I'm trying to think of a precedent

[womzilla]

Oh, of course: In the fine tradition of
Peter Lorre
Warner Oland
Yul Brenner
Lawrence Olivier.

Avatar, the Last Whitewasher.

Before.


After.




What century is this, again?

Comments

[men-in-full.livejournal.com]

Or Ricardo Montalban as the Japanese Kabuki performer Nakamura (http://media.photobucket.com/image/sayonara%20%252522ricardo%20montalban%252522/vejiita4eva/montalban.jpg) in Sayonara (1957.) IIRC, while it was acceptable for an Asian actress (Miiko Taka) to play a Japanese woman in love with an American (Marlon Brando), it was unacceptable for a white female character (Nakamura's love interest) to be paired with an Asian actor.

[washa-way.livejournal.com]

How about the original PB cover for Octavia Butler's "Dawn," on which Lilith Iyapo was depicted as a white woman?

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

I alluded to that in an earlier post (http://womzilla.livejournal.com/257501.html)--a lot of Butler's early books ended up with coves black heroines depicted as white, or green. I hadn't realized that had happened as late as 1987's Dawn.

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, you know, Mexican, Japanese--all those Actors of Color are just one big group of sameful Thems.