As you may have heard, there’s been a fair bit of controversy/whining on social media about the decision to cast Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange. The comic books have typically portrayed the character as being an elderly Asian man (and something of a racist stereotype), but the actress being cast in the role apparently equals whitewashing.
Asked to comment on that in a recent interview, she said: “The script that I was presented with did not feature an Asian man for me to play, so that was never a question when I was being asked to do it. It all will be revealed when you see the film, I think. There are very great reasons for us to feel very settled and confident with the decisions that were made.”
It’s hard to argue with that, and it really does sound like this is a completely new take on the character, something which shouldn’t be too hard to deliver considering the fact that The Ancient One isn’t exactly the most well developed member of Doctor Strange’s supporting cast. Of course, Swinton isn’t the only Marvel actor to come under fire for “whitewashing” lately as Scarlett Johansson’s role in Ghost in the Shell has also been heavily criticised.
Regardless, Swinton went on to express her excitement about appearing in Doctor Strange, and it definitely sounds like we’re in for a treat this November. “We’re all really looking forward to seeing that film, myself included. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s made of what we’ve done. We’re feeling really excited and it was a good feeling to make it.”
