The film adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling 2013 novel, Crazy Rich Asians,won’t be whitewashed if director Jon Chu has his way.
The story of rich Asians living in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai is seen through the eyes of a Chinese American.
Chu who has directed G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) is aware of the recent whitewashing controversies involving Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, Scarlette Johansson in Ghost in the Shell, and Emma Stone in Aloha.
“The complaining actually does a make difference,” said Chu to the Strait Times. I’m in meetings now where those issues do come up, whereas five years ago if I brought it up, nobody would care. I can focus only on what I can do and how I can cast and create stories with different voices.”
Kwan has stated in interviews that studios had approached him about adapting his book, but they wanted to make Rachel Chu into a White girl.
Kwan who is also executive producer of the movie says his goal is to see “equal representation in terms of Singapore stars, Hong Kong stars, Asian American stars and mainland Chinese stars”.
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