The Martian (2015) is widely considered to be one of the best movies in the sci-fi genre. The movie was praised for its engaging storytelling, visual effects, and star-studded cast. Matt Damon’s performance in the movie was outstanding and he earned several nominations.
Not only Damon, but the rest of the cast also gave their 100% leading to the success of the movie, however, the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA) was not happy with the casting of two stars in the movie. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir and the organization pointed out that the stars who played the role of Mindy Park and Venkat Kapoor did not fit the description of the character that was described in the novel.
The Martian was released in 2015
Ridley Scott’s 2015 movie, The Martian, was a commercial success. Thanks to 2013’s Gravity, the hype for such sci-fi films was over the roof. The movie was based on a novel written by Andy Weir of the same name.
The movie featured some big stars of Hollywood like Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, and Kristen Wiig. The movie also featured British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and Canadian actress Mackenzie Davis. Their casting became the center of attention as Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA) called their casting an attempt at “racebending.”
The casting choices were criticized
Back in 2015, Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA) claimed that as per Andy Weir’s novel, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character, Vincent Kapoor, was an Asian Indian character. Not just this, they also pointed out that Mackenzie Davis’ character, Mindy Park was described by author Andy Weir as Korean-American.
They accused the creators of racebending and claimed that Asian actors lack representation in Hollywood and this casting only made things worse.
Author Andy Weir acknowledged the allegation
Author Andy Weir appeared for an interview with MTV News at Toronto International Film Festival and explained that he never described his characters in detail,
“Unless a physical description is somehow relevant to the plot, OK, you know he’s missing a leg — something like that, but unless it’s like really important to the plot then I don’t physically describe my characters at all,” further adding, “He’s an American. Americans come from lots of different sources! You can be Venkat Kapoor and black.”
The Martian was a cultural phenomenon. The film’s story of resilience, problem-solving, and human ingenuity impressed viewers around the world.
Source: MTV News
