The problem with Emma Stone’s casting in ‘Aloha’ is NOT that she “can’t pass as half Swedish, ¼ Hawaiian, and ¼ Chinese.” It’s that she isn’t Hawaiian or Chinese, and by casting her as such you are taking opportunities away from actual Hawaiian and Chinese people. You’re not giving them representation if you’re not letting them represent themselves.
I’m sick and tired of people saying, “I know someone who’s half white and half [insert Asian ethnicity here], and they look white, so it shouldn’t be a big deal that Emma Stone is playing an Asian.” That is not the point. It has nothing to do with how she looks, it’s about what you’re taking away from Asian and Pacific Islanders when you cast a fully white women to play us.
I’m not buying Cameron Crowe’s apology and his explanation that he “wanted a character who was proud of her Hawaiian and Chinese heritage but was frustrated that she didn’t look Hawaiian or Chinese.” This is a struggle that many passing mixed people go through, and that could’ve been portrayed beautifully on the screen—if someone who actually understands that struggle were cast. Instead, we were given Emma Stone with an Asian last name and a fake tan. What Cameron Crowe gave us wasn’t an apology, it was a half-assed excuse.
So no, I don’t accept that “apology” (wherein Crowe didn’t once say he was even sorry for casting Emma). And I won’t stop holding Emma Stone responsible for it as well. Even if she didn’t create that part for herself, she still took it knowing how wrong it was that they were whitewashing yet another lead role in a Hollywood movie. There is no excuse for it. As a “progressive” and “feminist” woman, she should have known better. She isn’t here for women, she’s here for women who look like her and I’m sick of it.
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