Tilda Swinton plays The Ancient One opposite Benedict Cumberbatch. (Photo : YouTube)
Marvel has finally shed light on the controversy surrounding the cast of "Doctor Strange."
In a Double Toasted interview, screenwriter C. Robert Cargil said that the casting of Scottish actress Tilda Swinton went through careful planning to avoid conflicts with China.
Swinton plays The Ancient One, who is originally a Tibetan character in the comic books.
Marvel's casting had some viewers saying that the studio "whitewashed" The Ancient One's role.
"The Ancient One was a racist stereotype who comes from a region of the world that is in a very weird political place," Cargil said in the podcast.
"He originates from Tibet, so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he's Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that's bulls**t and risk the Chinese government going, 'Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world? We're not going to show your movie because you decided to get political.
"If we decide to go the other way and cater to China in particular and have him be in Tibet . . . if you think it's a good idea to cast a Chinese actress as a Tibetan character, you are out of your damn fool mind and have no idea what the f**k you're talking about," Cargil continued.
Meanwhile, Marvel has also released its official statement regarding the issue.
"Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU [Marvel cinematic universe] to life," the studio said in a release sent to Mashable.
"The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic," Marvel added. "We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast."
