whitewashing
Japanese author behind ‘Bullet Train’ responds to whitewashing criticism: The characters are ‘not real people’
- Japanese novelist Kotaro Isaka recently responded to backlash against the decision to cast non-Japanese actors in “Bullet Train,” the Hollywood adaptation of his 2010 novel “Maria Beetle.”
- The film has been criticized for undermining its cultural inspirations by casting white characters in non-white roles.
- Isaka revealed that he considers the characters in his novel to be “ethnically malleable” and that the blistering action sequences are far more important to the story than its Japanese setting.
- Many of Isaka’s stylistic inspirations purportedly stemmed from American culture, from “American movie-style” dialogue to Western pop culture references.
- “[Sasaki’s writing style] gave us comfort in honoring its Japanese soul but at the same time giving the movie a chance to get big giant movie stars and have it work on a global scale,” Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, said.
- “Bullet Train” might also generate enough interest in Isaka’s novels to help them break into the notoriously difficult foreign literature market.
Japanese novelist Kotaro Isaka recently responded to backlash against the decision to cast non-Japanese actors in “Bullet Train,” the Hollywood adaptation of his 2010 novel “Maria Beetle.”
David Innoue, the executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, claimed that the casting for the Brad Pitt-led thriller is an act of “whitewashing,” or casting white characters in non-white roles, which undermines the film’s cultural inspirations.
‘Dunked Doughnut Delight’: US-based Indian restaurant criticized for ‘whitewashing’ classic dishes
- Indian Crepe Co., a U.S.-based Indian restaurant, is being accused of “whitewashing” the names of its dishes after a Twitter user posted a screen shot of its menu.
- The tweet, shared by user @Inika__ on Sunday, shows south Indian dishes such as sambar idli and sambar vada being called “Dunked Rice Cake Delight” and “Dunked Doughnut Delight.”
- The other dishes highlighted in the tweet, which has already received more than 20,400 likes, include “Naked Crepe” and "Smashed Potato Crepe."
- Some Twitter users expressed outrage at the restaurant’s attempt to westernize the names of popular Indian dishes, while others found the menu’s prices to be over the top.
- One user wrote that the cost of a plate of vada from the restaurant (around $16) can buy enough vada to feed their entire joint family in India.
An Indian restaurant in the United States is causing a massive buzz on Twitter after one user shared a screen shot of its menu’s attempt to westernize the names of Indian dishes.
The tweet, shared by user @Inika__ on Sunday, shows a screen shot of Indian Crepe Co.’s menu, which consists of south Indian dishes such as sambar idli and sambar vada that have been renamed to “Dunked Rice Cake Delight” and “Dunked Doughnut Delight.”
Asian American commissioner candidate in Texas accuses opponent of racism over ‘whitewashed’ photo
- Benjamin Chou, an Asian American candidate for the Harris County Commissioners Court in Texas, has accused his Democratic nomination opponent, Lesley Briones, of racism.
- The controversy stems from an edited image of Chou released by Briones’ campaign, which the former said had “whitewashed” his skin and followed “a long history of doctoring images of people of color to make them look angry or menacing.”
- In response, Briones deflected the blame to an unnamed graphic designer and doubled down on criticizing Chou’s “false attacks and defamatory lies.”
- The candidates will head to a runoff on Tuesday, of which the winner will face incumbent Republican R. Jack Cagle in November.
An Asian American candidate for the Harris County Commissioners Court in Texas has accused his Democratic nomination opponent of racism.
Benjamin Chou, who is running to represent Precinct 4, called out Lesley Briones over an edited image of himself released for an ad posted on Facebook and Instagram on Wednesday.
Tilda Swinton Says ‘Questionable Decision’ to Email Margaret Cho Over ‘Doctor Strange’ Whitewashing Was ‘Naive, Confusing’
Tilda Swinton revealed she is “very, very grateful” for Kevin Feige commenting on the whitewashing controversy for her character The Ancient One in the 2016 movie “Doctor Strange.”
The details: The 60-year-old Scottish actress reflected on the casting decision to play the controversial role in an interview with Variety.
Anime-Style Ad Sparks Outrage for ‘Whitewashing’ Naomi Osaka
A recent ad featuring Haitian-Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka as an anime character is receiving backlash for portraying the U.S. Open champion with light skin.
Nissin, a popular Japanese cup noodle maker and one of Osaka’s main sponsors, unveiled the ad earlier this month as part of their “Hungry to Win!” campaign, according to The Japan Times.
Emma Stone Shouts ‘I’m Sorry’ For ‘Aloha’ Whitewashing During Sandra Oh’s Golden Globes Monologue
Among the few highlights of the 76th annual Golden Globes Awards on Sunday was Sandra Oh calling out films “Aloha!” and “Ghost in the Shell” for whitewashing, and actress Emma Stone obliging with a surprising response.
Oh, who was delivering this year’s monologue alongside co-host Andy Samberg, praised “Crazy Rich Asians” for being “the first studio film with an Asian American lead since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha.”
New California Law Could Help Fight Whitewashing in Hollywood Films
Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus members in California recently celebrated the passing of a new legislation that aims to reduce whitewashing in Hollywood.
California lawmakers passed new diversity provisions in the new extension of California’s film and television tax credit on July 16, requiring production companies to report the diversity of their workforce.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Actor Henry Golding Addresses His Own ‘Whiteness’ in Casting Decision
“Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding addressed the “whitewashing” controversy over his casting in the upcoming film during a recent appearance on “The View.”
Being partially Malaysian and partially White, Golding has received criticism over the role which some argued should have gone to a fully Asian actor.
Dear White People: Stop Using Asians To Excuse Your Racism Towards Asian Americans
Editor’s Note: Jin Hyun is a Korean-American journalist. The views expressed in this piece are solely her own.
“Ni hao”, “Oh wow, your English is so good”, “where are your people from?”
Domino’s Pizza Just Stole and Whitewashed a Malaysian Artist’s Comic Strip
An artist in Malaysia is fuming after her comic strip suddenly popped up on Domino’s Pizza’s Facebook page in all its White glory.
Weinye Chen, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, lashed out on social media after discovering that the pizza chain in Chile had no problem taking her work as their own.
‘BoJack Horseman’ Creator Finally Talks About the Problem With Whitewashing in Cartoons
Earlier this week, Indiewire discussed an often overlooked problem in animation: Whitewashing. Certainly the topic has been broached many a time in Hollywood, such as in the cases of “Ghost in the Shell” and “Aloha”, but animation is a different beast.
Whitewashing in film is easy enough to spot — if the character was originally a POC but ultimately was portrayed by a White person, Whitewashing has occurred. And while writers and producers will bend over backwards to change a story that allows for a White actor to maintain that role, such as rewriting their origins or erasing them entirely, it doesn’t change the fact that it happened.
Whitewashed Chinese Restaurant Opera Cancelled After Severe Backlash from Asian Community
After severe backlash, the opera “The Golden Dragon” has been canceled, as Hackney Empire pulls the show from its East London October 31 premiere.
The theater released a statement on Thursday that disavows any involvement of Hackney Empire to the production of “The Golden Dragon” and Music Theater Wales, the United Kingdom’s leading national contemporary opera company.
