Scarlett Johansson ranks among one of the highest-grossing actors in Hollywood, thanks to her performance as Black Widow in the Avengers films and the wider MCU. Despite achieving critical and commercial success, her casting in the 2017 sci-fi film Ghost in the Shell, which sparked a controversy over whitewashing, remains one of the lowest points in Johansson’s career.
However, long before Johansson’s whitewashing controversy, another Avengers star found himself in a similar situation. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch appeared in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness but was also embroiled in a whitewashing controversy. He was cast to play the role of iconic villain Khan Noonien Singh and here is how Cumberbatch emerged from the gig.
Avengers Star Benedict Cumberbatch Was Cast as a Whitewashed Character in Star Trek
Benedict Cumberbatch is known for essaying iconic characters such as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock and Doctor Strange in the MCU. However, the British actor also played one of the most iconic villains in the Star Trek franchise.
In 2013, Cumberbatch appeared as Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness. However, in the character’s original appearance in the television series, he was depicted as a person of color, particularly of Indian origin. The character was played by Mexican actor Ricardo Montalbán in the original series.
In a Reddit thread, fans discussed Cumberbatch’s casting in the role and the resulting controversy, with the original poster arguing that the casting choice did not receive enough criticism. However, user @Never_a_crumb pointed out that Cumberbatch’s casting was one of the biggest issues fans had with the movie. They wrote:
I remember this was one of the big issues people had,along with the creators insisting that there was nothing to worry about because it was a character named William Harrison.
The user suggested that while the whitewashing of Khan was a major controversy, but the producers tried to downplay it with the twist which hid the character’s true identity for most of the movie.
Irrespective of how effective the twist was, Cumberbatch’s performance in the movie was generally well-received. The film also emerged as a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing Star Trek film of all time. As a result, it is easy to forget the whitewashing controversy because of Cumberbatch’s strong performance and the film’s success.
Unlike Benedict Cumberbatch, Ghost in the Shell Left a Dark Mark on Scarlett Johansson’s Career
In contrast to Cumberbatch, who emerged from the Star Trek whitewashing controversy relatively unscathed, actress Scarlett Johansson‘s career took a major hit with her role in Ghost in the Shell. The film is based on a Japanese manga of the same name created by Masamune Shirow.
Johansson faced accusations of whitewashing for playing a character of Japanese origin. Mamoru Oshii, the director of the original anime came forward in support of the actress, stating the allegations were baseless since the character was originally a cyborg. Nonetheless, Johansson faced hate from fans and had to come forward with a clarification.
Ghost in the Shell was a critical and commercial failure, with the casting controversy being a part of its poor reception. Furthermore, the film continues to be used as one of the most prominent examples of whitewashing in Hollywood. Thus, it has permanently tarnished Johansson’s reputation and become a dark spot in the actress’ otherwise glowing career.
Star Trek Into Darkness is streaming on Paramount+ while Ghost in the Shell can be rented on Amazon Prime Video.
