Whitewashing: She said, she said
Daisy couldn't blame Margaret Cho for her apparent anger behind her exchange of emails with Tilda Swinton. The Ancient One looked like an old Asian guy, but Kevin Feige thought about his Celtic roots. Swinton must be the one to play this comic book character on the big screen. Hollywood had a long history of whitewashing, Daisy pointed out, and studios don't know how to market a talent like Cho. She was born into a Korean family, grew up in a hippie side of Frisco, worked as a phone sex operator and dominatrix before trying her luck in stand-up comedy. The comedian herself admitted that her growing-up years were confusing, yet wonderful. My coursemate identified the cause of her anger, which would be her shelf life. At 48 years of age, Cho's chances of returning to the mainstream would be close to nil. But she doesn't think that Cho was envious of Swinton, who turned 56 last month.
I clearly recalled the celluloid version of "The King and I" (1956), where Yul Brynner and Rita Moreno played members of Siam's royal family. Dexter, my cousin, went to Ko Pha Ngan with his girlfriend. He had that incredulous look when I asked him about the popular Broadway play. He could only recall the patience that some locals showed towards annoying tourists. This happened to be a musical, so the casting of Brynner and Moreno could be accepted. (And Brynner won an Academy Award for his animated portrayal of King Mongkut.) Daisy didn't understand the fuss behind it, as Ken Watanabe played the king in the Broadway revival. He happened to be a veteran actor from Japan.
Mother was a huge fan of Mickey Rooney's musicals, but she would make an exception on "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961). I.Y. Yunioshi was Holly Golightly's Japanese neighbor upstairs, and Truman Capote introduced a racially-charged character to spice up that neighborhood. Mom thought that Audrey Hepburn was good enough, such that the rest would be nonexistent. (She didn't pay attention to Henry Mancini's wistful score until she saw the movie again.) She doesn't know what to say about the whitewashing, as moviegoers paid more attention to stars. She seemed to have a point.
Perhaps Cho forgot to mention "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005) in her conversation. The titular character was clearly Japanese in origin, yet three Chinese actresses played her. There was no other Asian actress who was more popular than Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh. Cho had her chance of stardom with "All-American Girl", but the sitcom lasted a season only. Daisy cited the obvious reason, namely Cho's Asian looks. She was also far from the all-American girl. The number of melting pots has been steadily increasing during the 20th century, but viewers (of the small screen) weren't ready to embrace them. She didn't think that the show would have lasted for years if it were produced this decade.
Cho may not accept the fact that she won't be as lucky as Julia Roberts, but she had a point. On the other hand, Swinton shouldn't be blamed for the whitewashing issue in "Doctor Strange". Feige was presented with a short list of bad choices and picked what might be the best one. The box-office figures would speak for itself. Besides, Marvel Studios couldn't be accused of whitewashing. (Karl Mordo was a white guy in the comic book. Marvel casted Chiwetel Ejiofor, a black actor, in this important role.) Cho might have learned a few things from Will Smith, who avoided the race issue throughout his career. He jumped off the fence when he was no longer a bankable star in Hollywood. It may not be too late for her.
