Race Substitution: Was there really no one else at the audition?

Oh, race substituting. The awkward cousin of race lifting that tries so darn hard to deny relation to racism in TV or Hollywood. Don't think you can get away. Race substituting isn't exactly race lifting, but it's very similar. We've all seen it before--some Japanese female character turns out to be portrayed by a Chinese actress, prompting us to groan and wonder if there really weren't any Japanese actresses who auditioned for the role. However, unlike race lifting, I am a bit more forgiving towards race substitution.




One of the most infamous examples of race substitution was in Memoirs of a Geisha, where all of the lead female roles were portrayed by Chinese actresses. The story is (shockingly) about the life of a young girl as she grows up into a famous geisha to reunite with her true love. It's a very Japanese story that (allegedly) reveals the darker side of the Japanese geisha system, so it should be pretty offensive for three Japanese roles to go to Chinese actors, right? I don't think so. Zhang Ziyi, the lead star of the movie, explained that the director's casting decision was based purely on ability. According to Memoirs of a Geisha's director, his priority is "casting someone he believes is appropriate for a role" and he felt that the geisha role would be a challenge for anyone, "because almost nobody today knows what that means--not even the Japanese actors on the film" and chose Zhang Ziyi for her acting and dancing ability. Zhang Ziyi noted that the role was extremely demanding for anyone, regardless of nationality.




Meanwhile, film critic Roger Ebert had a different idea, suggesting that the Chinese actresses were specifically chosen for their fame. He points out that even though the film was made by a Japanese-owned company, the Chinese stars of the film "are not only great beauties and gifted actresses, but box office dynamite. Even in Japan, Zhang and Li outgross any Japanese actress" and guarantee success for a film. If you run a film company and want to make an internationally-successful film, then choosing internationally-successful (all of the actresses speak fluent English and have had films that were popular in America, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) actresses who "outgross any Japanese actress even in Japan" is a no-brainer.




In addition, I believe that most of the rage directed towards race substitution is about Asian roles. Danish-American actress Scarlet Johansson plays Russian heroine Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Where is the call to arms for racial accuracy in Hollywood for European or American roles? The distinction between actors of European descent is far weaker than Asian actors, and no one would bat an eye if a English-American actor played a French character. But this isn't a case of 'all look same'. The audience is more accepting of race substitution in this case because they are willing to put that aside and focus on the actors' performances. This isn't dismissing the race of the actor vs his role. It's accepting minute imperfections for box office gain and more capable actors. As long as the actor can convincingly portray his role, then what's the problem?