Whitewashing, the practice of casting white actors in roles written for people of color, was first visibly noticed in the 1930's in the movie, "Charlie Chan Carries On" (1931). This, unfortunately, is still extremely prominent in the film industry today. For those who still don't believe me, here are a few movies that have endorsed this ugly practice.
Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961).
Possibly one of the most obvious whitewashed characters, Mr. Yunioshi, played by Mickey Rooney, is clearly a part written for an Asian actor. What's even worse about this particular movie is that beyond whitewashing the part, the directors made a choice to put makeup on Rooney in a practice known as "yellowface" to make him look Asian. Because casting an Asian actor would've been way too much trouble, right?
Elizabeth Taylor in "Cleopatra" (1963).
Ah, nothing like producing a movie about the life of an Egyptian princess in 69BC and then casting a white, British-born actress in the role. Clearly Cleopatra looked nothing like Elizabeth Taylor did in the film, no matter how much eyeliner they put on her.
Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games" (2012).
While I'm a huge fan of J-Law, and this whitewashed role isn't nearly as obvious as some others, Katniss Everdeen had a very different description in the book series written by Suzanne Collins. Collins wanted Katniss to have the typical look of her district: olive skin, straight black hair and grey eyes, and the casting call for Katniss specifically asked for a "Caucasian actress." Very different. While Collins clarified later that she didn't intentionally write in that Katniss and Gale are biracial, she did acknowledge that the story takes place hundreds of years from now, and there had been a good amount of "ethnic mixing."
Analeigh Tipton in "Warm Bodies" (2013).
Obvious only to those who read the book, Tipton's character, Nora, was specifically written to be of half-Ethiopian descent. Although she was a minor character, and I'm sure the casting directors were hoping that no one would take notice, we did. Analeigh Tipton was born and partially raised in Minneapolis before moving to California, and therefore: white, through and through.
The entire cast of "Aloha" (2015).
Probably the worst, in terms of whitewashing, movie, and yet the least talked about for it. In fact, when I was searching for this picture, I found a bunch of good reviews for the movie. Regardless of how good the movie is, it takes place in Hawaii where over 70 percent of the population is nonwhite, putting our all-white cast extremely out of place. Specifically, Emma Stone's character, Allison Ng, is is stated as having a father of half Chinese and half Native Hawaiian descent, and a mother of Swedish descent. Tell me, casting directors, where did Emma Stone fit that description at all?
Scarlett Johansson in "Ghost in the Shell" (2017).
Whitewashing is a serious issue, Hollywood. It isn't as if there aren't people of color to act in these roles, it's that you're refusing to put them on screen. This needs to stop. We, as white people, have had the Hollywood spotlight for as long as anyone can remember, and now, it's time to hand it over to the people who have been waiting since then: the people of color.
