Disney/Marvel recently released the above trailer for the new Doctor Strange movie. It looked good, and I noticed Benedict Cumberbatch was in it, who I know is one of my 18 year old daughter's favorite actors. So I went to tell her the good news.
I should mention here that I have two daughters in one: Daughter 1A is a beautiful, witty, intelligent girl, whereas Daughter 1B is an agent of the PC police. I got daughter 1B for this discussion.
"I can't watch that movie. They cast a white man in an Asian role," came Daughter 1B's officious statement.
"Huh?" was my response. Then I proceeded to tell her Strange wasn't Asian, as far as I knew.
This man is Asian? (hat tip to Marvel for the pic)
The look she gave me was the same one I would get from a police officer who pulled me over for running a stop sign, even if I didn't: "Sorry sir, but I witnessed it." All I could do at that point was wait for my daughter to write out my ticket.
Anyway, I decided some research was in order, and it seems the PC forces pre-determined how the Doctor Strange role should be cast. Unfortunately, there is nothing in Strange's history to indicate any ethnicity. From his Marvel wiki:
Stephen Strange was born to Eugene and Beverly Strange in 1930 while the couple was vacationing in Philadelphia. In 1932 Stephen's sister Donna was born at the family's Nebraska farm.I'm not really getting an Asian vibe from that background. His background sounds like boring, middle class caucasian American.
However, Strange does have a "servant"/butler named Wong, who was born in Tibet. In the movie, he is played by an actor named Benedict Wong. If nothing else, this movie should prove if two Wongs make it right...
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