Heh, I was reading the pasted paragraph and wondering why Michelle Yeoh would be a language problem, as her English is at least passable, but then I remembered there was the rest of the cast for her to try and communicate with....

I think Michelle's English is more than passable -- she's fluent.

Language problems on the set aside, I'm wondering what's the big difference between a Chinese actress playing a Japanese character and, say, a Spanish actress playing an Italian character?

Or a Welsh actress playing an Hispanic character.

Signed,
Took me a while after Mask of Zorro to realize Catherine Zeta-Jones was not Hispanic, despite the complete lack of appropriate accent.

I'm wondering what's the big difference between a Chinese actress playing a Japanese character and, say, a Spanish actress playing an Italian character?

I think the difference might be huge if you're Italian or Japanese.

I don't think there's any more virtue to casting Zhang than there would be to casting, say, Lucy Liu. But I don't know which meaning of Asian they're using. It just seems they're pleased with themselves for reasons I can't determine.

I think the difference might be huge if you're Italian or Japanese.

Is it? I mean, aren't European actors sometimes cast as other nationalities in European films? I can't think of any specific examples, however, so they may not be, but I thought I'd seen it done.

Of course, there's always casting an Englishman to play Gandhi, but as I recall, there was some huffing over that one.

I don't think there's any more virtue to casting Zhang than there would be to casting, say, Lucy Liu.

Nor do I, but I also don't see the crime in casting Liu given that it is an American production. Should I?

there's always casting an Englishman to play Gandhi, but as I recall, there was some huffing over that one.

I thought Kingsley was half Indian.

I thought Kingsley was half Indian.

That's what his IMDb Bio says.

I mean, aren't European actors sometimes cast as other nationalities in European films?

Probably. But when they cast Americans as Jamaicans (and I'm talking better accents than Kendra's) we get a little huffy -- we got good actors too, you know. (though Don Cheadle can be Bond -- don't get me wrong here)

I also don't see the crime in casting Liu given that it is an American production. Should I?

If it were a Japanese production, I still wouldn't think it a crime.

In the end, it is about the quality of what the cast produces. Which is precisely why I'm wondering why they're so proud of themselves. An American production of a book written by a gaijin -- and a pan-Asian cast is -- well, if they mean racially it's pragmatic. If they mean by nationality -- I think Japanese has some purist virtue, especially to the Japanese. Pan-Asian has little to none.

Movie could still suck.

Nor do I, but I also don't see the crime in casting Liu given that it is an American production. Should I?

I dislike having the stereotype of all Asians looking alike to Americans being confirmed by the apparent back-patting going on within the production. It'd be one thing if they were saying "We think that Zhang Ziyi is truly the best actress to play this character, regardless of ethnicity," but that's not the impression I get from the blurb.