'Doctor Strange' Director Responds to Whitewashing Controversy
Tilda Swinton as the ‘Ancient One’ in ‘Doctor Strange’
By Graeme McMillan, The Hollywood Reporter
Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson made brief comments over a controversy about Asian roles being given to white actors, sparked in part by the casting of Tilda Swinton as the traditionally Asian “Ancient One” in the upcoming Marvel Studios movie.
Related: Marvel Denies Whitewashing ‘Doctor Strange’ to Appease China
In a tweet sent Wednesday, Derrickson didn’t specifically address the casting of Swinton, instead responding to, as he put it, the “raw anger/hurt from Asian-Americans over Hollywood whitewashing, stereotype & erasure of Asians in cinema.”
Raw anger/hurt from Asian-Americans over Hollywood whitewashing, stereotyping & erasure of Asians in cInema.
I am listening and learning.— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) May 4, 2016
The tweet followed the Twitter hashtag #whitewashedOUT trending in recent days. The hashtag was created by actor and comedian Margaret Cho in association with the Nerds of Color blog and children’s book campaign We Need Diverse Books to promote discussion of the lack of Asian onscreen representation during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Related: Tilda Swinton Responds to ‘Doctor Strange’ Asian Whitewashing Controversy
Derrickson’s Doctor Strange has been particularly under fire for whitewashing following the release of the first trailer for the movie.
One of the movie’s screenwriters talked about potential reasons behind the decision not to cast an Asian actor as the Ancient One on a podcast, prompting Marvel to release a statement defending its “very strong record of diversity in its casting of films.”
Related: Why Did ‘Doctor Strange’ and ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Whitewash Their Asian Characters?
Doctor Strange will be released Nov. 4.
‘Doctor Strange’: Watch the first trailer:
