1.
Angelina Jolie performed Mariane Pearl, the spouse of kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl and a French-born lady of Afro-Cuban descent, in A Mighty Coronary heart.
Jolie appeared to darken her pores and skin and alter her hair for the function, which resulted in a ton of criticism.
She regrets taking the function and mentioned in an interview, “I’ve discovered on a macro stage concerning the insane historical past of whitewashing in Hollywood and the way prevalent the issue actually is. It’s ignited a dialog that’s essential.” In 2019, she yelled “I am sorry!” to Sandra Oh when she made a joke about it on the Golden Globes.
3.
Jake Gyllenhaal performed Dastan in Disney’s Prince of Persia. Many have questioned why the function did not go to an actor of Iranian descent.
In an interview, Gyllenhaal acknowledged his problematic casting, “I feel I discovered so much from that film in that I spend a variety of time attempting to be very considerate concerning the roles that I choose and why I’m selecting them… And also you’re certain to slide up and be like, ‘That wasn’t proper for me,’ or ‘That didn’t match completely.'”
4.
Mickey Rooney performed Mr. Yunioshi, a Japanese man, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
For the function, Rooney did Yellowface, wore buckteeth, and used an exaggerated accent. He obtained numerous criticism from Asian People for his racist portrayal.
He responded to the criticism saying, “By no means in all of the greater than 40 years after we made it — not one grievance. Each place I’ve gone on this planet individuals say, ‘ … you have been so humorous.’ Asians and Chinese language come as much as me and say, ‘Mickey you have been out of this world.'” He mentioned that if he’d identified individuals would have been so offended, “I would not have achieved it.”
5.
Anthony Hopkins performed Coleman Silk, a Black professor who passes as white, in The Human Stain.
6.
Rooney Mara performed Tiger Lily, a Native American character, in Pan.
A yr after the movie, Mara expressed remorse saying, “I actually hate, hate, hate that I’m on that aspect of the whitewashing dialog. I actually do. I don’t ever need to be on that aspect of it once more. I can perceive why individuals have been upset and pissed off.”
7.
Joseph Fiennes performed pop star Michael Jackson, a Black man, in an episode of the comedy, City Myths.
After the trailer was launched, it was met with a variety of controversy. Many individuals known as for a boycott, a petition in opposition to the movie acquired over 20,000 supporters, and Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson’s daughter, said how offended she was by the casting. After all of the controversy the broadcaster, Sky Arts, determined to not air the episode.
8.
In Soul Man, C. Thomas Howell performed Mark Watson, a white man who does blackface to get a Harvard scholarship for Black college students.
In a 2013 interview, Howell expressed no regrets concerning the film. He mentioned he’d just lately rewatched the film and was “shocked at how actually innocent that film is, and the way the anti-racial message concerned in it’s so prevalent. I nonetheless do not perceive, and I suppose that is simply my very own ignorance, the truth that sure individuals actually hate the entire blackface thought, as a result of this is not a film about blackface,” Howell continued. “It isn’t like I am Al Jolson in blackface singing ‘Mammy.’ … It is 180 levels from that. It is an harmless film, it is acquired harmless messages, and it is acquired some very, very deep messages. And I feel the folks that have not seen it that choose it are horribly mistaken.”
9.
Sean Connery performed James Bond going undercover as a Japanese man within the movie You Solely Stay Twice. The film included numerous racist stereotypes.
10.
Scarlett Johansson performed Main Mira Killian / Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost within the Shell. The casting obtained a variety of criticism for the reason that film was primarily based on a Japanese manga.
Johansson responded to the backlash by saying, “I feel this character resides a really distinctive expertise in that she has a human mind in a completely machinate physique. I might by no means try to play an individual of a distinct race, clearly.”
11.
Tilda Swinton performed the Historical One in Physician Unusual. Within the comics, the Historical One was portrayed as a Tibetan man.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige later mentioned this casting was a mistake. Feige and Swinton additionally defined the casting as an try to keep away from offensive Asian racial stereotypes.
“We thought we have been being so sensible and so cutting-edge,” Feige mentioned. “We’re not going to do the cliché of the wizened, outdated, sensible Asian man. Nevertheless it was a wake-up name to say, ‘Properly, wait a minute, is there some other technique to determine it out? Is there some other technique to each not fall into the cliché and solid an Asian actor?’ And the reply to that, after all, is sure.”
12.
And eventually, Jenette Goldstein performed non-public Vasquez, a Latino lady, in Aliens.
Goldstein is Jewish and of Russian, Moroccan, and Brazilian descent. For the function, she darkened her pores and skin with make-up. Years after, she mentioned, “I’ve by no means been solid, or given the chance to audition for a brief, freckle-faced Jewish woman who’s half-Russian and half-Moroccan and Brazilian. So I do not assume I might work very a lot if that is all I used to be in a position to learn for.”
