Posted on 08/23/2017 5:52:31 PM PDT by Olog-hai
A Hollywood film yet again finds itself responding to a social-media outcry over the casting of a white actor in a role that was originally Asian-American.
British actor Ed Skrein earlier this week joined the cast of the “Hellboy” reboot “Rise of the Blood Queen,” which is to be the third film in the comic adaptation franchise previously helmed by Guillermo del Toro. The character, Ben Daimio, is Japanese-American in Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy” comics and his heritage is central to his backstory. Daimio’s grandmother was a Japanese Imperial assassin in World War II.
Many objected to the role not going to an Asian-American actor and called it another example of Hollywood “whitewashing” Asian characters. “I guess they want this to fail,” said actress Cindy Chu on Twitter. …
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I imagine if you can remove an Asian American from a gig because he has a “White” name, you can hire a White guy to play an Asian American character.
Traditionally white role replaced by black actor is celebrated by the same media that without a second thought condemns this.
Central to his backstory?
As if Sue Storm’s brother the Human Torch needed changing up.
And don’t get me started on how the anti-New Deal Little Orphan Annie has been adapted...
Do you want Diversity and make the people that never go to the movies happy or do you want people to watch it so you can make some money
Did this series need a reboot?
That’s like rebooting Indiana Jones 3 movies in.
Wow, political correctness is becoming increasingly complicated. It’s ok to take a character that was conceived of, written as, and portrayed as Caucasian, and make them any other color (or sex). It’s considered “insensitive” or “cultural appropriation” or racist to do the exact same thing to character that isn’t white. Then to really make matters confusing you have situations like “Iron Fist” (who was originally portrayed as a rich white kid, and the story wouldn’t really work if he wasn’t a rich white kid) where for some unnamed politically correct “reasoning” the character “should be” Asian. This requires one to ignore that according to the original story he wasn’t raised or trained in “Asia” but in a parallel/pocket universe and it requires the racist notion that all martial artists must be Asian.
Then you have the case of “Annie”. She’s been portrayed as a white character for decades until fairly recently. I don’t think her skin color is fundamental to the story so personally I don’t care that she was portrayed as black. That being said when she was then portrayed as white again, there were complaints that the character was being “white washed”.
What about Tanto being played by Johnny Depp? Surely there were plenty of Native Americans that could have equaled his performance. Where was the outcry?
There is absolutely no logical chain of reason here. It’s simply cultural Marxism run amok and should be treated with the same contempt as other failed murderous ideologies.
I always liked Charlie Chann. At least he was supposed to be Chinese. I am not sure but I think his number 1 Son who was always chasing girls, was portrayed by a Japanese instead of Chinese.
I love the old series “Zatoichi” and have been watching episodes for the last few nights. It just would not be right to have it remade by a White actor.
Actually I think they may have made one.
And yet no is supposed to say a word about original White characters that have been reimagined or just played by people of color, because if we do.......
In movies, you have black actors playing asgarddians; why is outrage not a two way street?
Is that doosh bag Ron Perlman in this one?
Because he has said horrible things about Trump and his supporters, and due to that I will never give him any of my business, ever.
No more Black Santas then?
Asians were Asian supremists!! no comic book roles for them!! (j/k)
If Hamilton can be black, and Little Orphan Annie can be black, and Chyna can be Black Chyna, then Hellboy can be white. Otherwise, they're just persecuting white folk for the fun of it.
Let’s not forget MR MOTO! The Japanese detective before Pearl Harbor played by German actor Peter Lore.
Think about the old movie GENGHIS KHAN from 1966.
Omar Sharif as Genghis
James Mason as the Chinese Ambassador
Robert Morley as the Chinese Emperor.
Then there is 55 DAYS AT PEKING.
Flora Robson as the Chinese Dowager.
The Mickey Rooney in some movie as a Japanese.
Marlon Brando as a Japanese.
Marlon Brando as a Indio Mexican Zapata.
Oh my, the list goes on!
Actors are people who are paid to pretend to be someone they are not.
What is this stuff about an Asian doing the role?
I’ve seen two “Hellboy” movies (on TV) and the lead role was done by Ron Pearlman, who did a great job.
One of the characters, Ben Daimio, is a Japanese-American, and they have a British actor playing him. So they’re getting self-righteous over it.
They have a different actor playing the lead role (aka “Anung Un Rama”), David Harbour.
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