Ken Watanabe Deflects ‘White Savior’ Criticism Of Tom Cruise’s ‘Last Samurai’ Role: ‘I Didn’t Think Of It Like That’
etcanada.comWhen the 2003 historical adventure “The Last Samurai” was released, the film was hit by criticism that star Tom Cruise was perpetuating “white savior” stereotypes in his role as an American soldier leading an army of Japanese warriors.
Nearly 20 years later, Cruise’s co-star in the film, Ken Watanabe, is sharing why he’s always disagreed with that criticism. “I didn’t think of it like that,” the Japan-born actor said in a new interview with The Guardian. READ MORE: Tom Cruise Teases ‘Very Special’ Reunion With Val Kilmer In ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ “I just thought we had the opportunity to depict Japan in a way that we were never able to before,” he explained. “So we thought we were making something special.” In fact, Watanabe feels that “The Last Samurai” was a watershed project for Hollywood in how Asian characters were depicted onscreen. “Before ‘The Last Samurai’, there was this stereotype of Asian people with glasses, bucked teeth and a camera,” Watanabe sadded. “It was stupid, but after [‘The Last Samurai’] came out, Hollywood tried to be more authentic when it came to Asian stories.”
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