Usually filmmakers tend to stand behind their work, but Cameron Crowe is doing what appears to be a backtrack in the face of the controversy surrounding “Aloha,” his new film set in the Hawaiian Islands.
In particular, the “Almost Famous” mastermind says he’s sorry for casting Emma Stone as a ¼ Hawaiian woman, given that her real ethnic background is Western European.
Cameron posted a message via his blog The Uncool, stating, "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 heartfelt 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 1/4 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. Whether that story point felt hurtful or humorous has been, of course, the topic of much discussion. However I am so proud that in the same movie, we employed many Asian-American, Native-Hawaiian and Pacific-Islanders, both before and behind the camera... including Dennis 'Bumpy' Kanahele, and his village, and many other locals who worked closely in our crew and with our script to help ensure authenticity."
