New ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film sparks dispute over casting of Korean actress as ‘pet snake’
SEOUL: The casting of South Korean actress Claudia Kim as Lord Voldemort’s pet snake in the latest instalment of the Fantastic Beasts series has sparked yet another debate over typecasting in Hollywood.
Kim had disclosed on her Instagram account that she would appear in the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald as Nagini, originally described as Lord Voldemort’s right-hand snake in the books and films.
However, the news that the submissive snake character will take the form of a young Asian woman in the high-profile film has landed the actress in headlines, drawing criticism over what many see as a “politically insensitive” casting choice.
Twitter saw a flurry of heated posts between a fan and J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, over the casting decision.
“Listen Joanne, we get it, you didn’t include enough representation when you wrote the books,” one Twitter user said, slamming the decision. “But suddenly making Nagini into a Korean woman is garbage.”
Rowling hit back in a Twitter post saying, “The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name ‘Nagini.’ They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, halfsnake.”
The criticism stems from racial stereotypes in Hollywood and the West that Asian women are submissive.
Mantis, a fictional superheroine from the Guardians of the Galaxy series, also faced similar criticism for perpetuating submissive and exotic female Asian stereotypes.
Some came to Rowling’s defence including American actor Macaulay Culkin.
“Nagini can be whatever she wants to be! She’s a strong woman/snake,” the actor wrote on Twitter, lending support to Rowling’s view.
The Fantastic Beasts series has had no shortage of controversy. In 2016, when the first instalment, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was released, the film’s all white cast came under fire despite the Harry Potter books enjoying unprecedented global success.
Last December, Rowling had to defend the casting of Johnny Depp as Grindelwald after domestic violence allegations surrounding the actor emerged.