It bothers me how whitewashed Hollywood can be. Some roles are meant to be of a certain race, and somehow Hollywood casts Caucasians in these movies.
For the record, I have nothing against white people. In fact, I’ve been meaning to write a post about how I have a soft spot for guys who are white and nerdy — I did marry one, after all!
Dragonball Evolution (trailer)
I’ve never been a fan of Dragonball, but I know enough about it to realize they’ve butchered the story in this live action movie. The cast has some Asians (thank goodness), though Goku played by a white guy is seriously weird.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (trailer)
Again, not a huge Street Fighter fan, but I know a bit about it. Chun Li in the game is about as Chinese as you can get. Kristin Kreuk is half-Chinese, but I really don’t think she conveys enough Asian-ness. I haven’t heard Kreuk speak in the movie trailer, so I don’t know how she sounds, but it just won’t seem right without that high-pitched Chinese accent that Chun Li has in the games. (“Spinning-a-bird-a-kick!”)
The Last Airbender
I’m a HUGE fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon. The show ended last year, and they’re now working on live action movies based on the show. Anyone who’s seen the show would realize that it’s set in a very Asian world. The people, culture, clothes, and general style of everything is Asian. So why is the entire main cast of the movie going to be WHITE? This movie could have had so much potential with a multi-cultural cast. I’m very disappointed, but of course, I’ll still see the movie and probably enjoy it.
Not a racist example: Cowboy Bebop
I love this anime show. Spike Spiegel is just about the coolest character ever. Apparently, Keanu Reeves will be portraying Spike in the live action Cowboy Bebop movie. I’m actually ok with this casting (well, the choice of Reeves himself is a different story), since the characters in this show are not necessarily of any specific race. So, really no racism this time; I just wanted to express my excitement that this movie is being made. :)
EDIT [2009.02.20]: Avatar now has 1 non-white cast member. See next post.