Racism in Cinema

[Charatsandhu]

So as everyone knows, two of the big upcoming summer movies are Prince of Persia and The Last Airbender. The former is based in the Middle East and the latter is based in East Asia. Yet if you look at the cast, other than a few minor background characters, they're all (mostly) white

Just like back when the Dragonball movie came out, they also casted a white guy as Goku, a white guy as the lead in Forbidden Kingdom, etc. The list goes on here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowface


No offense to any Caucasian people, but I think this is complete BS that they "whitewash" all the characters. And it's not like they're aren't any Asian/Brown actors out there, there are tons of them.

The argument against this is that no one would go watch a movie starring an Asian, unless it's a kung fu movie. This is also BS, and this website explains why:

http://www.racebending.com/v3/

tl:dr

Hollywood needs to stop whitewashing characters. It messes up the entire movie.

[Azilius]

It's not about the movie

it's about money

famous actor = more people watch it = money

There are exceptions, but they are rare.

Name me a bunch of famous middle eastern actors that could replace Jake Gyllenhaal and would generate as much revenue as he will.
wait..you can't \=

[dom]

You don't have to watch it.

[DarkJackal]

Why can't they be white?

You racist :d.


Kidding.


The majoriy of Hollywood, and the rest of America I believe is prolly white though, just like Asian movies have mainly asian actors and stuff don't they? :d

[John_Doe]

Fans of the series might not like it, but if the actor does a good job I wouldn't mind.

[Jstar1]

It's not about the movie

it's about money

famous actor = more people watch it = money

There are exceptions, but they are rare.

Name me a bunch of famous middle eastern actors that could replace Jake Gyllenhaal and would generate as much revenue as he will.
wait..you can't \=

This is true. There aren't many asian actors/actresses in hollywood. And in cliche chinese kungfu/martial arts-type movies, the only chinese actress I ever see casted is zhang ziyi. Either china can't produce any good-looking talented actresses or there just isn't enough interest to break into american cinema industry.

I agree that hollywood is all about money these days. Its a POS.

[Charatsandhu]

It's not about the movie

it's about money

famous actor = more people watch it = money

There are exceptions, but they are rare.

Name me a bunch of famous middle eastern actors that could replace Jake Gyllenhaal and would generate as much revenue as he will.
wait..you can't \=

ok ill give you the PoP one, but what about Avatar? It's just some random white kid from Texas.

You don't have to watch it.

Thank you for your contribution to this thread ...

Why can't they be white?

You racist :d.


Kidding.


The majoriy of Hollywood, and the rest of America I believe is prolly white though, just like Asian movies have mainly asian actors and stuff don't they? :d

dude, Asia is practically ALL Asian. America isn't. There are tons of minorities here. Thats the entire point i'm trying to get across, Hollywood is slapping minorities in the face when they whitewash characters.

[DarkJackal]

It's hardly white washing when they pick a popular or good person for the part. Plenty of movies have non white stars as well anyway, but like I said, the Majority is whats mostly targeted i'd bet. And here in America, that's whites I believe?

Btw goku is an alien, a Saiyan. Which looks more like a white guy as well anyway lol >.>.

[Azilius]

It's not about the movie

it's about money

famous actor = more people watch it = money

There are exceptions, but they are rare.

Name me a bunch of famous middle eastern actors that could replace Jake Gyllenhaal and would generate as much revenue as he will.
wait..you can't \=

ok ill give you the PoP one, but what about Avatar? It's just some random white kid from Texas.

I've never seen avatar but checking IMDB they have plenty of known people..

Sam Worthington is the guy from terminator salvation
Michelle Rodriguez is in the fast and the furious series..

besides, you can't use only one example. Avatar isn't the only Hollywood movie.


Also on the note of dragon ball, it was targeted at Americans (somewhat) and they all grew up watching the english version which had white people voices.

[Reise]

Racism in cinema eh?

I guess they'll stop casting white people when reverse discrimination stops being socially acceptable?

There are plenty of non-white actors, brah.

[Doppleganger]

It wouldn't matter who they casted in that Dragonballz movie, it would still be complete crap.

Why are you trying to dirty up our perfect white cinema?

[Toshiharu]

Next horror movie I'll make the white man die first and let the black man live with the white girl.

[EvGa]

Wut?

Here's a toad.

[BuDo]

I saw a funny skit on Dave Chapelle show making fun of the movie.."THe Last Samurai"..(Tom Hanks was the main character.. )....They talked about how ridiculous that idea was and made a funny parallel called ..."The Last Zulu Warrior..staring Tom Hanks" lolol... I have to agree with the OP: it just gets too ridiculous some times.

[cin]

"THe Last Samurai"..(Tom Hanks was the main character.. )

u watched a different samurai than me Oo

[Deadsolid]

Remember Tropic Thunder? The only black guy was actually a white guy.

[CrimsonNuker]

So?

[DarkJackal]

I saw a funny skit on Dave Chapelle show making fun of the movie.."THe Last Samurai"..(Tom Hanks was the main character.. )....They talked about how ridiculous that idea was and made a funny parallel called ..."The Last Zulu Warrior..staring Tom Hanks" lolol... I have to agree with the OP: it just gets too ridiculous some times.

You mean Tom Cruise? That movie was about an American soldier who met and lived with Samurai, and becoming one or somethin like that. So of course it prolly should of been a white dude.

[Love]

Is simple most people in NA are white-ish,

The moment you make a movie with a minority like let's say blacks that represent something like 8% of the population and in your movie they are 30% it becomes unnatural, if it was done any other way it would be done wrong as the aspect of creating the most believable world possible would be sabotaged.

[CeLL]

well for instance goku and the crew dont like THAT asian to me. the only thing asian about goku is the amount of rice her eats, and that could be attributed to a mexican if he wasnt using sticks to eat it. also you need to learn about demographics. why dont you buy the rights to make some of these movies and make your own asian versions of them, or maybe just deal with it.

[SNAPPA77]

ok ill give you the PoP one, but what about Avatar? It's just some random white kid from Texas.

I've never seen avatar but checking IMDB they have plenty of known people..

Sam Worthington is the guy from terminator salvation
Michelle Rodriguez is in the fast and the furious series..

besides, you can't use only one example. Avatar isn't the only Hollywood movie.

I THINK he is talking about the movie "Last Airbender" that is based off the cartoon 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'.

Not the super blockbuster Avatar.

Code: Select all

[heroo]

I agree with you on Dragonball, they made Goku look like a gay highschool kid.

[Doppleganger]

Remember Tropic Thunder? The only black guy was actually a white guy.

There were other black ppl in the movie but the thing with Robert Downey Jr as a black guy was actually part of the movie plot. You knowing he was a white guy acting like a black guy was part of the hilariousness too so Tropic Thunder is not what Charatsandhu is talking about.

[poehalcho]

....
1. Avatar: the last Airbender isn't east-Asian. It's an alternate world.
2. Goku is a Saiyan, no one says he's Asian. And it's from the future anyway, loads of stuff can be mixed.

I can agree on the Prince of Persia thing, but then again he didn't really look that Asian in the games either, it was only the clothes that did a bit of it.

[Charatsandhu]

ok ill give you the PoP one, but what about Avatar? It's just some random white kid from Texas.

I've never seen avatar but checking IMDB they have plenty of known people..

Sam Worthington is the guy from terminator salvation
Michelle Rodriguez is in the fast and the furious series..

besides, you can't use only one example. Avatar isn't the only Hollywood movie.

I THINK he is talking about the movie "Last Airbender" that is based off the cartoon 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'.

Not the super blockbuster Avatar.

yea I'm talking about Avatar: the Last Airbender. I'm pretty sure I said that in the firs post

and i didn't only use one example. I gave a link to wikipedia that has TONS of examples on it.

well for instance goku and the crew dont like THAT asian to me. the only thing asian about goku is the amount of rice her eats, and that could be attributed to a mexican if he wasnt using sticks to eat it. also you need to learn about demographics. why dont you buy the rights to make some of these movies and make your own asian versions of them, or maybe just deal with it.

it's a japanese show based on a chinese folk novel

....
1. Avatar: the last Airbender isn't east-Asian. It's an alternate world.
2. Goku is a Saiyan, no one says he's Asian. And it's from the future anyway, loads of stuff can be mixed.

I can agree on the Prince of Persia thing, but then again he didn't really look that Asian in the games either, it was only the clothes that did a bit of it.

1. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Avatar is based on Asian Mythology, and uses Asian fighting forms, creatures, etc.

2. It's Prince of PERSIA, that's middle eastern, which is still on the ASIAN continent. I'm not saying cast an East-Asian guy to play him, but maybe a brown/arab person.

Remember Tropic Thunder? The only black guy was actually a white guy.

There were other black ppl in the movie but the thing with Robert Downey Jr as a black guy was actually part of the movie plot. You knowing he was a white guy acting like a black guy was part of the hilariousness too so Tropic Thunder is not what Charatsandhu is talking about.

yea the Tropic Thunder thing doesn't apply here, that was part of the actual storyline

[Azilius]

It's not about the movie

it's about money

famous actor = more people watch it = money

money money money money
money money money
money money
money

Made it easier to read

[Reise]

What's a middle eastern guy but a white guy with a tan and a beard?

[poehalcho]

....
1. Avatar: the last Airbender isn't east-Asian. It's an alternate world.
2. Goku is a Saiyan, no one says he's Asian. And it's from the future anyway, loads of stuff can be mixed.

I can agree on the Prince of Persia thing, but then again he didn't really look that Asian in the games either, it was only the clothes that did a bit of it.

1. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Avatar is based on Asian Mythology, and uses Asian fighting forms, creatures, etc.

2. It's Prince of PERSIA, that's middle eastern, which is still on the ASIAN continent. I'm not saying cast an East-Asian guy to play him, but maybe a brown/arab person.

1. what it's based on is not what it is. besides... inuit soka and katara probably would look really lame
2. ...I won't argue with that one. but it probably just wouldn't have worked out =/

[BuDo]

I saw a funny skit on Dave Chapelle show making fun of the movie.."THe Last Samurai"..(Tom Hanks was the main character.. )....They talked about how ridiculous that idea was and made a funny parallel called ..."The Last Zulu Warrior..staring Tom Hanks" lolol... I have to agree with the OP: it just gets too ridiculous some times.

You mean Tom Cruise? That movie was about an American soldier who met and lived with Samurai, and becoming one or somethin like that. So of course it prolly should of been a white dude.

Ya sorry my bad I meant Tom Cruise not Hanks. But to say a white dude was the last Samurai is a complete joke. Being samurai is very exclusive even among the native Japanese in that era. So to have some foreigner acquiring that status is purely unrealistic and stupid.

Thats like creating a movie called "King of the Vikings" staring Wesley Snipes. And try to explain how it happen by saying some black dude left Africa on a boat and end up in Europe and gain warrior notoriety amongst the Vikings. Pure horse pile.

[Crowley]

well for instance goku and the crew dont like THAT asian to me. the only thing asian about goku is the amount of rice her eats, and that could be attributed to a mexican if he wasnt using sticks to eat it. also you need to learn about demographics. why dont you buy the rights to make some of these movies and make your own asian versions of them, or maybe just deal with it.