Sky Arts; Getty ImagesCasting can always be tricky when a film or TV show is up against a zealous fandom.
When an actor or actress is selected that doesn't quite meet up to the fans' image, or if the selection seems outright ridiculous, the Internet will speak up. The latest casting decision to go up in flames is Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson. Stills released earlier this week instantly went viral, and both Paris Jackson and Taj Jackson spoke out about them.
"I'm so incredibly offended by it, as I'm sure plenty of people are as well, and it honestly makes me want to vomit," Paris tweeted.
This is hardly the first time Hollywood has found itself in a pickle following casting news. Here are TK other choices that have received backlash:
1. When Latina actress Zoe Saldana was cast as iconic blues musician Nina Simone, the criticism from both fans and the family of the late musician was fierce. The actress had to defend herself and her heritage in an interview with Allure.
"There's no one way to be black," she said. "I'm black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I'm raising black men. Don't you ever think you can look at me and address me with such disdain."
2. Emma Stone was cast in the movie Aloha to play Allison Ng, a character who is one-fourth Asian. Director Cameron Crowe addressed the "whitewashing" head on in a blog post. "I have heard your words and your disappointment, and I offer you a heart-felt apology to all who felt this was an odd or misguided casting choice," he writes, adding that Ng was meant to represent "a super-proud ¼ Hawaiian who was frustrated that, by all outward appearances, she looked nothing like one," and that she was "based on a real-life red-headed local."
3. When Johnny Depp was first cast in Disney's The Lone Ranger, many fans thought he would play the masked lawman. When news broke that he was playing Tonto, a Native American, the backlash was severe. Depp insisted on playing the role, hoping to do away with stereotypes in Hollywood.
4. A Ghost in the Shell producer had to defend casting Scarlett Johansson in an Asian role. Producer Steven Paul was accused of "whitewashing" after changing the character's name from Motoko Kusanagi to The Major. "I don't think it was just a Japanese story. Ghost in the Shell was a very international story, and it wasn't just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world," he explained to Buzzfeed News.
5. Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Christian Bale's casting in Exodus: Gods and Kings was panned enough that it was banned from releasing in Egypt for "historical inaccuracies" and "whitewashing."
Critics pointed out that black members of the cast were put in roles such as servants, assassins and thieves. Edgerton, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Australian played legendary Ramesses, was made to appear more Egyptian with heavy makeup and eyeliner.