It’s summer movie season which means lots of time spent eating popcorn (hold the butter) in air conditioned auditoriums, seated next to complete strangers.
The uproar over Paramount’s decision to cast a predominantly Caucasian starring lineup in the live action version of The Last Airbender has not only got minority (namely Asian-American) actors in a tizzy, it also speaks to a larger, more unsettling reality: that there is still an underlying racial perception paradigm within Hollywood that has yet to shift.
Here’s what I mean. The Last Airbender story is heavily derived from Asian and Inuit culture. You can’t get much more obvious than the distinctly Chinese characters on the show’s logo. The characters are of ambiguous ethnic descent but are still – shall we say – colorful. This formula has, obviously, worked for Airbender and there wouldn’t be a live adaption of it into a trilogy if it weren’t.
When something hits the big screen, departures from the original story are to be expected – it’s almost a guarantee. But to change the likeness of the main characters in such a dramatic fashion not only goes against something that’s germane to the story and setting, it’s also sending a terrible message to younger audiences who’ve taken a liking to Aang and company because they see parts of themselves in these characters. It’s pretty much saying, “You’re cool animated on the small screen, but people who look like you aren’t ready for the big leagues yet.”
Growing up, I would’ve loved to have an Airbender to watch – the visibility of characters I could relate to, even if they only existed in some imaginary 2D world would’ve been a nice addition to my Jem-marathons. Hollywood casting decisions are generally made based on marketability – attracting the widest audience possible. Like in most industries, it’s not exactly a meritocracy and, to some extent, nor should it be: an actor’s likeness is an undeniable part of a role he’s playing. So when a cast looks so deliberately and fundamentally different from what they’re supposed to look like and represent, it’s not just an insult to those who’ve cultivated the story and the fans who’ve made it into a success in the first place, but it also insults its an entire movie-going audience by assuming they’re not ready to see certain actors take on certain roles.
So as we suspend our collective disbelief (as Jackson Rathbone – “Sokka” – suggests we do) this summer, it might be a little harder to suspend the disappointment over a missed opportunity to do a much-loved series and its fans justice.
While, i am not a fan of the anime, I must wholeheartedly agree. More lameness from Hollywood.