ABC/Bob D’Amico(NEW YORK) — Constance Wu has some things to say about the upcoming Matt Damon thriller The Great Wall, and they aren’t very good. The film features Damon and Willem Dafoe, as well as Asian actors, in a battle with an ancient Chinese monster.
Wu, who stars as Jessica Huang in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, took to Twitter to share her thoughts about the movie. The Taiwanese-American actress tweeted, “We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world.” She added, “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela.”
Wu writes it’s not about blaming individuals but rather “…it’s about pointing out the repeatedly implied racist notion that white people are superior to POC and that POC need salvation from our own color via white strength. When you consistently make movies like this, you are saying that… Whether you intend to or not.”
Wu continued, “I know there are lotsa POC who honestly don’t care.”
She concluded, “Well excuse me for caring about the images that little girls see, and what that implies to them about their limitations or possibilities. If you know a kid, you should care too. Because we WERE those kids… Hollywood is supposed to be about making great stories. So make them.”
The Great Wall will hit theaters in the U.S. on February 17, 2017, two months after it makes its Chinese debut.
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