Logo

TVWeek

Why Director Cameron Crowe Is Apologizing for His Latest Movie

Jun 3, 2015  •  Post A Comment

Oscar-winning filmmaker Cameron Crowe has issued an apology over his latest movie. The director of “Jerry Maguire,” “Almost Famous” and “Vanilla Sky” took to his blog, The Uncool, to respond to people who have taken offense to his casting for “Aloha.”

The movie has been widely panned by critics, and has sparked a couple of controversies. In his blog post, Crowe addressed complaints about his casting of Emma Stone as the one-quarter Hawaiian, one-quarter Chinese character Allison Ng.

Crowe wrote, in part: “Thank you so much for all the impassioned comments regarding the casting of the wonderful Emma Stone in the part of Allison Ng. 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. As far back as 2007, Captain Allison Ng was written to be a super-proud ¼ Hawaiian who was frustrated that, by all outward appearances, she looked nothing like one. A half-Chinese father was meant to show the surprising mix of cultures often prevalent in Hawaii. Extremely proud of her unlikely heritage, she feels personally compelled to over-explain every chance she gets. The character was based on a real-life, red-headed local who did just that.”

Crowe goes on to note that “in the same movie, we employed many Asian-American, Native-Hawaiian and Pacific-Islanders, both before and behind the camera.”

An issue has also surfaced about the film’s title, “Aloha,” with some observers complaining that people without ties to the Hawaiian language should not be using it for profit.

Crowe won an Academy Award as a screenwriter in 2001 for “Almost Famous,” and his 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire” was a Best Picture nominee.

aloha-movie poster-2015

6 Comments

  1. Perhaps all the “controversies” will get more people to see the movie. But people apparently need to be upset about something. I, for example, am VERY upset about my english muffin this morning. I feel that it is mis-representative of real english muffins and rather offensive.

  2. Crowe had nothing to apologize for. This is just catering to the political correctness crowd that is running amuck. When will the insanity end?

  3. John, you are so right. When WILL this insanity end??? Hussman, I feel your english muffin pain !!!

  4. We have a Japanese pine tree and I’m beginning to think it’s a self-hating Japanese pine tree. I caught it telling self-effacing jokes this morning. And my French cruller is trying to surrender to the left-over hummus. Someone must pay.

  5. This is great. People of color are tired of their cultures white washing characters, beliefs and customs. and, Hollywood is starting to take notice as is the marketplace in general.

  6. Hussman, John, Bill and Stevie I assume you have no problem with Denzel Washington in the lead role for the George W. Bush biopic, right. He’s a great actor and that should be enough. Representation doesn’t really matter…

    Cause that happens all the time – a real life Caucasian is portrayed by a person of color. Why is it that when people that have been marginalized for a number of years say something (anything) it’s political correctness and not just the wake up call that it should be. Every time you say political correctness ask yourself about the reverse and see if that still hold true.

Leave a Reply to John Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)