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New Fantastic Beasts trailer sparks controversy with Asian character

Claudia Kim as Nagini. Screenshot from YouTube via Warner Bros. Pictures

The new trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has left many viewers confused and upset over the casting of Korean actress Claudia Kim for the role of Nagini, reports HuffPost.

The Harry Potter spinoff series gave fans their first look at the human version of the character Nagini, who is cursed to transform into a snake-like creature and who later becomes Voldemort’s servant. Some Asian Americans aren’t thrilled with the casting due to the problematic history of Asian women often being portrayed in Hollywood as two-dimensional, sexualized, subservient beings or exotic dragon ladies.

Many took to Twitter to express their fears of Nagini falling into a racist trope, including author Ellen Oh.

J.K. Rowling responded to the backlash on Twitter, defending the casting. However, she mentions nowhere in the Tweet that Kim is Korean.

Author Amish Tripathi responded, challenging Rowling’s explanation.

There has already been controversy surrounding Fantastic Beasts in casting Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, after he was accused of domestic abuse, which he denied, according to BBC.

Kim hasn’t discussed the controversy on her Twitter page.

“It will be so interesting to see another side of Nagini,” Kim told EW. “You’ve only seen her as a Horcrux. In this, she’s a wonderful and vulnerable woman who wants to live. She wants to stay a human being and I think that’s a wonderful contrast to the character.”

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