Matt Damon finally responds to The Great Wall 'WHITEWASHING' controversy
THE GREAT WALL star Matt Damon has addressed accusations his new movie is guilty of whitewashing its cast.
Matt damon defends The Great Wall of China in first trailer
Matt Damon has responded to accusations of whitewashing the cast of The Great Wall
Back in July the first trailer for the fantasy epic landed online, but was met with quite the backlash on social media.
The teaser showed Damon dressed in medieval Chinese clothing assisting the Wall’s defences from monster attacks.
Some fans accused the film of being another Hollywood example of a white man saving another race.
The Great Wall poster
One wrote on Facebook: “It feels completely wrong.
“The white guy saving the ancient China, atop of one of the major symbols of Chinese history, directed by a Chinese dude.”
While others thought the accusations were ridiculous.
A fan tweeted: “A big budget American movie is going to cast American stars to make money.”
Since the uproar, Damon has responded at a New York Comic Con press conference.
Damon, the director and cast at a Chinese press conference
He said: “Yeah, it was a f***ing bummer.
“I had a few reactions. I think I was surprised, I guess, because it was based on a teaser.
“It wasn’t even a full trailer, let alone the movie. So, to get those charges levied against you…what bums me out actually is that I read The Atlantic religiously.
"And there was an article in The Atlantic, [so] I was like really guys? To me whitewashing, I think of Chuck Connors when he played Geronimo…there are far more nuanced versions of it and I do try to be sensitive to that.”
The star also revealed how his co-star Pedro Pascal had attempted to make light of the situation.
Damon revealed that Pascal said: “‘Yeah, we are guilty of whitewashing.
“‘We all know only the Chinese defended The Wall against the monster, [but]…it was nice to react a little sarcastically ‘cause we were wounded by it.
“‘You know, we do take that seriously. That’s a serious thing.’”
Damon pointed out the film is a co-production between the US and China
Pascal himself added: “We don’t want people to be kept from work that they wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise to see it, [which] is very specifically Chinese.
“It is a creature feature. It’s a big, fantastical, popcorn entertainment movie, but it has a visual style that is very in its own way [Chinese].”
Damon also pointed out the film is a co-production between the US and China, with Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
The film’s latest trailer gave more of a backstory to Damon’s character, as a visitor from a far off land, rather than a Chinese part as some suspected.
The Great Wall is released in UK cinemas February 24, 2017.