Okay, this is from the 1950s, so I’m not surprised. We all know how problematic they were back then – there was just no way a person of color was going to get cast in a lead role. So, they snatched up Marlon Brando, slapped on a mustache, and had him talk in an accent to portray the role of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata.
You’d think such an important man in Mexican history would earn the people some brownie points. Turns out, not even freeing your country from a dictator will earn you enough respect in Hollywood.
In A Mighty Heart, Angelina Jolie depicts real-life journalist Mariane Pearl, whose husband was abducted in 2002. Angelina Jolie is of mega-white descent, with German and Slovak ancestry. So, of course, Hollywood decided she should portray an Afro-Cuban woman, complete with fake ringlet curls and an accent.
It probably didn’t hurt that Angelina’s future mega-white husband, Brad Pitt, was a producer on the film. In fact… all the producers were white, including the director and the screenwriter, making it pretty easy to whitewash a grieving widow!
Folks have been whitewashing the Bible for God knows how long, so I’m not surprised to see British Christian Bale playing Moses, who was Egyptian and Hebrew.
Casting Bale as Moses is like putting water in the desert—not exactly a natural fit. But hey, why stop at reinterpreting the Bible’s stories when you can also rewrite its cast’s ethnicity? Even the Bible can’t escape Hollywood’s whitewashing.
In the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind, Jennifer Connelly portrays Alicia Nash, the Salvadoran wife of the famous mathematician John Nash. Even the wives of geniuses can’t escape Hollywood’s whitewashing! And, no, they look nothing alike.
Not only did they whitewash Alicia Nash, but they also seriously downplayed her coolness. A genius herself, she was one of the few women accepted to MIT in the 50s – I’d like a movie on her, please!
Underneath a bad tan, eyeliner, and a big fake nose, Anthony Quinn portrays Auda abu Tayi, an Arab man who led his people during the Great Arab Revolt. Though Quinn is not white, he’s a Mexican-American who appears very white-passing, which likely contributed to his success in Hollywood as a supporting actor.
Lawrence of Arabia was released in 1962, at a time when people from the Middle East were often highly misunderstood by Hollywood and portrayed through stereotypes. I’d say that we’ve grown past this… but America still has a lot of work to do regarding how we portray the Middle East and the people who live there.
Charlton Heston, of English and Scottish descent, plays Miguel “Mike” Vargas, a fictional Mexican prosecutor in the 1958 film Touch of Evil. On the (very small) bright side, at least this character was not a real person!
Heston was an outspoken supporter of the civil rights movement. You’d think he’d understand the implications of white folks playing characters that are not their own race, but I guess they didn’t really understand these things back then. Things are better now, right? Right?
In Star Trek Into Darkness, the character Khan Noonien Singh is a superhuman from India, whose name is derived from Muslim, Chinese, and Sikh origins. So, of course, the actor is a British white guy! This is a step backward, considering Khan in Star Trek: The Original Series was played by Ricardo Montalbán, a Mexican American. This is one of the rare instances that a casting from the 1960s was better than today. Was it that hard to find an Indian actor in 2013? I don’t think so!
We’re not saying Cumberbatch did a bad job or anything, but maybe consider some diversity, Hollywood. Especially when the character is supposed to be genetically engineered to be superior… don’t make him white. Seriously, have we learned anything?
Rooney Mara, of Irish and German descent, plays the Native American character Tiger Lily in the 2015 movie Pan. This decision was widely criticized, causing the director to publicly stand by the interesting choice. Joe Wright claims that he considered using Native Americans for the role, but thought, “What would I be saying with that choice?”
Well, Joe, I think you’d be saying that Native Americans should play Native Americans, not white people. And you’d be, like, giving a lot of them jobs that are hard to come by in Hollywood. But whatever. Rooney Mara ended up apologizing after a petition was created in protest of her being cast as Tiger Lilly – yikes.
When Urban Myths dropped the casting choice of Joseph Fiennes, a white British actor, playing Michael Jackson, the King of Pop himself, fans didn’t know whether to laugh or riot. Jackson was, you know, Black. Sure, his skin lightened over time, but casting Fiennes felt less like "creative liberty" and more like a problematic practical joke.
Who needs nuance when you can just slap Joseph Fiennes into a role as Michael Jackson? Forget decades of rich Black talent; Hollywood apparently thought a white dude could moonwalk into the role seamlessly. The episode was never aired, and it sounds like Fiennes regrets it. Progress, people!
Ah yes, Boris Karloff, a white and Indian actor, donning the silk robes and fake mustache of Fu Manchu, a Chinese villain, in The Mask of Fu Manchu. Because nothing screams “authentic Asian representation” like heavy eyeliner and an exaggerated accent. Hollywood truly mastered cultural sensitivity here… or, you know, the exact opposite.
Watching Karloff transform into Fu Manchu feels like a bad costume party you can’t unsee. A white man playing a Chinese genius-criminal? Bold move, 1932! Instead of hiring an actual Asian actor, Hollywood chose the “slap on some makeup and call it a day” approach. Bet they patted themselves on the back for that creative leap.
Stuck brings us Mena Suvari, a white American actress, playing Brandi Boski, a character based on a real-life Black woman. Because, clearly, adding cornrows to Mena was Hollywood's "masterful" nod to diversity. Who needs accurate representation when you can just braid a white girl’s hair? A+ for effort, Hollywood.
The real kicker? The film is inspired by Chante Mallard’s story, yet casting a Black actress to reflect this reality must have been too radical. Cheers for inclusivity. Not.
Nothing says "authenticity" quite like Shirley MacLaine, a white American actress, painted up to portray a Japanese geisha in My Geisha. Because surely, no Japanese actresses were available in 1962! Slap on some eyeliner, toss in a kimono, and voilà—Hollywood’s version of cultural respect.
The genius of My Geisha lies in its faith that MacLaine could “act” her way into Japanese identity. Who needs accuracy when you’ve got prosthetics and good lighting? Forget real representation; this is Tinseltown, where every ethnicity is just a costume change away. Bravo, 1960s Hollywood, for paving the way for cinematic cringe.
Ah, Wanted, where Angelina Jolie, a white American actress, steps into the role of Fox, a highly-skilled assassin originally depicted as a Black woman in the comic. Who needs racial accuracy when you’ve got cheekbones that sharp?
Hollywood’s bold interpretation of Fox’s character is nothing short of creative rewriting. The Black representation in the comic? Vanished, replaced by Jolie’s porcelain vibes. Once again, Tinseltown proves it can turn a vibrant, diverse character into yet another opportunity for homogeneity. Groundbreaking.
When Argo hit theaters, Ben Affleck, a white American actor, took on the role of Tony Mendez, a real-life Hispanic CIA agent. Apparently, adding a fake tan was enough to pass for Latino. Because why cast a Hispanic actor for a Hispanic character when you can just play pretend?
Hollywood’s idea of representing diversity? Just slap a famous white guy into any role and call it a day. Who cares about diversity when you can have a famous name attached to the film? Affleck’s portrayal of Mendez might’ve won awards, but it didn’t win points for accurate casting.
When Batman Begins cast Liam Neeson, a white Irish actor, as Ra’s al Ghul, the Middle Eastern eco-terrorist, it was Hollywood’s way of saying, “Ethnicity? Optional!” Apparently, they figured a stern glare and a sword were enough. Just throw on a tunic and call it a day, I guess?
Ra’s al Ghul is supposed to be Middle Eastern, but in Batman Begins, he’s Neeson-ed into oblivion. Why hire Middle Eastern actors when a big star can just “act” exotic? It’s another case of whitewashing, where rich heritage morphs into stereotypes.
Johnny Depp is the number one actor who’s supposed to wear something crazy and put on a ton of makeup. That doesn’t necessarily mean it should be him. For movies like Edward Scissorhands, it worked because the character wasn’t a person of color.
The Lone Ranger? Yeah, not so much. Another case of whitewashing by Hollywood. Native American actors could have been cast for the role, and they would have done a much better job. Depp claimed it was a message to kids on reservations, but that changes nothing.
In the 2016 film Doctor Strange, Tilda Swinton, a Scottish actress, was cast as the Ancient One, a character traditionally depicted as an Asian man in the original Marvel comics. The casting decision was controversial, with many criticizing it as whitewashing and an erasure of Asian representation.
Marvel defended the choice by describing the Ancient One as a title rather than a specific character, but the backlash highlighted the ongoing issues of representation and diversity in the film industry. Critics argued that casting an Asian actor could have provided meaningful representation and honored the character's original cultural background.
This one might ruffle a few feathers, but I honestly don’t care. Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s is beyond offensive. They picked a white Scottish and English guy to play a Japanese character, and they made him look stereotypically Asian and offensively yellow face. Awful. Just awful.
Rooney personified Asian propaganda from WWII. The worst part is that there was no reason he had to be Japanese or Asian at all. He could have stayed white. It wasn’t like being Japanese was super essential to the character.
Hollywood has been slammed time and time again for whitewashing in movies, and Aloha is a painful reminder. Emma Stone’s role was that of Allison Ng, who is a quarter Asian and a quarter Hawaiian. Could they have chosen anyone whiter than Emma Stone? She practically glows in the dark.
Everyone involved apologized, including Emma Stone and the director. Sandra Oh had a pretty good roast during the 2019 Golden Globes, saying Crazy Rich Asians was the first studio film “with an Asian American lead since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha.” Hilariously, Emma Stone yells, “I’m sorry!” That’s pretty much everything you need to know about this pick.
Oh, hey! Another example of Hollywood choosing the worst possible cast for a person of color. Who would have guessed this to happen? Unsurprisingly, this movie was bad since they cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan, the Mongolian leader who founded the largest contiguous empire in history, was a figure of immense cultural and historical significance.
Wayne's portrayal, however, was widely criticized for its inaccuracy and insensitivity. He donned makeup and adopted mannerisms that failed to authentically represent Mongolian culture. This casting choice is often cited as one of Hollywood's most glaring examples of miscasting, illustrating the industry's tendency to prioritize star power over cultural authenticity.
No matter how good your movie is, whitewashing will always stain what “could’ve been.” Fans were excited to hear about a live-action movie for Ghost in the Shell, but their hopes and dreams were quickly dashed. In the 2017 adaptation of the manga, Scarlett Johansson, an American actress, was cast as Major Motoko Kusanagi, a character traditionally depicted as Japanese.
The casting decision faced significant backlash for whitewashing, as many felt that an Asian actress should have been chosen to represent the character accurately. Critics argued that Johansson's casting erased the cultural and racial identity central to the original story.
This is one of the worst film casting choices on the list in terms of whitewashing. Laurence Olivier was cast as Othello, a character described as a dark-skinned “Moor” in the play. There were undoubtedly skilled black actors that could have cast.
A person of color has played Othello in the past, and they were fantastic. This portrayal? It was just plain offensive. He even acted it out like he was in some kind of Minstrel traveling show. Saying it’s a “product of its time” doesn’t work because it came out in ’65!
Sure, Jake Gyllenhaal is a great actor. His performance in Nightcrawler and Spider-Man was superb. That doesn’t change the fact that he shouldn’t have been in Prince of Persia. Someone of Iranian descent should have performed the role.
The movie itself wasn’t utterly awful, which makes it even more of a shame. It was supposed to be launched into a full-on franchise like Pirates of the Caribbean. Then it was whitewashed and flopped at the box office. Even Gyllenhaal regrets taking the role today.
Burt Lancaster, an American actor of European descent, played Massai, an Apache warrior, in the 1954 film Apache. The casting of Lancaster, who wore makeup to appear more Native American, is an early example of Hollywood's problematic history of casting non-Native actors in Indigenous roles.
The portrayal was criticized for its lack of authenticity and for perpetuating stereotypes about Native American people as simply stoic warriors. This casting choice reflects the industry's historical disregard for Native American actors and the importance of providing them with opportunities to tell their own stories and represent their cultures accurately on screen.
Bradley Cooper, an American actor of primarily Irish descent, played Leonard Bernstein, a renowned Jewish composer and conductor, in the 2023 film Maestro. Cooper's casting sparked debate over whether a Jewish actor should have been chosen for the role.
While some praised Cooper's performance, others felt that having to cover Cooper in prosthetics defeated the purpose. This controversy highlights the broader issues of cultural sensitivity and representation in biographical films, emphasizing the importance of honoring the identities and experiences of the individuals being portrayed.
In the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies portrayed Sallah, an Egyptian character. Rhys-Davies, who is of European descent, adopted an accent and mannerisms to fit the role, a casting choice that has since been criticized for its lack of authenticity.
Sallah is depicted as a bumbling idiot but a loyal friend, which conforms to some negative tropes about characters reportedly from the Middle East.
In the 1961 film adaptation of musical West Side Story, Natalie Wood, an American actress of Russian descent, played Maria, a Puerto Rican character. Wood's casting is often cited as an example of Hollywood's history of whitewashing, as her portrayal involved darkening her skin to appear more Latina.
The choice to cast a non-Puerto Rican actress in such a culturally significant role has been criticized for its lack of authenticity and sensitivity. Wood's appearance and singing voice were dubbed to create a more "Americanized" version of the character. This whitewashing limited opportunities for Latina actresses in Hollywood.
In the 1962 epic "Lawrence of Arabia," Alec Guinness, a British actor, portrayed Prince Faisal, an Arab leader. Guinness's portrayal involved makeup and mannerisms to appear more Arab, a practice that has since been criticized for its insensitivity and inaccuracy.
The film, while acclaimed for its cinematography and storytelling, reflects the era's tendency to cast American and British actors in Arab roles. While the film celebrates Lawrence's role in the Arab Revolt, the casting of a white European actor to portray an Arab character reflects the limitations of Hollywood at the time.
Colin Farrell, an Irish actor, was the titular character in the 2004 film "Alexander." Alexander was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. While the Macedonians were ethnically distinct from other Greeks, the casting of a white European actor to play a historical figure from the Eastern Mediterranean region sparked debate about the accuracy of on-screen representation.
Not only did he look nothing like Alexander the Great, but he also looked awful with blonde hair. Casting Angelina was a poor decision as well because she was only a year older than Colin. That means they had to cast someone older for the mom or younger for Alexander. Hmm…nah. Let’s roll with this weird Oedipus dynamic.
In Gangs of New York, Cameron Diaz was cast alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio – two of the greatest actors that have ever lived. That, unfortunately, made Diaz’s acting seem that much worse. The most egregious offense is that she can’t do an Irish accent to save her life. She also can’t carry a dramatic role like Carey Mulligan, who is of British and Irish descent.
Diaz, an American actress of Cuban, English, and German descent, portrayed Jenny Everdeane, an Irish immigrant. The film, set in 19th-century New York, explores the lives of Irish immigrants and their struggles, making accurate representation crucial for historical and cultural authenticity.
