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By Amy Phan
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The latest pan-Asian, anime-inspired series, “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” has generated a lot of early buzz despite the fact that the first film— of a possible three — won’t be released until July 2010.
Why? One reason may be because “Avatar” isn’t just a cartoon. As an Emmy-award winning series, “Avatar” has, in the blink of 61 episodes, become a huge franchise, where fans invest in action figures, trading cards, and stuffed animals.
The other reason for the buzz — which is mainly debated online — is due to “Avatar” fans being critical of the recent news that three of the four principal characters will be played by white actors despite the obvious use of Asian characters in the original series.
The casting directors initially planned to use four white actors to play the main roles; however, Variety magazine reported earlier this month that singer Jesse McCartney dropped out of the movie, and he was replaced by Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”).
Paramount, Nickelodeon, and the movie producers have yet to release a statement about their casting choices.
The silence hasn’t stopped a group of dedicated fans from protesting what they believe is the studio’s attempt to “whitewash” the film.
A step in the right direction
“[Patel is] an excellent young actor and well-qualified for the role. And we’re glad to see an Asian actor join the cast,” read the latest post on “Aang-Aint-White” (AAW), the online group protesting the cast of “Avatar.”
Despite the praise, the group also criticizes Patel’s casting as ethnically incorrect, as the role he will portray has cultural roots more closely related to China than Patel’s Indian background.
“[Patel’s casting] is a sign that the cast is not set in stone,” said Michelle Ikemoto, a member of AAW.
As an Asian American student majoring in animation in San Jose, Cali., Ikemoto said she hoped the “last decade of Hollywood’s rediscovery of Asian culture and the remakes of Asian classics” would provide more roles for minority actors in the film industry.
She found the film’s principal cast to be “especially loathsome.”
Ikemoto isn’t alone in her disgust.
With nine official postings, AAW has generated more than 1,600 comments so far — all in the span of two months.
AAW was created a few days after initial casting decisions were made public, in an attempt to “provide info and basic points to help set the tone of the protest and discussion of the cast in ‘Avatar,’” said Lee, the co-creator of AAW, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Lee works for the “Avatar” franchise. She said revealing her full identity may put her job in jeopardy.
The group’s message has generated national and international support from fans. The group’s name refers to the protagonist of “Avatar,” Aang.
What began as an attempt to provide basic information for those interested in the casting has quickly turned into a formalized letter-writing campaign. According to Lee’s estimates, about 600 letters have been sent to Paramount Pictures objecting to the casting. A few hundred more were sent to the producers of the movie.
A complicated issue
To be sure, the cast of “Avatar” is much more complicated than a simple racial debate. The original series showcases an array of talents not exclusive to Asian Americans. The show’s creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, are both white. Many of the voice actors are white as well.
M. Night Shyamalan, one of the few high-profile Asian American producers, is spearheading the film, which leaves some thinking that an all-Asian principal cast is irrelevant.
If two white creators can create such a well-researched beloved series, why can’t a white actor have an equally authentic performance with proper research?
Fans on both sides of the argument have tossed these points back and forth.
“It would be like taking ‘Lord of the Rings’ — a very Eurocentric story — and casting Asian people in the heroic lead roles,” said Loraine Sammy, a video game developer in Vancouver, B.C. “‘Avatar’ is culturally specific,” she added.
What’s the big deal?
As Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami said to the San Francisco Chronicle, “[‘Avatar’] could become our ‘Harry Potter!’”
Like “Harry Potter,” “Avatar” is a profiting machine. The show’s franchise generates a good portion of Nickelodeon’s annual $250 million revenue, according to the Chronicle.
But to many, “Avatar” is more than a commercial success. To some, it’s a world where fans can follow character development, form an “Avatar” lexicon, and become deeply entrenched in the storyline.
Sammy said “Avatar” is a rare case where “a well-done American cartoon was immersed in Asian and Inuit influences.”
“It’s another perfect opportunity,” she said, “to showcase minority actors to an American audience.”
Sammy said she believes the show’s popularity among children is an important factor in reconsider the casting, as kids could learn more about Asian, Inuit, and Hindu cultures.
Spreading the message
As the first “Avatar” film is in its early production stage, no one is more surprised at the support for AAW than its creator.
“It just exploded in a way I never saw coming,” said Lee. “I was excited to see other people, who weren’t hardcore fans of the show, protest the cast, too.”
She said it’s an indication that people are no longer turning a “blind eye” to Hollywood’s “irresponsible decisions.”
Another AAW site organizer, Marissa Lee, agreed.
“The lack of diversity is a big deal,” said Marisa Lee, who is not related to AAW’s creator. “The public has demanded that the studio should seriously consider their casting decisions.”
If casting decisions have not changed in a year, the creator of AAW said that the group will “help whoever is organizing a boycott.”
“We want to make sure they aren’t financially rewarded for these decisions,” said Lee.
Source: NW Asian Weekly
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Jay:
I dont know where to start… I’m a 31 old white male and I’m so frustrated, angry, saddened about the casting of this film. I am a huge fan of the animated show and was so excited to hear about the film. I was the first of my friends/family to find the show and by the end of the 3rd season, my friends/family were all in love with the show and excited there was a film being made. However after reading about the blatent disregard for the source material as far as casting, none of us are going to see this movie that we looked so forward in seeing. Its a damn shame, Avatar is one of the best written, smartest shows animated or not. I don’t understand how they can say that 4 white kids were the only ones they could find to play these roles. I utterly refuse to believe that. I really wish Shayamalan and his casting director’s would have taken a que from Chris Weitz, the director for the second Twilight movie. He insisted that the Native American werewolves had to be played by Native American actors. He spent months auditioning thousands of Native Americans, all of whom had to have papers proving their heritage to even be considered for the role. I have nothing against the actors they cast to play Katara, Sokka, Aang or Zuko, hell I dont even know who half of them are, I’m just saying that i refuse to believe they were the only actors they could get to play these roles and it saddens and angers me that this wonderful work of art is being ruined by some of the most blatent racial bias we’ve seen.
Posted on May 18th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Zen:
I’m fully expecting this live action movie to suck. I am also waiting patiently for an animated Avatar movie to come out. Look what happened to DBZ in live action format.
Posted on July 29th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Nate:
I’m a 32 year old white male with two children, a son and a daughter. My family and I are huge fans of Avatar. We are really looking forward to the movie coming out in 2010. As far as the casting, we don’t really care who the actors are just as long as the story line is the same as the one we fell in love with. This is by far the best written and researched animated series I have ever seen. Kudos to the creators and writers. When we saw the actors that were cast for the movie the first thing my son said was ” she even looks like Katara”. That gave me the impression that most people will probably prefer the cast to resemble the original characters in the series. I understand the need for the movie to be ethnically correct, but we should all keep in mind that this story takes place all over the world, not just in Asia. To me, and this is just my opinion, the fire nation culture resembles more of the Asian culture than any of the three other nations. I agree the water tribes should be Inuit, I mean come on people where do they live? North and South poles! But what about the Earth Kingdom? European? Arab? And last but not least. Aang. He’s a Tibetan Monk right? I agree with the AAW people, but if someone has a problem with the way the movie is cast, don’t watch it! Boycotting it won’t solve anything. Fans of the show are still gonna watch the movie regardless of what anyone else thinks. And I’m sure the movie will still be made. Don’t be mad at what I’ve said here. These are just my opinions.
Posted on September 21st, 2009 at 6:14 am
cheesepuff:
*sigh* This is Dragonball Evolutions all over again.
Posted on November 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
mina:
@nate
I’m a fan, and as a fan of the show, I didn’t think much about what race the characters were when watching, but I feel like the cast has taken away the essense of what I felt was great about the cartoon, the diversity in the main characters. Granted it seems the casting directors when had deliberately put Maori, Iranian, Hispantic, Indian actors in this to use to avoid racist acusations, but they’re either supporting actors or the Villian or just people walking around in the background. Ironically there are no EAST Asians in this at all, except for those walking in the background of the film pretending to give the illusion of a non-racist casting.
I refuse to believe that the cast was done because they look alike to the cartoon like you said. they do not look like at all. Aang is too chubby and young looking, Sokka and Katara are too pale…ok so they can get heavy tans and hair dye. But then why couldn’t an Inuit, Native American just wear contact lenses?
As a fan of this series I will not be watching it. MOST fans have been disappointed in this cast of this film. They will not be watching it regardless of what anyone else thinks.
Anyone who doesn’t like the film because of the casting won’t be watching it as you suggested, call it boycotting if you will.
Posted on November 25th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Kate:
I’m not very happy with the casting that was made for the Avatar movie. Regardless of the ethnic backgrounds of the characters, the actors do not even resemble the ones in the series! The actor playing Aang is much fairer and bigger than the one in the series! I am especially disappointed with the casting of Dev Patel. He’s a good actor and all but then his Indian background is not match with the portrayal of Zuko in the series. I love this animated show, and I hope that they would change casting and make the right choices, or else it will be a huge mistake. Ill be happier if they cast less popular/new actors as long as they match the actual characters. I hope they realize that it will be a big hit as long as they stick to the essence and culture of the show and not just cast popular people to commercialize and earn billions from the film.
Posted on December 26th, 2009 at 1:44 am
AJ:
when i heard that this movie was going to be made i was vastly disappointed that it wasn’t going to be animated. m.night shyamalan is one of my favourite directors and im familiar with his work which confused me when i found out he was directing this film.
i just wished that the film was animated with the original cast as in the television series but with the scope of a feature film. there have been numerous successful animated films like Spirited Away, films from Pixar. i get so sick of ppl recreating animations/cartoons/comic books into feature films that aren’t animated.
i can understand by looking at the photos of the actors they have ‘some’ resemblances to the animated characters. i suppose that is what they were looking for rather than ethnic backgrounds based on the story. though i would love to see actors who look like the characters they are playing with the ethnic backgroud to support it and the talent who understand the story, but is that really wat matters? most of the voice actors in the television series aren’t asian so it only matters now because they are using ‘real’ actors? the creators themselves are not asian. is it just that ppl want to be politically correct? i suppose it boils down to the saying – out of sight, out of mind.
this whole debate would not have started if the film kept to the aesthetic of the animated series. i think it was a complete mistake for this great, great animated series to be made into a live action film. one of the reason’s i like Avatar: the last airbender (Avatar: the legend of Aang) are the characters, i am fond of them and so are many other fans too, the plots are so well thought out and with it being animated it gave it more freedom. with this live action film its like the fans are forced to ‘bond’ with these strangers that are playing our beloved characters.
Posted on January 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 am
jojomomo:
Yea great turn the awesome avatar series into a crap as live movie, Great idea! why don’t you just call Aang Frodo and Katara Princess Leia and the four bendings “the four weird things that the scary angry people do.”
Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
pupicucek:
OMG!! I SAW A TRAILER……
Zuko don’t even have his scar.
“Avatar state” in a movie fails!
Katara is a kid?
Man, movie will be terrible!
:’(
Posted on March 20th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Bea:
I’m a new fan of Avatar, started looking just a few days ago (but I’ve already watched it all). Like many others I got very excited when I heard that they were going to make a movie about this awesome serie, and when I understood that it were going to be live action I even got a little more intrested in it and more eager to see it. Now, I’m not so sure anymore.
That they casted non-asian actors for the film didn’t really bother me. I thought that as long the actors looks like, or at least resembles the character would be enough. Sadly, they don’t. A single bit!
Now I’m really disappointed how they decided to cast this movie. I think that even the play on Ember Island were better than the film will be. At least actor Zuko does have a scar!
An animated film, with the same voice actors of course, would be much better than this.
I don’t know if I’ll watch the film, and if I do it’s due to plain curiosity. Who knows, maybe the film will be decent even if the characters are messed up.
Posted on June 17th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Alphonso Kemmler:
I like twilight! I could sit and watch all day long if I didn’t have school..or life to keep me from doing it! lol Superb Just Superb!
Posted on September 16th, 2010 at 5:02 pm