Films

Johnny Huang and Wang Yibo’s New C-movie Formed Police Unit Gets Backlash for Blackface Scene Set in Africa

So this is totally not the fault of the actors but on the writer and production team for keeping this concept in the movie. The just premiered C-movie Formed Police Unit starring Johnny Huang and Wang Yibo has already generated controversy as moviegoers who watched the film have screenshotted and circulated a scene of the leads in blackface and dreads set in Africa during their peacekeeping mission. The context is that they need to blend in and go incognito and OMG how does blackface and dreads while still looking very much like a cosplaying Chinese person fool any African person. It’s so offensive but at least not cancellable the way it would have been in the US as blackface in American history has an entirely broader and more egregious racist context. This is still racist and dumbass but I’ll leave it up to the domestic Chinese audiences who this movie is geared towards to decide whether this is acceptable as just a concept within the movie storytelling. For now there is apparently a big online battle being waged by Yibo’s strong fandom to bury the story and water army over any criticism.

ockoala

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  • I am wondering if he will loss CFs for this? The Chinese may not be fuss over blackface but the Overseas Brands might take action...Just wait and see.

  • Good Lord. I’m laughing at the pics. That would not go well with American audience. What was the director thinking?!

    • C movie doesn't have a significant market in the US anyway. LOL.
      Only WYB rabid fans in the US would be willing to pay to watch his movies, which aren't many TBH.

  • The c-industry will never. How in the world did they think this was ok to pass and see no big deal in it? This is super racist and very disrespectful. They deserve whatever they have coming for them.

  • I don't think it's completely true to say that it's not the fault of the actors. Everyone involved had a role to play and the actors sat through the make-up being applied and walked around for hours without them or anyone else for that matter raising an issue. This has gone through the scrutiny of a lot of people before the movie came out. It's horrifying that no one saw a problem with this.

    • how is this not the actors' fault too? they are not children nor are they small time actors who cannot speak out against the production. it's about time to stop coddling these actors (and productions) bc the only way they agreed to something as offensive as blackface, is if they themselves had no issue with it. moreover, yibo taking a selfie as pictured above just shows that this is a fun getup to him and not a racist caricature.

    • These actors are ignorant at best and dumb at most to go along with the makeup. It just shows that how isolated and alienated they are from what's happening around the rest of the world. They are fooling themselves and others too (自愚愚人in Chinese). This kind of movie won't sell anywhere outside China.

      • i mean sure but this is also exactly also what i mean when i say they're coddled when ppl say stuff like they're out of touch or its just ignorance when this has been a persistent issue in a lot of asian media that has been called out over the years. how long can they stay ignorant for?

        they sure aren't that alienated or isolated when they sign contracts for high end western brands that they endorse in china and internationally. i mean, considering how rightfully vocal criticism from china is when they face racism (D&G, for example), its ridiculous that they turn around and do the same thing and no one involved in the production, including the actors, thought that they were doing something wrong.

      • Maybe for others, but certainly not Wang Yibo. This is not his first, and there was a time some of his fans even tried to educate him about it, but it all goes unheeded.

  • I really don't understand how chinese entertainment industry operates. They keep referring to Africa as if it is a country whereas it is a whole continent with over 53 countries.

    This is like a caricature of blacks which is highly disrespectful and sensitive. I really wondered what the writer and producer were both thinking coming up with this. I guess this portrayal will definitely go unnoticed for the intended domestic audience.

    Let's see if there will be any ripple effect.

    • I really see movies ab other cultures as awareness weapons and ways to educate ppl but seeing that they just spread misinformation, stereotypes, wrong attitudes just makes me cringe and piss me off

      • Just then I read article I thought, maybe it's some black comedy like "White chicks". Or maybe not, idk context.
        But thank you, I will read this.

    • "White Chicks" doesn't apply because racism is not just about discrimination but also about power differential and oppression. Black people have been systematically oppressed and slaughtered for centuries whereas white people haven't. So 2 Black comedians can make a comedy parodying "white chicks" because at the end of the day, it won't make the "white chicks" more targeted. But blackface perpetuates robbing them of their identity and continues the subhuman treatment of Black people. It's complex, one has to view how this is a culmination of history and not a one moment in time. But we can do better and should do better.

      • @Guest, yeah, I definitely should check more info about this, because, honestly, there aren't many black people in my country. But there are many people of other different races, and none of them were in slavery, so racist jokes here are perceived differently. Thanks for the detailed explanation and links.

        @ockoala it makes sense, thanks for explanation

        @Somebody, well, I know Black history, although not in detail. This is not about education, but more about the cultural differences of different countries. Since I live in a country where was no open racism, I may not understand some things like in this article, and it's good that people who know can explain them to me.

      • Exactly! You hit the nail on the head. A lot of ppl apparently are ignorant of Black history and need more education. We who have lived and worked in a multiracial society are very sensitive about it.

    • You dont think painting ur face black to portray another race is racist, so you also don't think someone using tape to turn his eyes to slanted eyes is racist too ,WHATS WRONG WITH YOU

      • Have you seen my comment in which I wrote "black comedy"? In Hollywood there was a movie "Tropical Thunder" with a similar character (although he didn't painting his face, but had an operation to change the color of his skin), and "White chicks", and I didn't see complaints about it, so because of this I was a lil confused.
        So yeah, I need to know the context and opinions of people who know more than me before judging.
        I'm glad that people here explained me differences, but don't try to made me some dirty person because of one question.

  • I guess 90% of Chinese audience don't really care, but @Chanel your ambassador is making a fool of himself on the big screen over here!

  • Oh please. Who cares. Yibo camouflaging as black is giving face to blacks. Enough said. Pfft.

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