10 Most Awkward Instances Of Hollywood Whitewashing

8. John Wayne - Genghis Khan - The Conqueror

One of Hollywood's most notably clumsy examples of whitewashing can be glimpsed in the 1956 film The Conqueror, in which John Wayne - yes, the John Wayne of countless western pictures - took it upon himself to play Genghis Khan in a super ill-judged biopic. The results, as one might imagine, were horrific. Not only does Wayne imbue the Mongol conqueror with the same mannerisms he pretty much inflicted upon every other character he ever played across the span of his career (read as: very few), he's clad in awkward "yellowface" make-up which ensures that watching this movie is just about the most uncomfortable cinematic experience imaginable. What's worse is that, in 1956, Wayne was at the height of his career and could have pretty much mounted any project he wanted; why he choose this malarky is anybody's business. To add an even darker turn to proceedings, The Conqueror was also shot on a nuclear testing ground and many of the cast and crew later died from cancer as a result.