3. The Martian Is Criticised For Casting Mackenzie Davis As A Korean Character & Chiwetel Ejiofor As An Indian Character
Ridley Scott doesn't have a great history with "whitewashing" accusations - his previous film, Exodus: Gods And Kings, pretty much defined Hollywood's favourite pastime in its casting of several white actors as Egyptians. The movie was eventually banned in Egypt. You'd think, then, that Scott would have been a bit more careful when it came to casting the roles in his recent film, The Martian, which is otherwise brilliant. Though The Martian is a great adaptation of the book on which it is based (some would argue that it's even better than the book, this writer included), it does take a few liberties with the characters. Two notable examples: the first in Scott's decision to cast actress Mackenzie Davis as NASA employee Mindy Park, a character who author Andy Weir said he had personally imagined to be of "Korean descent." Mackenzie Davis, however, is white and blonde. In Scott's defence, Mindy's race isn't actually stated outright in the novel, though that fact didn't prevent people from attacking The Martian on the grounds of perceived racism. The second example concerns Chiwetel Ejiofor's character, one "Vincent Kapoor," a character who - in the original book - was actually called "Venkat Kapoor" and was of Indian decent. Ejiofor, on the other hand, is an English actor of Nigerian decent. These changes peeved many fans and sparked accusations of prejudice in The Martian's casting.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
