Here, we’ll go over five of the most controversial casting decisions in recent memory. In recent years, there’s apparently been casting controversy after one, the most recent being news that James Franco has been cast as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in an upcoming biopic. This isn’t the first strange decision from Hollywood casting directors, so let’s take a look at some of them.
5. Scarlett Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi
The first and one of the most recent entries in this list of the most controversial casting decisions, based on the famous manga of the same name, ghost in the shell (2017) was the first live-action that got a lot of attention when it was announced. While many fans were excited about the prospect of seeing the story brought to the big screen, even more fans were annoyed with the casting of the title character. Johansson was announced to play the title character, and while no one could object to her acting, it was fair to criticize that a white woman was cast in a role that has always been a Japanese woman in all forms. media over the years. .
Related: It Wasn’t Intentional – Scarlett Johansson Details Embarrassing Incident of Passenger Blinking on Plane
4. Tilda Swinton as an Elder
Another example of Hollywood’s “whitewashing” of their characters and films, Tilda Swinton has been announced to play the Elder in Doctor Strange (2016) as part of the ever-evolving Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics however, the role was played by an Asian male. In an industry that’s already hard enough for minorities to break into, it wasn’t a good look for Disney or Marvel, regardless of Swinton’s eventual performance.
3. Jodie Foster as Iris
Problematic for a totally different reason than previous entries, and one of the oldest of the most controversial casting decisions, it was more of an age-related issue in the film than anything else. Foster played Iris in the landmark film Taxi driver directed by Martin Scorsese. Iris was a young girl who ran away from home and resorted to prostitution to survive. The fact that she was twelve years old in real life at the time drew less than favorable attention, and they were thankfully forced to bring in her older sister for the more explicit scenes.
2. Jared Leto as Rayon
Winning an Oscar for any part is no small feat, but for all the good attention that part got, there was also a lot of bad attention. Jared Leto engages in all of his roles, his antics on the set of Suicide Squad (2016) being the most remarkable, and in this case with Dallas Buyers Club, it was no different. He lost an obscene amount of weight and stayed in character until the end of the film, even when the cameras weren’t rolling, but most wondered why a straight, white man was playing a transgender character in first place.
1. James Franco as Fidel Castro
The latest controversy for Hollywood to explain, James Franco cast as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in upcoming semi-biographical Alina from Cuba. Franco himself isn’t averse to controversy, with recent sexual assault allegations dragging his name through the mud, and it won’t help his image either. Apparently chosen because of his physical resemblance to Castro, many have questioned why casting directors cast a white man as the most famous Cuban of the past hundred years. Plus, Pedro Pascal should have been a shoo-in for it, both on acting superiority and resemblance to the Cuban leader.
Related: ‘But He’s Not Latino!’: John Wick Star John Leguizamo Blames James Franco For Playing Fidel Castro, Asks Why Hollywood Always Excludes Latinos?
What other Hollywood casting incidents can you think of and what would have made your list of the most controversial casting decisions?
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