production company that white-washing isn't something that can just be swept under the rug anymore.
Although, I agree with most of the comments above, I am not disappointed but rather the white-washing is what I was expecting. It is true that in the film industry, they have made progress in diversity, but it is nowhere near the point of having the main lead actors be of an another ethnicity. I can’t really think of any fiction/fantasy major title movie in the past few years that didn’t have the main lead be white, especially when it comes to a movie adapted from an anime… (I’m looking at you, Dragon Ball Z: Evolution). Even when it comes to voice actor, the actor behind the voice is usually white. So, I think by looking at the reasons of why, the producers, casting directors and director of these fantasy movies saw that they ‘needed’ to cast a white person as the main lead then we could have a better way countering the white-washing. In my opinion, they ‘need’ comes from, at least one of the major places, the publics tendency to want to associate a familiar ‘face’ (whether that be an A-list celebrity or a general white person) in films. So in order to produce a more massive audience, they would rather choice the safe choice, which they know will make more money, then take a leap with the lead being of a different race than the majority.
As i feel that Scarlett johanssn is not the right choice i dont think this is the best case of whitewashing out there. First of all i would like to state that i agree that whitewashing in films is a major issue. I also believe that scarlett johanssons answer to the question of her opinion on the subject is poor. However the author of the original Ghost in a shell series: Masamune Shirow has come out and made statements relaying his support in johansson as the character of the Major in the film. In the world that he created in his original Manga and Anime movie it represents an integrated japan. Thats part of his world building showing that japan is now a major hub that is incredibly diverse. He has also stated his intention in having the main character be western. The importance of this is that in the world that he as an artist has created the characters are meant to be diverse from a Japanese perspective. so if he as the original author believe that Scarlett johansson is right for the role than i think thats fine. There are many other films out there where white washing is a huge problem, but i dont think this is one.
roles of diverse ethnicity and race have always been rare in the entertainment industry, especially those that are substantial roles. The fact that when a very rare Asian role is presented, it is given to a white american actress is upsetting. Especially since the population of actors today are growing in diversity. It seems to me like this situation is one thing, but the author is more upset about the fact that Scarlet decided that it was a rare opportunity for herself and a women in general and totally ignored the fact that this role was one of its kind for an Asian actress. I can understand the upset the author is feeling. Scarlet especially has gotten several roles in films like this one and definitely has the security in her career to turn this opportunity down and open it up for women of Asian decent. Overall, this situation is upsetting. Hopefully the future will provide us with more diverse writers, directors, and casting agents .
It’s so disheartening to hear a female actress beat around the question that has been on all of our minds since the news of white-washing an asian character came out. It’s crazy to me that it’s even a question- of course an asian character should be played by an asian actress- but another part of me isn’t even surprised that Johanson isn’t taking a stand on this as, as the author pointed out, she probably was in a position to (financially, reputation-wise, etc). It’s frustrating that she uses the excuse of how rare it is for a film to have a female protagonist to justify accepting a role meant for an asian actress. Does she recognize how much rarer it is for a film to have an asian female protagonist? Oftentimes I feel like lack of diverse, inclusive representation of asian characters in contemporary media is overlooked as so much of asian culture continues to be americanized. In special topics we discussed intersectionality, and how much of feminism has historically (and continued) to be racist, to be homophobic, to be xenophobic, etc. I think it’s important to remember that while it is inherently feminist for a woman to be as successul as Scarlett Johanson is, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t able to contribute to the racist society we live in by the roles she accepts and the comments she makes.
When I went to D.C. for the Women's March just a month ago Scarlett spoke and while she gave a nice, even moving speech about reproductive rights, I kind of didn't care because I knew that she had taken this role and what that meant for her career, and for the future of the diversity in film. I am happy that this article is asking the real question and is trying to demand an answer out of her, but I have a feeling that she isn't going to admit that she is doing something wrong. While Scarlett Johansson is a big advocate for women's rights and having a female lead in this large of a movie is a step in the right direction we have to stop allowing white actors to get away with this.There is no reason that Johansson needed to take this movie over another actress who was asian, and there is no excuse for her doing so, as this article so perfectly proves. People will excuse this by saying "at least it's a woman, its a step in the right direction" and I guess that they are right maybe, but until feminism is intersectional, until all women of all races are equal no one is, and ScarJo has to be a better role model. She has to lead the pack.
9 comments:
I get it, she thought it sounded like a cool movie and a cool character, she wanted it, she had the opportunity, so she took it. She is not a monster or a racist, she’s human. But accepting that role was narrow minded and a little selfish. They needed an A-list star to cast and didn’t feel like they could get that from an Asian-American actress. Johansson is perpetuating the problem, there won’t be A-list Asian-Americans to cast in lead roles if no one casts them in lead roles! Additionally, there is a fandom for this movie, and the director is known (not for good things, but apparently that’s not that big a deal since he obviously can find work) so they aren’t entirely relying on a big name to catch interest. Yes, the lead character is female, but even if she had declined the role, the lead character was still going to be female. This movie could have been getting publicity for casting a Japanese-American female lead, instead its getting publicity for missing a rare opportunity.
It's always disheartening to see yet another article about white washing a cast in Hollywood. This article sets up the Johansson side of the article as if she simply didn't know any better, and just saw the part as a good lead female role, however, upon learning about how Ghost in the Shell is an important piece of Japanese culture and a huge part of their media, I can't help but put some of the blame on Johansson as well. I don't know much about how Hollywood casting goes, but was there no research involved at all? It doesn't that an entire research team to simply type into google "Ghost in the Shell" for it to tell you on the first page it's Japanese background. Furthermore, it isn't like Johansson is a struggling actress who really needed the role or anything with a nearly 80 million dollar net worth. There's something to be said about the fact that the director of this project was also white. If a strong piece of Japanese culture is going to be produced into a live action film, there should at least be some form of consideration and respect for the culture it originates from.
After the numerous articles I have seen on this particular casting decision, I am glad to finally hear Johansson’s opinion on it. Only highlighting the director and producers who made this decision and taking the focus off of everyone sets a dangerous precedent for who should feel responsibility for the political and social implications of a work. As a technician, I think it is way too easy for production/technical people to distance themselves from the work and assume the stance of “I’m just doing my job.” It doesn't have to matter to them what the politics of a piece are because they will rarely, if ever, be questioned about it. But if we are lending our skills to help make a production happen, we should be asking critical questions about the content of the work. For Johansson, she merely accepted the job offering, “the rare opportunity”, so she can shift the blame to the people who decided to hire her. But she should have to take responsibility for taking away this opportunity from the people it belonged to. The culture of our industry will never change if every single person does not begin to think and act consciously regarding the work they are creating.
This is so disappointing to read. I've been following this story for a long time now so I was excited to hear what Johansson would have to say about her decision to take this role. She seems to completely ignore the significance of the race of this character and focus on the fact that's a franchise lead by a woman. This an example of why feminism must be intersectional, as she's neglected to think about the fact that Asian women face many more obstacles than she has had to in terms of casting. It's not good enough to just think about gender when Japanese culture is so interwoven into this story. Also, am I really supposed to take Scarlett Johansson seriously when she says she took this job because it was such a "rare opportunity"? She has one of the best careers of any female actress right now so I hardly think that these types of roles rarely come up for her. Obviously it's too late to change this movie now, but hopefully all of this backlash will show her and the production company that white-washing isn't something that can just be swept under the rug anymore.
Although, I agree with most of the comments above, I am not disappointed but rather the white-washing is what I was expecting. It is true that in the film industry, they have made progress in diversity, but it is nowhere near the point of having the main lead actors be of an another ethnicity. I can’t really think of any fiction/fantasy major title movie in the past few years that didn’t have the main lead be white, especially when it comes to a movie adapted from an anime… (I’m looking at you, Dragon Ball Z: Evolution). Even when it comes to voice actor, the actor behind the voice is usually white. So, I think by looking at the reasons of why, the producers, casting directors and director of these fantasy movies saw that they ‘needed’ to cast a white person as the main lead then we could have a better way countering the white-washing. In my opinion, they ‘need’ comes from, at least one of the major places, the publics tendency to want to associate a familiar ‘face’ (whether that be an A-list celebrity or a general white person) in films. So in order to produce a more massive audience, they would rather choice the safe choice, which they know will make more money, then take a leap with the lead being of a different race than the majority.
As i feel that Scarlett johanssn is not the right choice i dont think this is the best case of whitewashing out there. First of all i would like to state that i agree that whitewashing in films is a major issue. I also believe that scarlett johanssons answer to the question of her opinion on the subject is poor. However the author of the original Ghost in a shell series: Masamune Shirow has come out and made statements relaying his support in johansson as the character of the Major in the film. In the world that he created in his original Manga and Anime movie it represents an integrated japan. Thats part of his world building showing that japan is now a major hub that is incredibly diverse. He has also stated his intention in having the main character be western. The importance of this is that in the world that he as an artist has created the characters are meant to be diverse from a Japanese perspective. so if he as the original author believe that Scarlett johansson is right for the role than i think thats fine. There are many other films out there where white washing is a huge problem, but i dont think this is one.
roles of diverse ethnicity and race have always been rare in the entertainment industry, especially those that are substantial roles. The fact that when a very rare Asian role is presented, it is given to a white american actress is upsetting. Especially since the population of actors today are growing in diversity. It seems to me like this situation is one thing, but the author is more upset about the fact that Scarlet decided that it was a rare opportunity for herself and a women in general and totally ignored the fact that this role was one of its kind for an Asian actress. I can understand the upset the author is feeling. Scarlet especially has gotten several roles in films like this one and definitely has the security in her career to turn this opportunity down and open it up for women of Asian decent. Overall, this situation is upsetting. Hopefully the future will provide us with more diverse writers, directors, and casting agents .
It’s so disheartening to hear a female actress beat around the question that has been on all of our minds since the news of white-washing an asian character came out. It’s crazy to me that it’s even a question- of course an asian character should be played by an asian actress- but another part of me isn’t even surprised that Johanson isn’t taking a stand on this as, as the author pointed out, she probably was in a position to (financially, reputation-wise, etc). It’s frustrating that she uses the excuse of how rare it is for a film to have a female protagonist to justify accepting a role meant for an asian actress. Does she recognize how much rarer it is for a film to have an asian female protagonist? Oftentimes I feel like lack of diverse, inclusive representation of asian characters in contemporary media is overlooked as so much of asian culture continues to be americanized. In special topics we discussed intersectionality, and how much of feminism has historically (and continued) to be racist, to be homophobic, to be xenophobic, etc. I think it’s important to remember that while it is inherently feminist for a woman to be as successul as Scarlett Johanson is, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t able to contribute to the racist society we live in by the roles she accepts and the comments she makes.
When I went to D.C. for the Women's March just a month ago Scarlett spoke and while she gave a nice, even moving speech about reproductive rights, I kind of didn't care because I knew that she had taken this role and what that meant for her career, and for the future of the diversity in film. I am happy that this article is asking the real question and is trying to demand an answer out of her, but I have a feeling that she isn't going to admit that she is doing something wrong. While Scarlett Johansson is a big advocate for women's rights and having a female lead in this large of a movie is a step in the right direction we have to stop allowing white actors to get away with this.There is no reason that Johansson needed to take this movie over another actress who was asian, and there is no excuse for her doing so, as this article so perfectly proves. People will excuse this by saying "at least it's a woman, its a step in the right direction" and I guess that they are right maybe, but until feminism is intersectional, until all women of all races are equal no one is, and ScarJo has to be a better role model. She has to lead the pack.
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