So recently, the image of Scarlett Johansson as the live-action Ghost in the Shell‘s Major Motoko Kusanagi was released, and the response from fans of the anime/manga worldwide were pretty mixed. Some were just happy to see hints of the live-action version finally being shown, but many have voiced their unhappiness of what is seen as the whitewashing of a beloved Japanese character.
Many contend that there are plenty of Asian actresses that would have fit the bill and the casting of Scarlett Johansson only goes to show that Hollywood still has a long way to go when it comes to diversity in its cast. We could go on about this issue, but that is another story.
Instead, what we’re going to do is list down a few Asian Actresses that could have been a better alternative for the role of Major Kusanagi in the movie.
1. Rinko Kikuchi
Rinko Kikuchi is a definite, must mention for the role. Aside from the fact that she’s Japanese, she has a couple of other stuff in her CV that would make her great for the role.
She can definitely chop it for the action scenes based on what we’ve seen in Pacific Rim and when it comes to acting, please, she’s a freaking Oscar Nominee. There is also one more thing that would make her a great fit, her experience in anime/manga adaptations.
She’s been in the live-action adaptations for Liar Game 2, Gu-Gu Datte Neko de Aru and Moteki. And if that isn’t enough, she’s also done voice work for Ghost in the Shell anime’s director Mamoruu Oshii’s Sky Crawlers, which will likely make her familiar with the material.
