#StarringJohnCho Goes Viral Bashing Hollywood’s Whitewashing

#StarringJohnCho is going viral but, will it change anything?

Following the announcement of Tilda Swinton’s role in Doctor Strange, Asian-American actors, models and fans have united together to stand-up against Hollywood’s history of whitewashing. In an effort to increase diversity, Asian-Americans took to Twitter to imagine a world in which Asian Americans are the leading men in movies.

@StarringJohnCho has been tweeting film posters that have been photoshopped to feature Asian-American actor John Cho. For example, he was Captain America in The Avengers, James Bond in Spectre and replaced Sam Calaflin in the upcoming Emilia Clarke movie Me Before You. The campaign has gone viral during a span of a few hours and Hollywood critics say it’s an effort to change the perception of Asian Americans in Hollywood. “The goal was to spark discussion and get people to question [themselves],” Yu tells the Hollywood Reporter. “If you’re laughing at John Cho as James Bond, why does that seem so outrageous?”

Yu says that seeing Asian Americans in lead roles has ramifications beyond entertainment. “If I don’t see someone who looks like me being the leader, the captain, the person who is providing strength and courage to the people around them, it’s hard to think, ‘Oh, those are the traits that I can have, and that’s the type of person I can embody,'” he says. “It’s about how we perceive Asian Americans in our society.”

What do you think? Share with us your thoughts on #StarringJohnCho in the comments below.