Chinese action film accused of whitewashing
Matt Damonis the latest actor to be accused of Hollywood “whitewashing.” The Jason Bourne star, 45, plays the lead role in The Great Wall, a historical reimagining that posits the Great Wall of China was built to repel invading monsters.
The $135-million (U.S.) action film, the most expensive Chinese movie of all time, will be the first English-language film from legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Besides films such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Yimou directed the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Details have not been made available on how Caucasian characters played by Damon and Willem Dafoe and Chilean Pedro Pascal are written into a film set 1,000 years ago in China. A previous version of the script focused on a pair of British soldiers travelling in 15th-century China, when thousands of Europeans travelled to the Middle Kingdom.
Critics have objected to the film starring white heroes. Fresh Off the Boatstar Constance Wu, who is Taiwanese-American, wrote in part, “We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world.”
Blogger Angry Asian Man wrote, “You can set a story anywhere in the world, in any era of history, and Hollywood will still somehow find a way for the movie to star a white guy.”
The Great Wall will be released in China in December, followed by a North American release Feb. 17. Ryan Porter