Hollywood is no stranger to numerous criticisms among its actors, especially when it comes to the issue of "whitewashing." During this year's New York Comic Con (NYCC), actor Matt Damon addresses the accusations of whitewashing in the upcoming movie "The Great Wall."
The actor expressed his disappointment and the feeling of being "bummed out" by the accusations, taking these matters very seriously, as stated in a report by IGN. It would be considered a surprise, however, if people would consider this epic film "whitewashed" even after watching it completely, Damon said.
The actor went on, stressing that the film is a "historical fantasy" and a "monster movie." He plays as an explorer and mercenary named William Garin along with a companion named Pero Tovar, played by Pedro Pascal (who also played Prince Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO series "Game of Thrones") to find and steal one of the greatest weapons from the Chinese Empire, gunpowder. As the duo reach China to meet their goals, they happen to stumble upon crossfire between Chinese Imperial secret army and a horde of mythical monsters, with the Great Wall standing in between them.
The event happens every 60 years and this is where Pascal and Damon have to "prove" themselves to the secret army. The movie's portrayal of the actual Great Wall is, of course, a fantastic and fictional one, with designs being more akin to Leonardo DaVinci-esque style, according to Damon. This means that the Wall will have numerous, ingenious mechanisms and weapons that will make it look "alive." Damon even mentioned that the Great Wall is like "a character in the movie."
In addition to Matt Damon trying to explain his side, director Zhang Yimou ("Hero," "House of Flying Daggers") also defended the casting choice in a statement from an Entertainment Weekly report:
"In many ways The Great Wall is the opposite of what is being suggested. For the first time, a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled, is being made at tent pole scale for a world audience. I believe that is a trend that should be embraced by our industry. Our film is not about the construction of the Great Wall. Matt Damon is not playing a role that was originally conceived for a Chinese actor. The arrival of his character in our story is an important plot point. There are five major heroes in our story and he is one of them - the other four are all Chinese. The collective struggle and sacrifice of these heroes are the emotional heart of our film. As the director of over 20 Chinese language films and the Beijing Olympics, I have not and will not cast a film in a way that was untrue to my artistic vision. I hope when everyone sees the film and is armed with the facts they will agree."
Hopefully, both Zhang and Matt will be right on this one, changing people's minds once they watch the film.
The film will also cast Jing Tian, Junkai Wang, Willem Dafoe, Lu Han, and Andy Lau, to name a few.
"The Great Wall" will hit theaters on Feb. 17, 2017.
Here's the trailer for the movie: