There has been lots of outrage lately over the “whitewashing” of Asian characters. Scarlett Johansson will playing a Japanese woman in Ghost in the Shell, while Tilda Swinton will play a Tibetan monk in Doctor Strange, and certain people are absolutely livid. Even the upcoming film The Great Wall spawned a new outrage cycle for having the gall to cast Matt Damon as the lead (playing a European adventurer).
So the stage was set for a perfect prank by the Twitter parody account @Unreel__News, which tweeted out that Disney was eying Jennifer Lawrence to play Mulan in a live-action version of the 1998 animated film. Prior to the prank there was already a petition with 90,000 signatures calling on Disney to not whitewash Mulan.
https://twitter.com/Unreel__News/status/775353783295541248
While many knew the tweet was fake, others responded with righteous indignation.
Why the hell is Jennifer Lawrence being cast as Mulan when there are dozens of extremely talented Chinese actresses out there
— hf hoe (@slutforcoco) September 13, 2016
jennifer lawrence as mulan….. i never thought i'd have to read such a disgusting sentence
— mistake messenger (@finaIfrantasy) September 12, 2016
Others, out of exasperation, suggested more culturally sensitive actresses for the role.
Jennifer Lawrence who? This is your Mulan. pic.twitter.com/rn1TicyaTX
— Keavy Bell (@KeavyBell) September 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/MuawiyahHaq/status/775831926607339520
Unreel News kept adding fuel to the fire by tweeting out stories, one suggesting that Zac Effron would play Mulan’s love interest, Li Shang, and another saying that Disney’s CEO publicly responded to the controversy by claiming Lawrence was the perfect fit for the role.
But regardless of the authenticity of the story, one brave Twitter account reminds us all we are racist no matter what.
Regardless if Jennifer Lawrence isn't casted as Mulan, the mere fact that the rumour is believable shows how much white-washing is a problem
— WTNZ (@wtnzupdates) September 12, 2016
Follow me on Twitter @William__Hicks
