--- title: Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in the Shell Role Sparks Fury description: Scarlett Johansson’s controversial casting as the star in the remake of the classic Japanese anime, Ghost in the Shell, has sparked outrage. canonical: https://time.com/4297950/scarlett-johansson-ghost-shell-whitewashing/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-18T20:22:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T09:30:51.955Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Scarlett Johansson’s Casting in 'Ghost in the Shell' Sparks Outrage og:description: It's the latest Hollywood controversy surrounding a lack of diversity og:url: https://time.com/4297950/scarlett-johansson-ghost-shell-whitewashing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d52ec9823f5ff49/69888f87bc6cfc25243dc9f4/ghost-in-the-shell-scarlett-johansson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: ghost-in-the-shell-scarlett-johansson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scarlett Johansson’s Casting in 'Ghost in the Shell' Sparks Outrage twitter:description: It's the latest Hollywood controversy surrounding a lack of diversity twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d52ec9823f5ff49/69888f87bc6cfc25243dc9f4/ghost-in-the-shell-scarlett-johansson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Photo of Scarlett Johansson in _Ghost in the Shell_ Reignites 'Whitewashing' Controversy > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Apr 18, 2016 8:22 PM UTC  Scarlett Johansson is pictured here portraying her lead role in "Ghost in the Shell." Scarlett Johansson is pictured here portraying her lead role in "Ghost in the Shell."Paramount Pictures  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Apr 18, 2016 8:22 PM UTC Scarlett Johansson’s [casting](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/15/scarlett-johanssons-role-in-ghost-in-the-shell-ignites-twitter-storm) as the star in the remake of the classic Japanese anime, _Ghost in the Shell_, is the latest controversy to revive calls from top Asian-American actors for Hollywood to fix its diversity problem. After the first photo showing Johansson portraying Major Kusanagi was [revealed late last week](https://business.facebook.com/notes/paramount-pictures/paramount-pictures-and-dreamworks-pictures-ghost-in-the-shell-is-in-production-i/10154147848862072), critics, including actresses Ming-Na Wen and Constance Wu, slammed filmmakers on the “whitewashing” of the lead role, which they say should have been given to an Asian actor. “Nothing against Scarlett Johansson. In fact, I’m a big fan. But everything against this Whitewashing of Asian role,” Ming-Na Wen, who stars in _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._, wrote on Twitter. > [](https://twitter.com/MingNa/status/720629012180123648) “It’s like way to reduce race to mere (physical) appearance as opposed to say culture, social experience, identity, history,” _Fresh Off the Boat_ actress Constance Wu tweeted. > [](https://twitter.com/ConstanceWu/status/721098575896129536) Fans previously launched a petition against the film after Johansson’s casting was announced in January 2015. The most recent comments from Asian actors came after Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures posted a photo of Johansson, triggering a flurry of backlash that worsened when a [report](http://screencrush.com/ghost-in-the-shell-whitewashing-scarlett-johnasson-vfx/) suggested that _Ghost in the Shell_ producers may have tested visual effects that would make white actors appear Asian. In response to the report, Paramount said “absolutely no visual effects tests were conducted on Scarlett’s character.” The fury also follows a series of incidents in which white actors were cast to play Asians, including in _The Last Airbender_ and _Doctor Strange_. Last year, Cameron Crowe’s movie _Aloha_ received criticism when Emma Stone was cast as Allison Ng, who is supposed to be part Hawaiian and Chinese. Stone later told an [Australian news site](http://mobile.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/emma-stone-ive-become-the-butt-of-many-jokes/story-e6frfmw0-1227440086002) that the controversy taught her about whitewashing’s frequency in Hollywood. “I’ve learned on a macro level about the insane history of whitewashing in Hollywood and how prevalent the problem truly is,” [she said](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/17/emma-stone-admits-her-casting-in-aloha-was-misguided). Crowe [issued a “heart-felt apology”](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/06/03/cameron-crowe-apologizes-for-casting-emma-stone-in-whitewashed-aloha/) to those who were upset by Stone’s casting. That problem reared its head earlier this year during the Oscars when host Chris Rock was slammed over his skit stereotyping Asians. [He paraded three Asian children on stage](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/movies/chris-rocks-asian-joke-at-oscars-provokes-backlash.html?%5Fr=0) with tuxedos and briefcases and introduced them as “dedicated, accurate and hard-working” accountants named “Ming Zhu, Bao Ling and David Moskowitz.” A [study](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/22/467665890/hollywood-has-a-major-diversity-problem-usc-study-finds) released in February found that the data backed critics’ concerns about diversity in Hollywood. Researchers at the University of Southern California had analyzed more than 21,000 characters and behind-the-scenes workers on more than 400 films and TV shows released between September 2014 and August 2015\. Half of the productions they analyzed had no Asian speaking characters, according to the study, and only about 28% of characters with dialogue were from non-white racial groups. 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