The petition that urges Disney not to "whitewash" the casting of its live-action movie "Mulan" has now reached over 75 thousand signatures.
While the actress that will portray Disney's Asian warrior princess is yet to be announced, the fans of "Mulan" are already asking the studio not to make the forthcoming film a victim of Hollywood "whitewashing". For those who are unfamiliar with the term, "whitewashing" is the practice of casting white actors in roles that are originally meant to be characters of colors. A petition against the said matter has been created in Care2 Petitions a few months ago.
As International Business Times previously reported, the plea titled "Tell Disney You Don't Want A Whitewashed Mulan!" was started by Natalie Molnar. The creator is said to be a children's librarian from Michigan who believes that casting the wrong actors as roles that are meant for other race sends a harmful message. In the petition, Molnar wrote "whitewashing implies that POCs (people of colors) cannot be heroes (although they may at times be villains or supporting characters), leaving it far more difficult for countless children around the world to see themselves in the stories they love and think that they, too, can make a difference."
According to the petition, "whitewashing" also suggests "a standard of beauty and goodness" wherein whites become the basis of the ideal and norm, despite the diversity of the people around the world. This is not the first appeal against Hollywood's approach in casting. In fact, a petition has also been created a couple of months back, convincing DreamWorks to recast Scarlett Johansson in its "Ghost in the Shell" remake. Though the appeal has gone beyond its goal of 14 thousand signatures, the studio has remained firm with its casting decision.
Molnar's plea originally targets only 25 thousand but has now reached 77, 668 signatures. Will Disney take notice? Currently, there is still no official word from the studio as to who will be playing the titular role. The petitioners can only hope that Disney will hear their demands and go with a more suitable actress.
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