Matt Damon Responds to White Washing Accusations

Matt Damon’s The Great Wall is set to be released in America on February 17, 2017 but is already facing backlash. And star Matt Damon is responding.

The Great Wall is an upcoming American-Chinese epic historical fiction action-adventure monster film where Matt Damon and the rest of humanity battle against said monsters on top of the Great Wall. The film has stirred up some controversy from critics. Constance Wu, star of the comedy show Fresh off the Boat, posted a statement on Twitter that lambasted the “racist myth that [only a] white man can save the world.” The popular blog Angry Asian Man called it “the latest movie in the grand cinematic tradition of the Special White Person.” Asian Americans are feeling outrage over a white man being in another country that is not white, and saving that country. But Matt Damon is also feeling outrage.

When responding to the white washing accusations and the idea that he had taken a role from a Chinese actor, Damon said “The whole idea of whitewashing, I take that very seriously … it’s a monster movie and it’s a historical fantasy and I didn’t take a role away from a Chinese actor. It wasn’t altered because of me in any way.”
Hollywood has been known for its use of white washing, it is no secret. So is Matt Damon adding fuel to the fire?

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  1. China makes plenty of historic fiction action films with an all Asian cast. I don’t see a problem with a white actor among Asian actors, the problem would be if they made this film with an all white cast.