Remember the movie "Gods of Egypt?" Remember the part with Gerard Butler when he does the thing in Egypt? Of course not -- because nobody saw it! The movie boasts a 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes but made headlines by casting a movie set in ancient Egypt with an all-white cast. The movie supposedly also featured Chadwick Boseman, who plays the show-stealer Black Panther in Marvel’s "Civil War." He plays someone named Thoth in "Gods of Egypt," the only actor of color cast, and that’s all I know because I never saw the actual film.
The only reason this mess made headlines was because its complete disregard for historical accuracy created a thought-provoking dialogue about whitewashing in Hollywood. This film could have been a great opportunity for struggling Middle-Eastern actors to star in a big-budget film, but instead Hollywood decided to use more established white actors. Similar opportunities are missed for Japanese adaptations like the live-action "Death Note" and "Ghost in the Shell," which have completely neglected Japanese actors in their casts. The "Ghost in the Shell" movie stars Scarlett Johansson, normally an excellent choice, and the "Death Note" adaptation stars Nat Wolff, which would be a questionable choice under normal circumstances.
Taking Japanese originating art and filtering it through American Hollywood studios has become synonymous with whitewashing. When casting Japanese teenager Light Yagami, American studios chose to cast the plucky white “star” of "Paper Towns." This decision was similar to Hollywood asking relatively known white actor Gerard Butler to lead the project casting an Egyptian man. The good news is that for Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther solo film, taking place in the fictional African nation Wakanda, the cast will thankfully be predominately African-American. Michael B. Jordan from "Creed" was actually just cast in the movie, so I have high hopes that this movie, being originally American, will not need to be white-washed.
Now, I’ve compiled a brief list of some Middle-Eastern and Japanese actors and actresses who would benefit from Hollywood acknowledging their race’s existence in film:
1. Sayed Badreya.
He’s an Egyptian-born filmmaker and actor who you may recognize as Abu Bakaar, the arms dealer who captures Tony Stark in "Iron Man." He was also in "You Don’t Mess with the Zohan," unfortunately.
2. Rinko Kikuchi.
She was born in Hadano, Japan and became a successful actress and director in America! She played a major role in "Pacific Rim," which is where most people would recognize her, and will hopefully reprise her role in its inevitable sequel.
3. Jingi Irie.
A notably young and rising Japanese actor who would be a more ideal casting choice in the "Death Note" live television adaptation, this actor had a leading role in "Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai." Granted, he does not live in America, but why is "Death Note" filming in America in the first place?
4. Zoe Saldana.
Both of her parents of are Hispanic, but she also has been confirmed to have Lebanese heritage, which is more than most of Hollywood can say. She had starring roles in both "Avatar" and "Guardians of the Galaxy," already establishing her as an A-lister.
