In the past few weeks, you have probably heard the rumor that Jennifer Lawrence had been asked to portray Mulan in a live action film based on the Disney movie from 1998. When this rumor first spread, it was received with backlash from many people due to the presence of whitewashing. In this day and age, it is still unbelievable that whitewashing could still be happening. Whitewashing is a term used to describe a member of a racial minority group who has neglected their own culture in an effort to assimilate to white, Western culture.
This type of whitewashing going on today has been happening for many years. The first white-washing recorded in the film/media industry was all the way back in 1931. Warner Oland, a white actor, played an Asian comic book character named Charlie Chan in several films. Oland would wear yellowface and speak in an exaggerated Chinese accent for his role. As these films came out, Oland was met with praise for his role rather than the criticism that would start to show in the 1960’s.
In 1965, Laurence Olivier, a white actor, played the role of Othello in the film adaptation based on the play “Othello”. Oliver wore blackface for his role as Othello, and received a huge amount of backlash for it. Before this, Elizabeth Taylor, an American actress, played Cleopatra, an Egyptian Pharaoh. Taylor’s role as Cleopatra was met with criticism, though that did not stop Hollywood from whitewashing the media even more.
Over the past ten years, there has been an insane amount of whitewashing in the film industry. Angelina Jolie played Marianne Pearl in “A Mighty Heart” in 2008. Jolie darkened her skin and wore a curly wig so that she looked like Pearl, whom is a mixed race woman. Just three years ago, Johnny Depp was cast as Tonto in “The Lone Ranger”. Tonto was a Native American character in a long running television show back in the 1950’s and was actually played by a Native American actor at that time. While both Jolie and Depp received tons of negative feedback for their roles, this has not stopped whitewashing at all.
Whitewashing in the film industry has been going on for many decades, and it seems as though it may never stop. Minorities are underrepresented when it comes to all aspects of Hollywood, such as acting, directing, and even producing. Many people will claim that Hollywood has become more culturally diverse, but in reality the film industry needs to fully open up and include other cultures/races into Hollywood.
Another way to stop whitewashing is for these white actors and actresses to not take these roles. By taking roles like these, they are not letting minority actors/actresses have the chance to portray their own cultures in Hollywood. There are many talented actors and actresses who are in a minority group that are ready to take on these kinds of roles.