Blind Item #3
This A list mostly movie actress is in a brand new movie and has gone off multiple times on her people after press interviews bring up the fact the role is a white washing. If anyone asks the actress about it again, she will probably lose it right on the reporter.
Scarjo?
ReplyDeleteGhost in the shell. There was a huge petition about the character who is Japanese being played by her.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/15/petition-scarlett-johansson-ghost-in-shell_n_6481288.html
Now THAT is what good journalism looks like: Journalists asking all the right questions.
ReplyDeleteGood job! ♥
But is it ScarJo's fault for taking a role like that or the fault of those who cast her? Likely that the money people wanted a bankable star who would put fannies in the seats. No disrespect - but name an Asian actress who would do that.
ReplyDeleteWell Joel kinnaman is playing a Japanese assassin for Netflix white washing is still a thing
ReplyDeleteThere are no current Asian actresses who can do that because Hollywood won't give any Asian actresses a chance to build themselves up into that.
ReplyDeleteThe character is a Japanese woman who has been downloaded into a robot's body. There is A LOT of whitewashing in Hollywood, but this film in particular isn't doing it imo.
ReplyDeleteWould it have killed them to hire someone who wasn't white, or was at least ethnically ambiguous? Of course not. But there aren't that many actresses in general that can tent pole an action movie anyway.
There have been lots of films made in 'foreign' countries, that Hollywood re-made with white actors.
ReplyDeleteFor example: "The Seven Samurai" was re-made as "The Magnificent Seven.' (I mean the good one. The one from 1960 with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Eli Wallach.)
The publisher of the original manga and director of the original anime version have both said they have no issue with casting SJ.
ReplyDeleteNo, that is NOT good journalism. Those are the questions you ask the PRODUCERS, not the actor. The actor is not at fault for accepting a role and a paycheck, and Scarlett shouldn't be taking heat for it.
ReplyDeleteAnd Maggie Q has done quite well for herself as an Asian actress, doing action roles.
ReplyDeleteYes, but can she open and carry a Hollywood movie.
ReplyDeleteI distinctly remember back in the 50s all the American Indians were played by Jewish actors! They were from another Tribe altogether.
ReplyDeleteShe is right and I am sure it is annoying. While we are at it Danny Rand in Iron Fist is white in the comics too. I seriously just hate the media. Fake news is all the rage.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a Japanese or Japanese American actress who can open a movie. ScarJo can. It's commerce, folks.
ReplyDeleteI hope she loses it then, like the spoiled baby she is.
ReplyDeleteIf you take the big dough for the role, be preared to do the interviews and answer the questions.
Pathetic.
Whitewashing a character from a comic? I remember when Idris Elba was chosen to be a Nordic god, that every liberal barked that he was a comic character and nobody should give an f word about it.
ReplyDeleteNow it is Japanese who suffer the cracker fate, but they can complain just because.
The funny thing is that most complaints are coming from western media not Japan. Japanese public was quite cool about it. So who has the problem here?
ReplyDeleteThis, but in the anime and manga the character is not japanese, so many people just like complaining.
ReplyDeleteWhen you guys say an Asian actress couldnt carry a HollywoodFilm that really means you are acknowledging that Americans wouldnt go see a movie with an asian lead actress. Commerce is dependent on what the consumers purchase. If Americans didnt mind seeing an asian lead actress and would pay to see the film, then Producers would cast them in these roles. unless the producers themselves are just racist nitwits that care not about commerce. And making a return on their investment. Its Supply and Demand.....
ReplyDeleteSo essentially some of you guys are just confirming that Americans are biased at best and possibly racist a worst.
She's thinking about running for office. Fuck yes journalists can start asking her more political questions rather than acting as her PR machine.
ReplyDeletenews from the land of unscared lunatics & scared cretins...
ReplyDeleteOMG I dont imagine her politicking will be much better than her "acting". Lame lame lame.
ReplyDeleteHow can Asian actresses become A list, if they aren't given a chance.?Roles?
ReplyDeleteGhost in the Shell is a major blockbuster costing $120 million. This is not a charity; its a for-profit venture intended to make as much money as possible. To recoup the huge production expense, the studio needs a big hit, and part of packing the studio seats is having a "name" headliner with a constituency.
ReplyDeleteStars attract audiences. Unknown actresses. . .no matter how good. . .do not. Meanwhile Scarlet Johansson has been tested in not less than half a dozen other major blockbuster action films, is inarguably the #1 most bankable female action star in the world right now. If you think she isn't an "appropriate" choice for this film, solely based on her RACE, then NAME the Japanese actress you think would be a better one. Don't speculate on racism without evidence. . .point to the specific individual you think was passed over who would have been a better casting choice.
You can't, because there isn't one. Frankly, there are very few actresses period (regardless of race) who could "open" this movie. Right now there is no female Japanese-American actress bankable enough to headline an action movie. Is it possible there "could" be one? Of course. But right now, no.
er. . .Lucy Liu. . .
ReplyDeletePayback
Kill Bill
Kill Bill 2
Shanghai Noon
Ecks Vs Sever
Kung Fu Panda (1-3)
etc.
To be clear, I'm not saying Liu should have been cast in Ghost in the Shell. What I'm saying is that the claim that there are no successful Asian-American actresses (let alone action ones) in Hollywood isn't really true. Michelle Yeoh is another Chinese actress who has had a reasonably good career in Hollywood Martial arts/action films. No, there aren't many, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more.
ReplyDeleteDwelling on race here, seems silly to me. There are PLENTY of Japanese actors in the cast. . .just not the lead. The producers and Japanese owners of the franchise had no issue with Johansson's race, and to the contrary, they all said they thought she was a great choice for the role.
If I were Johansson, I'd just say that I didn't cast myself into the role, that its an American production, that I wasn't trying to represent myself as Japanese in the role, and that I didn't think there was anything particular about this role that required the character to be Japanese. In fact, she did say something like that: "I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive".
>>When you guys say an Asian actress couldnt carry a HollywoodFilm that really means you are acknowledging that Americans wouldnt go see a movie with an asian lead actress
ReplyDeleteUm. .. .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crouching_Tiger,_Hidden_Dragon
>>>Made on a US$17 million budget, with dialogue in Mandarin, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon became a surprise international success, grossing $213.5 million. **It grossed US$128 million in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing foreign-language film in American history.** It has won over 40 awards. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Best Foreign Language Film (Taiwan), Best Art Direction, Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.[4] The film also won four BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Foreign Film.
Its "gotcha" journalism. Still, I think its reasonable to ask an actor how they feel about taking on a particular role if there is some controversy about it. In principle its not wrong for an actor to refuse a role if they're not comfortable portraying that character (for whatever reason). Although it looks scripted by a PR person, I think her public response to this was pretty good:
ReplyDelete>>I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive”.
Translation: I never tried to impersonate someone Japanese. Its OK for different races to play certain characters. I don't think this portrayal is in the slightest bit offensive and if I did think so, I wouldn't have taken the role.
Well if anyone actually read the original Ghost in the Shell mangas or watched the animes/other adaptions they would know that the character that Scarlet Johansson is portraying is a Cyborg, which has no damn race in the first place because they are not human. People are so ignorant that as soon as they see a white woman playing a Japanese character then they immediately call it whitewashing, not even taking the storyline itself into consideration.
ReplyDeleteHollywood black washed Roland in The Dark Tower series.
ReplyDeleteThere are legitimate observations of white washing or even black washing roles which flies in the face of credibility and authenticity, such as giving a black actor a role of Samurai 15th century Japan, or Viking. I find this over compensation exhausting and generally dismiss the product altogether. Why not put a Japanese or Asian actress of other ethnic group in this role and let her shine in Hollywood. Nope. The excuse is always 'no Asian actress can open like Scarjo can. It's a disgusting unbroken circular problem.
ReplyDeleteMajor Motoko Kusanagi (Kusanagi Motoko) is the main protagonist in in Ghost in a Shell created by Masamune Shirow's anime and manga series. One can go into a long dissertation about the exxagerated appearance of characters in manga or anime (the eyes, etc.) but rest assure the character was not created by a Japanese artist to reflect a white woman in that role. Anime doesn't et much love in legitimate film and now that it did, the Japanese character is white It doesn't escape anyone how Scarjo was transform to look Asian including dark contacts. Why then. The folks in Japanhave take notice and rightfully so. Why be so dismissive about this under representation.
ReplyDeleteYou can say it's not whitewashing, but.. yeah.. it really is. This article nails the various forms it can take:
ReplyDeletehttp://mashable.com/2017/03/30/movie-whitewashing-excuses/