Hollywood sure has a "strange" way of showing they are taking a step in a direction toward more diversity. Case in point? Doctor Strange, set to debut in November of 2016, has a high profile role for an Asian character. This character is known as “ the Ancient One” – a “mystical mentor to Doctor Strange, of Tibetan extraction and more than 500 years old. His powers include astral projection, teleportation, and the ability to create energy blasts.”
Since the beginning, Hollywood has sorely lacked diversity when it comes to providing leading or supporting roles for Asians, so this sounds like the perfect role for an Asian actor, right? Wrong. Their (almost positive) choice? Tilda Swinton. Swinton is a white lesbian female actress…not Asian, and not male. Apparently that counts towards diversity in Hollywood.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood has been taking comic books in a direction of diversity for a while now:
“Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 featured Jamie Foxx as Electro, a character who's been white in the comic books since his debut. Fox's Fantastic Four features Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch, a move that got fans upset at its race bending to the point where Jordan responded in an essay last week.Warners' Man of Steel not only featured a black Perry White (Lawrence Fishburne), but was also rumored to have gender-swapped longstanding sidekick Jimmy Olsen into Jenny Olsen.
(Fans might point to Samuel L. Jackson's run as Nick Fury as a point for diversity in Marvel's movies, but the cinematic version of the character is merely following the comic book's "Ultimate Universe" version, who has been drawn to resemble Jackson since 2002, years before the actor had the role.)
Another example is the new movie Aloha, which features the prominent role of a half-Asian and half-white character. This would be a great opportunity for an Asian or mixed-Asian actress, but director Cameron Crowe chose....Emma Stone.
Chris Lee of Entertainment Weekly (who is of mixed Asian and Caucasian descent) wrote:
"...in order to process this idea of Stone as a bi-racial character, as someone whose genetic lineage can be traced back to the Middle Kingdom by way of Polynesia, you must first get past the obvious stumbling blocks: her alabaster skin and strawberry blond hair, her emerald eyes and freckles—past the star’s outwardly unassailable #Caucasity—if only because the movie hammers home her cultural other-ness in just about every other scene."
If Ng's background was such an important part of the role, why not give it to an actress who fits the genetic description? As Lee hinted, this role would've been perfect for actress Olivia Munn, who is in fact half Asian and half white.
Not to take anything away from Swinton or Stone, they are both fantastic actresses and have captured audiences with the variety of characters they've played in the past, but if Hollywood prides itself on diversity so much, why not use these roles as the perfect opportunity to showcase their diversity?
Seriously, Hollywood – Google Asian actors and actresses and take your pick.
