Killer Queen
Banned
I mean, fair enough but considering the casting agents are of Asian descent wouldn't you think that maybe they tried to make a genuine non cynical effort?
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Live-Action Death Note Film's Producer Responds to Whitewashing Controversy
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Zoe
Member
Killer Queen
Banned
Isn't it tho? I guess I don't understand the huge controversy when American remakes use different actors.
Zoe
Member
Producers != casting agents
Killer Queen
Banned
I was gonna give them a pass on this, but then they had to say shit about not being able to find one Asian actor who could speak fluent English to be a lead on this show. Man I want to see some statistics on the current state of Asian American actor community in Hollywood if they are claiming this shit.
lightskintwin
Banned
Justin Lin commented on it being complicated last year.
http://deadline.com/2016/07/star-tr...ethnic-diversity-oscars-hollywood-1201790030/
And_Gignac
Member
It's a western adaptation and one of the main characters is black. Whitewashing claims are a bit weird.
meltingparappa
Member
I genuinely feel this somehow got swept up with the more justified apathy for Ghost in the Shell.
The adaptation takes place in America, you could make a reasonable argument that the concepts of a good complex supercedes the Japanese justice system, and the eventual hero of the film is a person of color (who still sits like L, interesting enough).
I don't think the producers have anything to apologize for, unless you believe adaptations are morally incapable of taking place in a different location than their source material.
You could make the argument that the film could have had more Asians in the cast, but that's not at all specific to this film compared to anything else in Hollywood.
The adaptation takes place in America, you could make a reasonable argument that the concepts of a good complex supercedes the Japanese justice system, and the eventual hero of the film is a person of color (who still sits like L, interesting enough).
I don't think the producers have anything to apologize for, unless you believe adaptations are morally incapable of taking place in a different location than their source material.
You could make the argument that the film could have had more Asians in the cast, but that's not at all specific to this film compared to anything else in Hollywood.
Sunster
Member
I do not have an issue with white characters in an American setting. However, I do not for a second believe they seriously searched for Asian actors originally and came up with nothing. The producers of The OA for example, were skeptical they could find the writer's perfect actor for Buck, an Asian trans teen. Low and behold they dropped an add in a few places online and Ian Alexander joined the cast. If you look for the actors they are there waiting.
MsKrisp
Member
If production started 5-10 years ago we could of had the perfect Light
Ooohh my, yes indeed
lightskintwin
Banned
This is true. If you really want to find an actor that meets a certain requirement, you can find them if you look hard enough.
I appreciate Lin's insight and your linking of that interview, but beyond anecdotal casting room talk with an unknown sample size to draw any result from, I would've preferred hard numbers because I feel that what's actually integral to sussing out a perhaps hard truth behind what both Masi Oka and Justin Lin are saying, that maybe the numbers just aren't there in the AA actor community.
lightskintwin
Banned
Based upon my reading of other Asian American experiences, if I had to guess I think that's it as well as cultural. I remember listening to an Asian American actor talk about color blind casting, and the sheer amount of White people that would show up for that role have the odds on their side.
That's why even though increasing color blind casting is important to give everybody a chance, it's also important to designate roles for certain marginalized groups to increase representation.
Yeah, I'm cool with an adaptation of this type. The problem with GitS was they wanted to have a story with huge Asian influences, and then shoehorn the main character in as Mokoto Kusanagi at the last second not realize how stupid that was.
This is an adaptation of a manga that took place in Japan, being moved to America, even changing the names of the actors in some cases. They have seemingly a decent amount of minority representation, and it seems to work well for an adaptation of this type. The biggest problem I see is in insinuating that more Asian actors weren't cast because they weren't fluent in English. Even if that is true, that you looked for Asian actors and couldn't have them speak clearly enough to get the part, it comes off as saying you couldn't find any Asian American actors, which is laughably false.
This is an adaptation of a manga that took place in Japan, being moved to America, even changing the names of the actors in some cases. They have seemingly a decent amount of minority representation, and it seems to work well for an adaptation of this type. The biggest problem I see is in insinuating that more Asian actors weren't cast because they weren't fluent in English. Even if that is true, that you looked for Asian actors and couldn't have them speak clearly enough to get the part, it comes off as saying you couldn't find any Asian American actors, which is laughably false.
And yet, Hollywood does. Otherwise, we would already be in a world where diversity wouldn't be a problem.
Did I say that there were no minorities? Can you point out where I said that? I said "why can't there be a rewrite to include more minorities in a movie?". Stop trying to put words in my mouth and ACTUALLY read what I write. Also, for context, I was talking about The Departed, a movie that came out years ago, not a trailer. Please ACTUALLY read what I am writing rather than interpret wrong what I wrote.
Again, read what I write in the context of what I am replying to. You're the one who is reaching. Seriously, stop it.
I guess you can argue that. But then, there is always the case of Hollywood doing things to whitewash minority roles or not even consider them for roles at all. So that's why it's a bit frustrating when more reasons to excuse Hollywood behavior just really boils my blood. People can come up with many reasons, but they all boil down to Hollywood can continue to make film role decisions based on race and that doesn't sit well with me.
And good that they have those minorities. Hopefully the other two minorities have significant roles or else they could just be there as token minorities.
Yeah, there is a difference, but the results to me seem the same. It leads to marginalized minorities who are depicted in those stereotypical ways and this affects their lives. Society reflects those values and real people suffer. So even if the intent is not to be racist, this leads to adverse effects. So for this reason, I really can't accept such superficial reasons to excuse their behavior.
Killer Queen
Banned
I think you need to go back and actually read what you wrote, including the fact that
you
Quoted
Me
This movie looks terrible from what I've seen of it, looks like one of the movies they threw the towel in on.
For a faithful adaptation they shouldn't all be different races, or even asian-american... they should be Japanese.
If we suggest these were opportunities for an all Asian-American cast... I'm not sure. Just because in any city in America there is a wide diversity of people, it would make sense to have at least one white person involved, and another African American. Probably should be some South Asian representation in there as well.
For a faithful adaptation they shouldn't all be different races, or even asian-american... they should be Japanese.
If we suggest these were opportunities for an all Asian-American cast... I'm not sure. Just because in any city in America there is a wide diversity of people, it would make sense to have at least one white person involved, and another African American. Probably should be some South Asian representation in there as well.
Leona Lewis
Banned
This is an adaptation that takes place in a totally new setting.
All it seems to be taking from the source material is the basic premise of the book itself and a loose characterization of an idealistic killer and his quirky but duty-bound pursuer.
Would it be nice to have more ethnic diversity in a film helmed by so many Asian producers? Yes. But it's no more a whitewashing than The Departed or The Ring.
All it seems to be taking from the source material is the basic premise of the book itself and a loose characterization of an idealistic killer and his quirky but duty-bound pursuer.
Would it be nice to have more ethnic diversity in a film helmed by so many Asian producers? Yes. But it's no more a whitewashing than The Departed or The Ring.
not psycho
Member
I take it that you haven't watched/read Death Note?
The main story is Light (part of the majority, his father is upper level law enforcement, secretly a mass murderer) vs L (outsider, quirky genius).
The most natural adaptation to America imo would be to make Light white (part of the majority in population and in law enforcement) and L non-white. Light being an arrogant, self-satisfied part of the majority, committing mass murder out of his god complex.
If they wrote the story to take place with mostly Asian-American characters I'd wish for a young Roger Fan. The way he sabotages the main character in Better Luck Tomorrow, smiling all the while, is a perfect fit for Light. But again, the issue here is he might be too likeable. It would be like he was rebelling against a society that doesn't fully give him his due, which is the opposite of the actual Light, who is given his full due the entire time, yet still commits mass murder.
Honestly if anything the race isn't the issue is the fact that he doesn't look like that popular kid in school who will be the school president instead making him look like an outsider if it makes sense.
I mean... that is white washing though. You can decide how much you care, but they chose to rewrite those story elements. Like, just becuase it happens at a script level doesn't excuse it.
Also their casting story is clearly bullshit considering I recently tried to find an actor WITH a natural accent and it was fucking impossible.
I'm not saying people should boycott and I'm not even saying people should be mad, but it's important to be honest about the media we enjoy. If you think it's not a big deal, that's a thing, but "it's set in the US" is the weirdest way to deflect questions about providing opportunities for minority actors.
Also their casting story is clearly bullshit considering I recently tried to find an actor WITH a natural accent and it was fucking impossible.
I'm not saying people should boycott and I'm not even saying people should be mad, but it's important to be honest about the media we enjoy. If you think it's not a big deal, that's a thing, but "it's set in the US" is the weirdest way to deflect questions about providing opportunities for minority actors.
MegaManTrigger
Banned
If production started 5-10 years ago we could of had the perfect Light
Fancasts are terrible. The only reason people are picking him is because of his looks, but looks is only one part of Light Yagami. I don't think Efron has the range to pull off being manipulative yet sincere, a mad genius, and (if manga ending applies)
a desperate little shithead who's afraid to die.
lightskintwin
Banned
I think in the most technical sense it's American washing or Western washing but that's the point of the adaptation. The question is, is that bad? No, I don't necessarily think so, especially in the sense that they bought the rights of this property from Japan with express intent to adapt it to America. It's no different than Park Chan-Wook Korean washing or Asian washing the English novel Fingersmith to create his cinematic masterpiece The Handmaiden, or Charlie Smalls Black washing or African American washing the American novel and movie The Wizard of OZ to create the Tony award winning musical The Wiz. It's literally culturally exchange.
Now could they have cast an Asian American or another minority in the lead? Sure they could've, but they didn't. it would've been a nice change of pace for once had they did, however it doesn't mean it's whitewashing just because they didn't.
Aaron Strife
Banned
I think it's ok to be bothered by the Death Note producers not casting Asian-American actors in a movie based on a Japanese property. The idea that it's in America now, so the lead has to be white seems sketchy in a country that has millions of people of Asian descent.
I feel white-washing is a very specific term though. No one is pretending Light Turner is Japanese.
I feel white-washing is a very specific term though. No one is pretending Light Turner is Japanese.
You're going to get Shia LaBeouf as Ash Ketchum in the Pokemon remake and you're going to like it
lightskintwin
Banned
You have two Asian American actors cast in the film though.
The lead has to be White just because it's an American adaptation is horseshit, but just because the lead is White doesn't mean it's whitewashing either. It's complicated. LOL
Are you suggesting that it's necessary to cast Asian Americans in American adaptations of Japanese properties?
And rename them to Dark and G. LOL
Exploratory
Banned
It's an American adaption of a Japanese story. This is different from Ghost in the Shell etc.
Turin Turambar
Member
Funnily enough, Japanese also do 'asian-washing' when they make adaptations of some anime/manga properties. They cast Japanese people for roles that were for Caucasian or European looking characters.
Turin Turambar
Member
Isn't GiTS an American adaption of a Japanese story??
lightskintwin
Banned
Kinda, but many have argued it didn't go far enough. It wanted it's cake and eat it too.
I really see no whitewashing either. It's a fully American adaptation of a Japanese story. It's not like GITS at all.
Hah!
If production started 5-10 years ago we could of had the perfect Light
Hah!
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Oh, so you didn't look for Asian American actors.
LordOfChaos
Member
I don't care that much, I just hope this turns out better than the promotional pictures made it look...
Oh come on. Mind marking significant spoilers? Not everyone has seen Death Note.
I know right?
Deathnote the movie, Deathnote the TV series, Deathnote 2 (is that out yet?)...
Maybe, just maybe, it's okay if just THIS ONE can have its own take.
William DaFoe. Okay? Already best movie of the year.
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