9. Aloha Is Accused Of "Whitewashing" For Casting Emma Stone As A ¼ Hawaiian
Cameron Crowe's latest film, Aloha, did not make a very good impression at the box office. It was savaged by critics and failed to pull in a major audience - not to mention it was called out for its perceived "Hollywood whitewashing," namely in its casting of actress Emma Stone as a "quarter Hawaiian and quarter Chinese" character named Allison Ng. Yes, unsurprisingly many were peeved that Crowe decided to cast Stone in the part of a character with a mixed heritage background, given that she's about as all-American as humanly possible. The MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian American) also had a problem with the amount of white people in Aloha generally, calling the film an insult to Hawaii:
"Caucasians only make up 30% of the population, but from watching this film, youd think they made up 99%. This comes in a long line of films that use Hawaii for its exotic backdrop but goes out of its way to exclude the very people who live there. Its an insult to the diverse culture and fabric of Hawaii.
Crowe eventually apologised for casting Stone, saying: "I have heard your words and your disappointment, and I offer you a heart-felt apology to all who felt this was an odd or misguided casting choice," reasoning that he originally based Allison on a real person.