( . Y . ) · @ohnips
2nd Jan 2017 from TwitLonger
Ghost in the Shell: Scarlett Johansson casting
REPOSTING WITH A BETTER TITLE SINCE I PREDICTED MY OWN DOOM.
(This is about the smaller issue on ScarJo's appearance/race not being accurate aesthetically enough to play Motoko. This does not encompass the larger, Hollywood/casting/box office issues. It's just a small one I've seen addressed that I am not particularly fond of.)
Let me just say, I don't typically write stuff like this because nowadays the internet has become so anally PC (politically correct), that any misconstrued wording leads people to e-lynching. That.....and I typically have the unpopular opinion.
I wasn't going to write about this for the above reasons but as an artist, this struck a huge chord for me. When drawing characters, I don't always have a race/ethnicity planned and sometimes, if I choose to, that "trait" comes after the fact. Does it matter? No. Because anyone can be from anywhere and look like anything. Stay with me here. I'm going somewhere, promise.
BEING A CERTAIN RACE/ETHNICITY DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY.
What does this have to do with Ghost in the Shell? (Or life in general?) Well, if you didn't know about the dilemma already, there's controversy around Scarlett Johansson playing a Japanese character, Motoko Kusanagi, because she's white.
Here is where I have to compose myself because this is probably one of the most asinine and racist things I've ever heard. How does one "look white" or "not look Japanese" ??? YES, there are "typical" characteristics to each of these races/ethnicities BUT they should not become defining traits of the culture/background.
It's one thing to say "Oh, that person doesn't look ______. Took me by surprise." Than to go a step further and say "X person is not Y because they don't look like it." .....or "Scarlett Johansson can't play this character cause she's white and the character is Japanese."
THE CHARACTER LOOKS LIKE ITSELF. NOT A RACE/ETHNIC GROUP.
If I went down that logic, Motoko "looks white". She's got a double lid! And let's not talk about her generous traits. SCARLETT IS PERFECT. If she were playing Mulan, there would be a problem because SHE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MULAN. Not because she's "white". You would probably have to cast someone Asian because they tend to have those traits that Mulan PHYSICALLY depicts. If Scarlett were somehow Japanese, what would (should) your argument be? THAT SHE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MULAN.
As an artist, I wanted to make this commentary because art style is a huge deal. The way you choose to draw your characters (regardless of race/ethnicity) really paves the road for how people see, feel and choose to depict them. Anime tends to draw lots of Japanese double lids. Does that make them not Japanese? No. It's just an art style preference.
When casting for a character, ultimately, you would want the person to LOOK like them. Race/ethnicity should not be the determining factor. HOWEVER, I do believe it's a cute added bonus. How nice when an actor looks like and is from where the character is.
In conclusion, I don't know whether or not this got my point across but I hope it'll shed some light on character casting/judging and ease internet PC reactions every time something like this happens.
Hugs!