The Cringiest Examples of Whitewashing in Movies

Hrundi V. Bakshi in The Party 

I want to be perfectly clear that this list is not meant as an endorsement of cancel culture in anyways. I believe that people can make mistakes and learn from them, and if they aren’t going to get the chance to grow beyond their mistakes, what’s the point of even trying? I love Peter Sellers. Heck, I even love the humor in The Party. What I don’t love is Peter Sellers in brownface playing an Indian character. If your heart is set on a white actor, then change the character. The character could have been just as funny if they were Eastern European. While I liked The Party back when I didn’t know any better, it’s definitely hard to watch now.  

Tony Montana in Scarface 

Some people might be mad at me pointing out that Al Pacino is most definitely not Cuban or Latino in any way shape or form, especially since Scarface is still so inexplicably popular among “tough youths.” I’m not mad at the remake of the 1932 film changing the character to a Cuban immigrant, but in doing so, Pacino should definitely not have been cast. Sure, he gave a stellar performance as the killer cartel leader that rose to power, but that brownface is still awkward as hell. The point of including him among these other instances is to show that even a great performance doesn’t suddenly make brownface acceptable.  

Ben Jabituya in Short Circuit 

As a kid, I loved Short Circuit. However, even while I was enamored by the adventures of Johnny 5 the robot, I still knew there was something not right about the character Ben Jabituya. Rather, I knew there was something weird about Fisher Stevens playing an Indian American scientist. Stevens used the most stereotypical accent he could muster and even “tanned” himself up a bit to “better play” the part. I get that the 80s were a lawless time in Hollywood when most decisions were made based on how much cocaine was in an executive’s bloodstream, but that’s hardly an excuse for not simply hiring an Indian actor in the first place. 

Goku in Dragonball Evolution 

Look, I know that Goku is technically a Saiyan in the anime, which are aliens. However, the guy has been passing as human since he was a kid and is totally meant to be Japanese in the anime. There’s a lot of whitewashing in general when it comes to American live-action adaptations of anime, but Goku holds a very special (and terrible place) in my heart. Not just because Dragonball Evolution gave a white guy the role, but they couldn’t even get a martial artist. Worst of all, the film was made by an Asian director, James Wong, so you can bet some studio exec put his foot down when it came to casting the whitest guy they could in the film.

Dastan in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 

There are a lot more terrible video game movies out there than good ones (a trend that is hopefully beginning to change). However, just because a movie is bad doesn’t give you the right to make poor decisions making it. For those of you who need a bit of a history/geography lesson, Persia is essentially modern-day Iran. Now, I ask you, does Jake Gyllenhaal look Iranian to you? Does he look Middle Eastern at all? Does he look like anything except a pale white guy? If you answered “no” to any of these questions then you probably know why casting him as a Middle Eastern prince was a horrible idea. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been that hard to find an actor better suited for the part…