The Last Airbender casting controversy

The Last Airbender, a live-action film adaptation of a critically acclaimed and commercially successful from Nickelodeon, has generated substantial controversy and criticism after Paramount Studios' announcement of the official cast for the film and over the following months up to release.
The film's casting of White actors in the Asian-influenced Avatar universe has triggered negative reactions and accusations of racism and Yellowface from many fans of the franchise as well as members of the Asian-American community and MANAA.
Original casting call
The original 2008 casting calls in Philadelphia, expressing a preference for Caucasian actors over actors of color, has been used by critics of the film as evidence of racial bias, intentional or not.
This opinion has been augmented by later casting calls for extras, emphasizing a need for actors of Asian heritage and cultural background over Caucasian actors. Professional actors and amateurs alike were asked by casting director Deedee Rickets "to dress in traditional cultural ethnic attire If you're Korean, wear a kimono. If you're from Belgium, wear lederhosen." When those auditioning expressed their concern over not having dressed in cultural clothing for the auditions, Rickets reassured, "It doesn't mean you're at a disadvantage if you didn't come in a big African thing. But guys, even if you came with a scarf today, put it over your head so you'll look like a Ukrainian villager or whatever."
This perceived cultural insensitivity has angered both those auditioning for the roles as well as fans of the franchise. Columnist Liza Zhu expressed her disgust thusly, " Rickets confuses kimonos with hanboks and Belgians with Bavarians But even beyond that, the filmmakers' request for extras to come dressed in the "traditional costume of family's ethnic background" patronizes members of all races. This type of racially charged statement is particularly damaging for Asian Americans, who are already widely dismissed as regardless of how long they have been in the United States.
A second extras casting call held for "Near Eastern, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern, Asian, Mediterranean and Latino" people in Philadelphia was met by a small protest.
Official Cast
Criticism of the film
Production's response
Defense of the film
In contrast to detractors of the film, many fans and others have come out in support of it or are evenly split between admitting the casting was slightly offensive and still hoping the best actors were cast. "Certainly, Paramount's approach was cynical, short-sighted and tacky. On the other hand, I think protesting the race of characters in a fantasy world reveals a single-minded focus on skin color that isn't productive. I don't boycott Roman Polanski's movies for his crimes, or John Travolta's, or Tom Cruise's for their participation in a cult whose practices I find morally objectionable. So too with The Last Airbender. I just hope it's good."

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu