Ghost in the Shell producer, Steven Paul, defends casting Scarlett Johansson following “whitewash” casting backlash.
Steven Paul, a producer for the upcoming cinematic adaptation of the Japanese manga series Ghost in the Shell, recently spoke with Buzzfeed in defense of the movie’s decision to cast Scarlett Johansson, a white actress, in the lead role of the movie. Many fans considered the casting of Johansson another example of whitewashing in Hollywood, an ongoing issue many Asian American actors are fed up with.
Paul’s argument seems to be that everyone is worried that casting Johansson will lead to disappointment. But, he wants you to to not worry because you are “going to be very, very, happy with it.” Paul continued by saying, “There [are] all sorts of people and nationalities in the world in Ghost in the Shell,” he insists, “We’re utilizing people from all over the world…There’s Japanese in it. There’s Chinese in it. There’s English in it. There’s Americans in it.”
Paul doesn’t clearly explain why a Japanese actress could not play the leading role in the movie. “I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. [It] was a very international story…it was supposed to be an entire world,” he said. “That’s why I say the international approach is, I think, the right approach to it.”
At the end of the day, it’s all about money. And Paul is simply trying to protect his investment with this fluff interview with Buzzfeed. However, as whitewashing criticism continues to spread across the film industry and into our social media feeds, Paul may regret his casting decision. In fact, box office studies show that movies with a diverse cast actually do better than un-diverse movie. For example, just look at Aloha! and Gods of Egypt, two movies that were criticized for a whitewashed cast and they both flopped in the box office.
(via Buzzfeed)
Related:
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Asian American Actresses Bash Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Role
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‘Ghost in the Shell’ Producers Used CGI To Make Scarlett Johansson Asian?
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