Jordan Hoffman with UGO.com was contacted recently by The Last Airbender producer Frank Marshall, to clarify the insensitive casting calls, and the race of the characters in general.
“agree[s] that this casting notice was poorly worded and offensive. However, it was not written nor distributed by the production, or the studio, but by a local extra casting entity that did not consult with either. “Ultimately, we all take responsibility for not doing a more thorough job monitoring these frequently used third-party agents and Paramount has since been in regular dialogue with Asian American advocacy groups including the Japanese American Citizens League and the Media Action Network for Asian Americans to ensure that such a mistake does not happen in the future.”
Marshall also produced the original casting breakdowns as they were first made available.
Tags: airbender, avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Frank Marshall
April 8, 2010 at 6:45 pm |
Does this mean they are finally starting to take the complaints seriously? Worried that they’ve alienated too large a portion of the fandom?
April 9, 2010 at 1:45 am |
It just means that they found out someone made a boo-boo. But other than that, no.
April 21, 2010 at 10:08 pm
So you’re implying there was nothing wrong with Rosa Park having to ride in the rear, but they had to change it and apologize because someone made a boo-boo about it?
OK.
LOL…
April 12, 2010 at 12:24 pm |
They take the complaints seriously; they just don’t think the people complaining are using any logic in their complaints lol. In all honesty I have only heard 2 people (out MANY complainers) who actually used good logic in their complaints.
April 8, 2010 at 7:31 pm |
I told you so. Someone just used the standard calls from years ago.
I honestly feel bad for M. Night in all this. Poor man’s been called everything from a pawn to a self-loathing Indian who holds white men higher than his own ethnicity over all this crap. Frankly, someone owes at least him some apologies.
April 9, 2010 at 8:29 pm |
Ditto, I feel the same about him too. Unfortunately the boycotters will never apologize and say that he made this up.
April 9, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Hey Renara, just because you disagree with us doesn’t mean that we’re evil people … I wasn’t happy about the race stuff but now I see that it was a mistake and that M. Night wasn’t responsible for it. So try to be a bit more open-minded next time you make a generalization like that
April 12, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Well actually Renara was quite correct; most (if not all) the boycotters will not apologize, because most (if not all) are acting purely on emotional reasoning and have not taken time to look at all the facts. Granted, there exist some rare people who actually HAVE looked at all the facts; perhaps you are one of them?
April 12, 2010 at 3:11 pm
@FotO I have yet to see them use logic, I’m sorry. The best I ever see is “Well sinc it happened in the past, it’s clearly happening now, and the director is the white man’s pawn and most likely enjoys it.”
Plus I ot called a Neo-Nazi by one of them as well as had many racist terms flung at me as well… oh, but I forgot, they say that they can’t be racist toward me. White Guilt, y’see. Even though I’m not fully white, but hey…
And this came from the group’s OFFICIAL YouTube channel, no less.
April 8, 2010 at 11:06 pm |
Yeah. M. Night Deserves better. I don’t think it’s possible to find a man so commited to making this movie.
April 9, 2010 at 8:30 pm |
I know! No producer is THIS devoted to something that they’re making a movie on.
April 9, 2010 at 2:56 am |
srsly. everyone just needs to get off the race bending stuff. this is an adaptation of the tv show, not an exact replica. sheesh -_-
April 9, 2010 at 8:29 pm |
My thoughts exactly
April 9, 2010 at 9:32 am |
Yeah poor M. Night this could really be his big break yet people are putting him down all the time. He generally is trying his best to make a good movie people need to seriously give him a break!
April 13, 2010 at 4:34 pm |
This movie is going to be amazing. Even in the description of the character, you can find a passion in that. Not sure who wrote this, but whoever told them to has obviously seen the show. I like Zuko’s description and think Dev is an adorable boy to play him. Katara seems to be portrayed correctly. Even the ANGRY OLD MAN ROLE has a story behind him. I think M. Night has always put serious thought into this movie. I am excited for it!! I really think it’ll be good and sort of stay true to the series as much as it can. I see so many similarites already and what we know to be removed seems to have been for the better. At least for this first part. The loss of King Bummi, June, and Jong Jong is saddening, but it makes more sense to be to have them in the Earth and Fire movies rather than now. There is too much exposition for this first part to have too many characters. I think the trilogy will do the series justice with M. Night behind it . . . if not, then fine. I suppose we’ll have a few Racebenders blaming it o nwhite people. Just joking, I hope! lol!
I love Dev and Zuko. Together is just . . . ;D
Tori
April 13, 2010 at 5:01 pm |
Nothing in the casting on Aang says his most iconic characteristic(s)..Humor, childish, funny, or otherwise goofy… W/e
April 13, 2010 at 7:46 pm |
Though I understand about the need for Asian actors, I feel there was no real racial disscrimination in the casting. Racebenders should just shut up if most of them aren’t ever going to be satisfied. Dev Patel is Indian; what’s wrong with that?
And I don’t get why Zuko is getting hate all of a sudden. What, its okay for a white person to play an evil character, but it’s suddenly this HUGE deal for an Indian actor? Jeez, people Zuko’s such a great, wonderful, and DYNAMIC character! All this crap about audience hating Indians suddenly because they mostly play villians is BS to me. It makes no sense, and seems to be a purely emotional assumption. Who would hate a race just because an ACTOR plays a certain character? Plus, all these so-called ‘fans’ obviously don’t understand Zuko. He is not EVIL. He is a victum, same as his sister, only in a different light. They were both damnaged by Ozai in some way. Azula also seems to suffer from Narrsasistic Personality Disorder or perhaps she is a sociopath (she seems, other than not being 18 yet, to with the critera for diagnosis). What, are the Racebenders going to claim that Azula can’t be a sociopath because she’s Indian i nthe movie and people will think all Indians are this way? I just don’t understand why they make such a big deal about it all, when I happen to love Dev Patel and Zuko.
April 14, 2010 at 7:05 pm |
I agree with you Tori… all the people i talk to say that Zuko is there favorite character! I personally don’t agree with the white-washing comments. All these people have to do is read the description of the characters on that sheet to realize that, although CULTURE is a huge part of the story, RACE doesn’t make the characters. Just my opinion
April 15, 2010 at 2:05 pm |
Oh thank you Erin, for saying that.
Yes, to capture the culture in a movie is significantly different than having to involve a race; for instance– a movie about world war 2 could have british people playing the roles of nazis, or have someone who’s half Chinese playing as a frenchman, if he looks the part. Like I try to say; in movies, where you’re from shouldn’t matter, but rather what you look like. The fact that someone playing the role of a wizard was actually born in Pittsburgh shouldn’t make the movie any less important, just as the fact that someone playing the avatar is from the United States shouldn’t make a difference, so long as they look like the character. The main gift of an actor is stepping into someone else’s shoes, and being someone else. For fans to try to use an actor’s history as an excuse for why they are not fitting for a movie regardless of talent is just a closed-minded attempt at elevating their own biases. 
This is why I support M Night’s choices; because he looked past the personal biases of the ignorant and made his choices for better reasons (such as having various nations portrayed by various races, rather than the entire world being chinese; it gives more of an international feel. He was also very wise in putting his own race as the “enemy” so that people could not blame him for racism, for there are many ignorant people out there who want to blame every little thing on racism, and would surely have given him endless grief about it, just as ignorant people are at the moment complaining about casting choices)
April 27, 2010 at 4:27 am |
I don’t buy it.
You seriously believe that it took 2 freakin years to address this?! For them to NOW NOTICE how annoyed people were and people constantly asking for a explanation?
The print of “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” still stings for most people. If that document was wrong, then DURR it should have been quickly corrected and addressed, not left hanging around for months. And Rickets (korean = kimono) just further proves that there was no interest in facing the problem. Even the creators of the show backed down when it came to this; they even stated outright that they didn’t want people coming to them about the race issues.
So I call that document up there bogus and a bad cover up.
April 27, 2010 at 2:52 pm |
Teehee, yeah, clearly because they wanted to stop being harassed for a cast they didn’t pick, they were decrying it as racist.
Maybe certain jackasses should learn not to harass and threaten people?
Besides which, there’s been documentation out for quite a while now, casting calls which had no statement of “Caucasian or any other ethnicity”, so to suggest this is new is foolish. He’s just finally tossing you people a bone to get off the backs of good people.
Now stop being butthurt over a single stupid phrase, drop the conspiracy crap and enjoy the movie.
I know I will.
July 7, 2010 at 6:34 am
Enjoy the movie beardofpower
pfft
May 3, 2010 at 9:29 pm |
They’re actors. Get over this already and don’t be so emotinal. There’s nothing wrong with an Indain playing an awesome, sweetly wonderful antagonist-turned-hero!!!!!!!!!! Leave the 12 year-old alone too. the only thing that bothers me is that stupid Korean = kimmoto comment. NOw THAT was racist even if it was joking. Not sure if it was.
Anyway, Dev Patel is a great actor; he’ll convey Zuko’s internal strife well, which is his biggerest character element.