Whitewashing is a term that seems to be plaguing the movie world a lot more often than those behind some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters would care to admit. With characters from a non-Caucasian background being rewritten and offered up to white actors, such as Tilda Swinton’s role in Doctor Strange and Johnny Depp playing the Native American Tonto in The Lone Ranger.
Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi
Now, Ghost in the Shell is facing those very criticisms for casting Scarlett Johansson in the leading role of Major Motoko Kusanagi, despite the original character – which comes from the original manga – always up until this point being portrayed as Asian.
Speaking about the controversy in a new interview with Marie Claire, Johansson said: “I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.
Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that – the weight of such a big property on my shoulders.”
Despite trying to state her case, Johansson doesn’t actually address why she thought it was appropriate for her as a white woman to play Kusanagi in the upcoming movie release. Because of that, her comments will likely not ease any underlying tension or concerns about the choice of casting here.
Director Rupert Sanders has also spoken about why Johansson was chosen for the film, saying that her back catalogue of work and talent was the main reason for her being snapped up.
Ghost in the Shell is scheduled for release on March 31, 2017.
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