Natalie Portman: ‘Problematic’ I Was Cast as Character of ‘Asian Heritage’ in ‘Annihilation’ Movie

Hollywood actress Natalie Portman claimed it was “problematic” that she was cast as a character described as being of “Asian heritage” in Paramount upcoming sci-fi adventure movie Annihilation.

As reported by HuffPost, “In the sci-fi film ‘Annihilation,’ Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh play an ex-military biologist and a government psychologist who are part of a top-secret mission to explore a zone where strange phenomena are occurring,” however the two have been “under criticism because, in the sequel to the novel ‘Annihilation,’ Portman and Leigh’s characters are identified as women of color.”

In the book, the Portman’s character is reportedly from “Asian heritage,” while “Leigh’s character is half Native American.”

After Yahoo asked the two actresses about the criticism, they agreed it was “problematic.”

“Well, that does sound problematic,” declared Portman. “But I’m hearing it here first.”

“It’s probably a valid criticism,” expressed Leigh. “I didn’t know that.”

Two minority-based advocacy groups, MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) and American Indians in Film and Television, blasted the film this week and accused Annihilation filmmakers of whitewashing.

The film’s writer and director, Alex Garland, pushed back on the notion that his film white-washed minority characters.

“This is an awkward problem for me, because I think whitewashing is a serious and real issue, and I fully support the groups drawing attention to it,” Garland said, according to Deadline. “But the characters in the novel I read and adapted were not given names or ethnicities. I cast the film reacting only to the actors I met in the casting process, or actors I had worked with before. There was no studio pressure to cast white. The casting choices were entirely mine.”

Garland added, “As a middle-aged white man, I can believe I might at times be guilty of unconscious racism, in the way that potentially we all are. But there was nothing cynical or conspiratorial about the way I cast this movie.”

Annihilation stars Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, and Gina Rodriguez and opens everywhere on February 23.

Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington, or like his page at Facebook.