Originally published May 4, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
It was first seen as a brave move to cast a female actor in a male role when Tilda Swinton was announced as The Ancient One for Marvel’s Doctor Strange. However, comments about white-washing in Hollywood movies came to the forefront of discussions again, furthered by the first trailer for the movie which showed Swinton in the role.
Yesterday we reported on George Takei’s thoughts on Hollywood white-washing, and today the film’s director Scott Derrickson has taken to Twitter to give his thoughts:
https://twitter.com/scottderrickson/status/727813975149137920
“Raw anger/hurt from Asian-Americans over Hollywood whitewashing, stereotyping & erasure of Asians in cinema,” he tweeted. “I am listening and learning.”
SEE ALSO: Tilda Swinton addresses “whitewashing” of The Ancient One in Marvel’s Doctor Strange
Many people have commented on this site and our social media channels to defend Derrickson, saying he was in a lose-lose scenario with casting The Ancient One – but what do you make of his comments? Join the discussion below.
“Doctor Strange follows the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.”
Doctor Strange is set for release on October 28th in the UK and November 4th in the US, with Scott Derrickson (Sinister) with a cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer) as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong (The Martian) as Wong and Rachel McAdams (True Detective) and Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) in as-yet-unconfirmed roles.
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