Matt Damon’s film The Great Wall faces Twitter backlash over whitewashing claims

Actress Constance Wu accused Hollywood of 'perpetuating racist myths'
Backlash: Matt Damon as a soldier in the fantasy film
Emma Powell1 August 2016
The Weekender

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Matt Damon’s latest film The Great Wall has been accused of whitewashing Chinese history.

The fantasy film faced a huge backlash on Twitter over Damon’s role as a soldier who defends the iconic landmark from mysterious monsters.

Following the trailer release, people mocked the casting and questioned whether the film is a “joke”.

Others re-imagined Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan on the posters of Damon’s biggest films.

Taiwanese-American actress Constance Wu accused Hollywood of “perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world”.

In a lengthy Twitter post she wrote: "We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world. It's not based in actual fact," she wrote. "Our heroes don't look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time."

The Fresh Off the Boat actress continued: “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi, Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time.

“We don’t need salvation. We like our colour and our culture and our strengths and our own stories.”

The Great Wall is the latest film to spark the diversity debate. Tilda Swinton casting as the Tibetan Ancient One in Doctor Strange and Scarlett Johansson as The Major in Ghost in the Shell proved controversial.

A petition has also been launched to prevent Leonardo DiCaprio from being cast as the Persian poet, Rumi.

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