Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu has criticized the China-set action-fantasy The Great Wall for casting Matt Damon in the lead role, arguing that doing so reinforces an enduring Hollywood trope in which heroes are disproportionately portrayed by white men.
“We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that [only a] white man can save the world,” Wu wrote in a lengthy tweet Friday, a day after the film’s first trailer was unveiled.
Wu, who is Taiwanese-American, lamented the underrepresentation of Asians and Asian-Americans in prominent screen roles. “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon,” she wrote. “They look like Malala. [Gandhi]. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time.”
She also took issue with the notion that actors of color can’t sell tickets, writing, “Money is the lamest excuse in the history of being human. … Why not TRY to be better? If white actors are forgiven for having a box office failure once in a while, why can’t a [person of color] sometimes have one? And how COOL would it be if you were the movie that took the ‘risk’ to make a POC as your hero, and you sold the s‑‑‑ out of it?! The whole community would be celebrating!”
Yeah that's America's thing. Cast a white American man to save the day no matter what timeframe it is set in. The past. The future. The white man will save it. When you start effing with other cultures though.... gurl...
This film is more directed towards Chinese audience. It might flop in China due to many reasons. China's Box Office is slowing down, plus this film budget is way too high. Usually these type of films never play out great in the West
This film is more directed towards Chinese audience. It might flop in China due to many reasons. China's Box Office is slowing down, plus this film budget is way too high. Usually these type of films never play out great in the West
I actually did read somewhere that they did it because Chinese prefer seeing white people star in movies so they make it for Chinese people.
