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https://scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3105220/henry-golding-tipped-be-james-bond-and-4-more-asian
Style/ Celebrities

Henry Golding tipped to be James Bond – and 4 more Asian actors taking a stand against Hollywood whitewashing

Constance Wu called out Scarlett Johansson’s role in Ghost in the Shell as modern-day ‘blackface’, while Lulu Wang has something to say about American director Ron Howard helming Lang Lang’s biopic

The cast of Crazy Rich Asians was a victory for representation in Hollywood, as Asian actors continue to fight against whitewashing on screen. Photo: @crazyrichasians/Instagram

Henry Golding is having a moment. Having displayed his slick charm in Crazy Rich Asians and A Simple Favor, Golding’s camera-hugging charisma has seen the Malaysian-British actor touted as a serious contender to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond.

Such a coup would be a landmark for representation in Hollywood – a matter clearly at the forefront of Golding’s thinking. The 33-year-old actor recently showcased his acting chops in Monsoon, playing the role of a gay Asian immigrant. However, he initially hesitated about taking the project because it would likely amount to a straight actor grabbing a lead role intended for a gay actor.

Hollywood has whitewashed Asian stories and misrepresented LGBTQ+ roles for decades. Now, Asian celebrities are leading the discussion against this antiquated casting practice, a step towards dismantling the industry’s colourful history of race-bending, and transforming the business into a more diverse and inclusive environment.

Golding’s strides into the limelight are likely to cause progressive ripples across Hollywood casting culture, especially if he does land the dream role of 007. So which other Asian celebrities have called out whitewashing in the industry?

Lulu Wang

The Farewell director Lulu Wang criticised the choice of Ron Howard to direct a forthcoming biopic of Chinese pianist Lang Lang, questioning whether the American filmmaker has the “intimate understanding” of Chinese history and culture necessary to tell the story about the most famous pianist in the world – and said on Twitter that the industry must learn from Disney’s widely criticised live-action remake of Mulan. 

Henry Golding

Being British-Malaysian, Golding received criticism for signing on for Crazy Rich Asians (2018) with critics saying that the lead role should have gone to a fully Asian actor. He addressed the issue in an interview with The View: “I know I’m Asian through and through. There’s nothing I needed to prove.”

Daniel Dae Kim

The role of Japanese-American major Ben Daimio in Hellboy (2017) went to Daniel Dae Kim after Ed Skrein dropped the offer over accusations of whitewashing. In a statement, Skrein announced he was stepping aside so that the character could be cast “appropriately”. Daniel applauded the move and thanked Skrein for championing the mindset that “Asian characters are for Asian actors”.

Constance Wu

Fans and critics, led by Asian-American actress Constance Wu, protested Scarlett Johansson’s casting as Motoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of Ghost in the Shell (2017) based on the Japanese manga of the same name. When Paramount Pictures, the film’s distributor, used CGI to make Johansson look more “Asian”, Constance likened it to “the practice of blackface”.

Margaret Cho

Tilda Swinton’s casting as the Ancient One in Marvel’s Doctor Strange (2016), a Tibetan mystic in the source comics but portrayed as Celtic in the film, didn’t sit well with Asian-American stand-up comic Margaret Cho. In a statement to EW, Cho affirmed her stance that Asian actors should play Asian roles. The lengthy email conversation on representation between Cho and Swinton made headlines, and it is said that the actresses haven’t spoken to each other since the controversy.

Margaret Cho called out Tilda Swinton’s casting as the Ancient One in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Photo: Albert Sanchez
Margaret Cho called out Tilda Swinton’s casting as the Ancient One in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Photo: Albert Sanchez

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