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Whitewashing in Hollywood: These Movie Characters Deserve Authentic Representation

Whitewashing in Hollywood: These Movie Characters Deserve Authentic Representation

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Whitewashing in Hollywood: These Movie Characters Deserve Authentic Representation

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Douglas Fairbanks: "The Mark of Zorro" (1920)

Courtesy of United Artists

Lon Chaney: "Mr. Wu" (1927)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Warner Oland: "Charlie Chan Carries On" (1931) and others

Courtesy of Fox Film Corporation

Nils Asther: "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" (1933)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Paul Muni: "The Good Earth" (1937)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM)

Luise Rainer: "The Good Earth" (1937)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

Peter Lorre: "Think Fast, Mr. Moto" (1937) and others

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Sidney Toler: "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (1939) and others

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Tyrone Power: "The Mark of Zorro" (1940)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Turhan Bey: "Dragon Seed" (1944)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

Katherine Hepburn: "Dragon Seed" (1944)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

Akim Tamiroff: "Dragon Seed" (1944)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

Iron Eyes Cody (Espera Oscar de Corti): "The Paleface" (1948) and others

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Rock Hudson: "Winchester '73" (1950)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Laurence Olivier: "Othello" (1965)

Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Marlon Brando: "Viva Zapata!" (1952)

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Burt Lancaster: "Apache" (1954)

Courtesy of United Artists

Yul Brynner: "The King and I" (1956)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Marlon Brando: "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Ricardo Montalban: "Sayonara" (1957)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Curd Jürgens (Curt Jurgens): "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" (1958)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Charlton Heston: "Touch of Evil" (1958)

Courtesy of Unversal Pictures

Mickey Rooney: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Natalie Wood: "West Side Story" (1961)

Courtesy of United Artists

Joseph Wiseman: "Dr. No" (1962)

Courtesy of United Artists

Anthony Quinn: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Alec Guinness: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

José Ferrer: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Elizabeth Taylor: "Cleopatra" (1963)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Peter Sellers: "The Party" (1968)

Courtesy of United Artists

Elvis Presley: "Stay Away, Joe" (1968)

Archive Photos / Getty Images

Jack Palance: "Che" (1969)

John T. Barr / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

John Gielgud: "Lost Horizon" (1973)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Max von Sydow: "Flash Gordon" (1980)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Joel Grey: "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" (1985)

Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Alfred Molina: "Not Without My Daughter" (1991)

Michael Kovac / Getty Images

Al Pacino: "Carlito's Way" (1993)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Meryl Streep: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)

Christopher Polk / Getty Images

Glenn Close: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)

Courtesy of Miramax

Jeremy Irons: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)

Courtesy of Miramax

Winona Ryder: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)

Courtesy of Miramax

Madonna: "Evita" (1996)

Vinnie Zuffante / Archive Photos via Getty Images

Anthony Hopkins: "The Mask of Zorro" (1998)

Courtesy of Tristar Pictures

Jake Gyllenhaal: "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010)

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Antonio Banderas: "Black Gold" (2011)

Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Johnny Depp: "The Lone Ranger" (2013)

Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images

Emma Stone: "Aloha" (2015)

Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Rooney Mara: "Pan" (2015)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Whitewashing in Hollywood: These Movie Characters Deserve Authentic Representation
Douglas Fairbanks: "The Mark of Zorro" (1920)
Lon Chaney: "Mr. Wu" (1927)
Warner Oland: "Charlie Chan Carries On" (1931) and others
Nils Asther: "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" (1933)
Paul Muni: "The Good Earth" (1937)
Luise Rainer: "The Good Earth" (1937)
Peter Lorre: "Think Fast, Mr. Moto" (1937) and others
Sidney Toler: "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (1939) and others
Tyrone Power: "The Mark of Zorro" (1940)
Turhan Bey: "Dragon Seed" (1944)
Katherine Hepburn: "Dragon Seed" (1944)
Akim Tamiroff: "Dragon Seed" (1944)
Iron Eyes Cody (Espera Oscar de Corti): "The Paleface" (1948) and others
Rock Hudson: "Winchester '73" (1950)
Laurence Olivier: "Othello" (1965)
Marlon Brando: "Viva Zapata!" (1952)
Burt Lancaster: "Apache" (1954)
Yul Brynner: "The King and I" (1956)
Marlon Brando: "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956)
Ricardo Montalban: "Sayonara" (1957)
Curd Jürgens (Curt Jurgens): "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" (1958)
Charlton Heston: "Touch of Evil" (1958)
Mickey Rooney: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)
Natalie Wood: "West Side Story" (1961)
Joseph Wiseman: "Dr. No" (1962)
Anthony Quinn: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)
Alec Guinness: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)
José Ferrer: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)
Elizabeth Taylor: "Cleopatra" (1963)
Peter Sellers: "The Party" (1968)
Elvis Presley: "Stay Away, Joe" (1968)
Jack Palance: "Che" (1969)
John Gielgud: "Lost Horizon" (1973)
Max von Sydow: "Flash Gordon" (1980)
Joel Grey: "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" (1985)
Alfred Molina: "Not Without My Daughter" (1991)
Al Pacino: "Carlito's Way" (1993)
Meryl Streep: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)
Glenn Close: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)
Jeremy Irons: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)
Winona Ryder: "The House of the Spirits" (1993)
Madonna: "Evita" (1996)
Anthony Hopkins: "The Mask of Zorro" (1998)
Jake Gyllenhaal: "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010)
Antonio Banderas: "Black Gold" (2011)
Mark Strong: "Black Gold" (2011)
Johnny Depp: "The Lone Ranger" (2013)
Emma Stone: "Aloha" (2015)
Rooney Mara: "Pan" (2015)

Whitewashing in Hollywood: These Movie Characters Deserve Authentic Representation

Whitewashing has left a long and uncomfortable legacy behind in Hollywood. This term refers to two potential Hollywood faux pas: changing a character's ethnicity to white during an adaptation, or casting white actors to portray non-white characters entirely. By sidelining authentic representation in favor of broader box office appeal, the act of whitewashing continues to plague Hollywood to this very day.

This casting bias dates back to the silent film era, but it is far from over. Nearly a century later, white actors are frequently offered roles that should go to performers of color. Even revered performers you'll recognize in modern cinema draw criticism for participating in these moments of cultural inaccuracy and exclusion. But what characters were played by or transformed into white people, erasing the authenticity of the role entirely?

24/7 Tempo found many notable examples of whitewashing across Hollywood's movie history. Research drew from sources including The Huffington Post, Variety, The Guardian, TheWrap, and editorial knowledge of Hollywood casting. Let's peek inside this grim history now.

This post was updated on July 30th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

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