Ryan Hu (11) | STAFF REPORTER
Representation has long been difficult for Hollywood, and in recent decades the solution has been simply to present more non-white actors on screen. Racebending is one of the trends currently expressed by Hollywood, and refers to films where the race of a character is changed. These trends are an indication of Hollywood’s insensitivity to race, but may also signal a better future for non-white actors.
In 2010, the live-action adaptation of the television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, came under fire from fans of the show after white actors were cast as East-Asian and Inuit-inspired characters. The term “racebending” was named after the concept of “bending” from the show.
When asked about the controversy, film critic Roger Ebert commented, “[the show’s] fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and [director] Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.”
Ebert’s statements bring up the biggest problem with racebending, that casting white actors for non-white characters leaves capable non-white actors out of positions that they could easily excel at, and for no other explanation than to make more money.
Another major controversy occurred in 2017, when Scarlett Johansson was cast in the lead role of the Hollywood film adaptation of the Japanese manga, Ghost in the Shell. As the original story was set in Japan, many fans expected more Japanese or East Asian actors to appear on screen.
Even so, audiences in East Asia saw no issue with Johansson’s casting. In fact, East Asian audiences might have been more offended if the movie had cast a non-Japanese, East Asian actor. After Memoirs of a Geisha was released in 2005, it was banned in China for casting a Chinese actor for a Japanese character in a story set during the Second World War, an especially touchy subject in East Asia, and it was criticised in Japan for its inaccurate depiction of geisha.
This brings up the question: How important is race and ethnicity in fiction? While race is often considered in reference to a white-dominated Hollywood, casting actors of differing ethnicities from their character is an entirely different issue, especially if the ethnic group’s culture is important in the story. In doing so, a racially-insensitive Hollywood may end up offending people of those ethnicities.
Memoirs of a Geisha is also important as it demonstrates the need for proper evaluation of cultural pitfalls in other countries. As Hollywood has become an international symbol of America, Hollywood must show proper respect for other cultures, even if such respect goes blind on domestic audiences.
However, in cases where race and ethnicity is not important to a character, there should be nothing wrong with changing the race of a white character. Morgan Freeman’s role in the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption (1994) can easily be considered his best performance. Audiences saw no issue with his original character being white and Irish, and the strength of his performance overcame differences with source material. Freeman himself said that he purposefully did not research his role, as “acting the part of someone who’s incarcerated doesn’t require any specific knowledge of incarceration.”
The issue of race in film is one unique to Hollywood, and can be seen as part of the larger discussion of race in the US and Canada. In a society where certain races receive priority over others, it is important to allow actors of marginalised races and ethnicities to portray characters of their own races and ethnicities. On the other hand, racebending can also be a beneficial way to allow non-white actors to portray white characters. However, in all cases, race should be treated with respect to the actors and the source material.
This article was written in February 2024.
