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The new Lilo & Stitch remake is in some troubled waters due to the controversial casting choice of Sydney Agudong. Disney has reportedly signed Sydney Agudong to play the role of Lilo’s older sister in Lilo & Stitch, Nani, who is a dark-skinned character. It is worth noting that Sydney is a native of Kaua'i, Hawaii, but people seem to have an issue with her as they claim that her skin tone doesn't match that of Nani.
However, the Lilo & Stich remake isn’t the first Disney film that is facing controversy for its casting choices. People have taken to social media to point out that this has become a pattern with Disney to make casting choices that are controversial or cause discussions online.
Previously, it was the company's decision to cast Naomi Scott in Aladdin as Jasmine that left people furious. More recently, it was Halle Bailey's casting in The Little Mermaid as the white mermaid Ariel that has led to a lot of online debates.
However, that still wasn't all as there are other ventures that also received flak from viewers for their casting. Johnny Depp was called out for his role in The Lone Ranger, where he portrayed a Native American. Similarly, Ben Kingsley sparked controversy when he played the role of Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Fans had wanted a Chinese actor to play the role for the character to look more authentic and close to the comics.
It is not just Disney, with Lilo & Stitch and many of its movies. Hollywood altogether has made many casting choices over the years that are questionable. While some of the choices were called out extensively, others have slowly fizzled out over time.
Sydney Agudong in Lilo & Stitch and 4 controversial casting choices that sparked debates among netizens
1) Sydney Agudong in Lilo & Stitch
The character of Nani in Lilo & Stitch, has prominent ethnic features, including black hair and a darker skin tone in the original animated movie. However, the casting of Sydney Agudong in Lilo & Stitch, who is of a much lighter skin tone, has created discussions across social media. Fans are accusing Disney of whitewashing the character.
The actress is biracial and a native Hawaiian of Filipino descent who grew up on Kaua'i, a Hawaiian island. Although the casting choice of Lilo & Stitch is yet to be confirmed by Disney, it has still not weathered the storm.
Many, however, came in support of Sydney Agudong, saying that both the character and the actress playing it in Lilo & Stitch remake is of Hawaiian roots. Others have taken to Twitter to say that they hope that the casting of Lilo & Stitch was not made because Sydney is white passing or conforms to Eurocentric beauty standards.
Only time will tell what decision gets finalized with this project and whether Disney will listen to their fans.
2) Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Historically, the LGBTQIA+ community is one of the most oppressed and under-represented groups of people. While the situation in the entertainment industry has improved significantly, it still is quite far away from the perfect one. People have constantly called out filmmakers for casting cisgender or straight people as characters from the LGBTQIA+ community.
So, naturally, when Eddie Redmayne, a cisgender man, played the role of a trans-woman in The Danish Girl, it created huge controversy online. Many found this to be Hollywood’s attempt to capitalize on the stories of marginalized communities without any real inclusion or progressive action. Trans writer Carol Grant even went as far as to label this film as
“regressive, reductive, and contribut[ing] to harmful stereotypes."
The discourse mainly started around how the role could have easily been given to one of the many actors from the trans community. They said that casting cisgender actors to tell the story of marginalized communities just ends up profiting Hollywood without any actual contribution to the communities.
Eddie Redmayne later told the Sunday Times that although he had the best intentions, the casting choice was a mistake. He said:
“...many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a levelling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates."
3) Maddie Ziegler in Music
Issues regarding mental health and disability come with a lot of stigma and subsequent difficulties in society. Especially when it comes to autism, society still has some harmful stereotypes around it. So, it created a huge outrage, much like Lilo & Stitch, when Sia cast a neurotypical Maddie Ziegler in Music instead of a neurodivergent or autistic actor.
Instead of backing down or apologizing for her decision, Sia doubled down on critics, saying they had no idea what went behind the curtains. She also added that it was a feature film, not a documentary.
The controversy did not end there. When a Twitter user said that several autistic actors had offered to play the role and that they all said they could have done it on a short notice. The user also added that there was zero effort made by the production to include autist people.
However, Sia responded to the tweet saying that the user wasn't cast because they were probably a "bad actor."
The controversy did not go away even after the release. Although it managed to bag two Golden Globe nominations, the movie was heavily criticized for the stereotypical portrayal of autistic people.
4) Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell
The movie Ghost in the Shell was adapted from a Japanese manga. So, it created a huge controversy, like in Lilo & Stitch when Scarlett Johansson was cast as the Japanese character Motoko Kusanagi.
Many media outlets brought out instances of Hollywood whitewashing Asian characters in the movies. Many viewers felt this was Hollywood’s way of disregarding many Japanese actresses who have done a great job in their industry. Even celebrities like Constance Wu pointed out that the choice wasn't a particularly good one.
However, producer Steven Paul did not back down on his decision and instead said:
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it. There [are] all sorts of people and nationalities in the world in Ghost in the Shell.”
While the film had a few nominations and awards to its name, it was the controversy that netizens still remember the film by.
5) Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid
The movie created a storm of outrage that was hardly ever been seen before. Ariel was a white character in Disney animations. So, when the black actress Halle Bailey was cast to portray Ariel, many could not wrap their heads around it, much like Lilo & Stitch.
However, the situation is a bit different than Lilo & Stitch as Nani is a human character, whereas Ariel the mermaid is a fictional being with no ties to the real world.
This time, many applauded Disney for making inclusive choices. Disney has been accused of whitewashing many times before, but this time, the tide was in their favor from people in colored and other communities.
However, much like Lilo & Stitch, The Little Mermaid did see some people hating on it for going against the animations.
Hollywood has made some questionable casting choices over the decades, and Lilo & Stitch controversy barely scratches the surface. However, there have also been instances of inclusion.
Pose is one such TV series with over 50 LGBTQ characters played by actual LGBTQ actors. Halle Bailey as the black Little Mermaid by Disney was also welcomed with open arms by many in the black community who felt seen.
Only time will tell whether Disney learns from the Lilo & Stitch controversy and decides to do better next time.
