The controversy of whitewashing roles has once again been reignited, Scarlett Johansson plunged into a fresh Twitter storm over her casting in the Hollywood remake of the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell.
With Paramount Pictures releasing the first images of the Hollywood star as cyborg policewoman Major Kusanagi, the row has returned with fresh ferocity campaigners angered at the lack of roles for east Asian actors in Hollywood. Amongst those who are against this include Ming-Na Wen, who commented on twitter: “Nothing against Scarlett Johansson. In fact, I’m a big fan. But everything against this whitewashing of Asian role”.
Even Californian-based comic-book writer Jon Tsuei has criticised the film, commenting: “Ghost in the Shell, while just one film, is a pillar in Asian media. It’s not simply a sci-fi thriller… This casting is not only the erasure of Asian faces but a removal of the story from its core themes”.
#Peace.Love.GhostInTheShell
