Whitewashing in film

White actor Mickey Rooney wore yellowface to portray I. Y. Yunioshi, a Japanese landlord, in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Whitewashing is a casting practice in the film industry in which white actors are cast in non-white roles.[1] As defined by Merriam-Webster, to whitewash is "to alter...in a way that favors, features, or caters to white people: such as...casting a white performer in a role based on a nonwhite person or fictional character."[2] According to the BBC, films in which white actors have played other races include all genres. African-American roles and roles of Asian descent have been whitewashed, as well as characters from the ancient world in the genre of classical and mythological films.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference brook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Whitewash". m-w.com. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hollywood and the Whitewashing of History". CounterPunch.org. July 17, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2022.