‘The Good Earth’ and Not-So-Good Movie Casting

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I reread Pearl S. Buck’s novel The Good Earth this month, and was again impressed with how compelling that 1931 classic is. Buck’s depiction of the relationship between Chinese peasant farming couple Wang Lung (hardworking/ambitious) and O-Lan (hardworking/stoic) was something to behold — as was Wang’s eventual, disappointing lack of respect for that marriage as he became more “successful” in life.

Normally I’d consider watching the movie version of a novel, but I’ll take a pass on this one. That’s because The Good Earth film of 1937 stars two white performers — Paul Muni and Luise Rainer — as Wang and O-Lan despite Buck wanting Chinese or Chinese-American performers. (Some lesser roles in the movie went to people of Asian descent.) Of course, Buck was not of Asian descent herself, but did spend many years of her childhood and adulthood in China.

Hollywood’s racist/catering-to-what-much-of-the-public-supposedly-wanted “whitewashing” of characters of color was not unusual back in the day, even as the practice continued here and there in more-recent decades.

For instance, 1994’s The House of the Spirits movie based on Isabel Allende’s terrific 1982 novel of the same name was justly criticized for having non-Hispanic actresses and actors in most of the major roles. Great performers — Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, Vanessa Redgrave, etc. — but not the right ethnicity for the parts.

Miscasting also happened when white actor Alec Guinness played Indian character Professor Narayan Godbole in the 1984 film based on E.M. Forster’s 1924 novel A Passage to India.

In 1997, white actor Casper Van Dien was Johnny Rico in a film based on Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 sci-fi novel Starship Troopers. In the book, the character was Juan “Johnny” Rico, of Filipino descent.

Also, Mexican-American attorney Mickey Haller from Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel The Lincoln Lawyer and its sequels was played in a 2011 movie by white actor Matthew McConaughey. This was rectified in a later TV series starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.

In addition, the 2003 film based on Philip Roth’s 2000 novel The Human Stain starred Anglo actor Anthony Hopkins as Professor Coleman Silk, an African American who “passes” as white.

The white Mickey Rooney played an Asian supporting character in the 1961 movie version of Truman Capote’s 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Returning to the 1930s, white actor Sam Jaffe got the part of the ancient Asian “High Lama” in the Lost Horizon film (1937) based on James Hilton’s mesmerizing 1933 novel of the same name.

The King and I film (1956) based on Margaret Landon’s novel Anna and the King of Siam (1944) starred Yul Brynner, a white actor, as Asian royalty.

William Shakespeare’s character Othello has been played in movie versions by white actors such as Orson Welles (1951) and Laurence Olivier (1965). A shame that renowned African-American actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson — who memorably portrayed Othello on the stage multiple times — wasn’t invited to do a movie version. (Robeson died on January 23, 1976 — 50 years ago as of this past Friday.)

Of course, there have been some instances in recent decades where performers of color have portrayed fictional or real-life white people — including Black actor Morgan Freeman as Red in the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption based on a Stephen King story, and Black actress Noma Dumezweni as the adult Hermione Granger in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. This kind of casting also happened in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster musical Hamilton and in a production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman I saw in my town about 15 years ago. I have no problem with these infrequent occurrences; I see them as compensation of sorts for white performers historically getting most of the best roles.

Your thoughts about, and examples of, this topic?

An added, somewhat-related comment: In the United States, “law enforcement” has a vile history of murdering people of color who are either innocent or committed minor infractions. Yesterday, the Trump regime’s Gestapo-like federal agent thugs added to their crimes against innocent non-white Americans by murdering a second innocent white Minnesotan this month — both of whom (Renee Nicole Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti) tragically found themselves in the “role” of people of color victimized by out-of-control “policing.” If there is any justice, Trump as well as his sociopathic administration appointees and masked “law enforcement” goons will all end up in prison someday.

Misty the cat says: “I will only go out in the snow today if someone gifts me their Nobel Prize.”

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for the book features a talking cat: 🙂

I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…

…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more, including many encounters with celebrities.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — about an upcoming special congressional election and more — is here.

85 thoughts on “‘The Good Earth’ and Not-So-Good Movie Casting”

  1. Hi Dave,

    You may remember that I’m a big fan of Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” books. I won’t say that the main character’s skin colour is SUPER important, but for at least thirty years his physical description has been a Clint Eastwood type. There are illustrated versions of the books that show him as white with blue eyes. There is also some racial importance when a Black woman is added to the group of characters. So it was somewhat… controversial when Idris Elba was cast in the movie adaptation. In a more recent adaptation of a different book, a white main character was played by a Black actor and not a peep of complaint because the colour just didn’t matter. A lot of King’s early works were full of straight white people and I think he’d be completely on board introducing some diversity (while also cutting out some casual sexism).

    I’ve read “The Good Earth” after bebe’s high praise and I just can’t imagine those roles played by anyone other than Chinese actors. I was going to say something about in this day and age it seems particulary unnecesary but I see I missed the bit that it’s a 1937 film. Not that that’s much of an excuse.

    Like so many people I was horrified to see the murder of Renee Good in Minnesota. When I heard there’d been another murder I had to change the channel which of course is a luxury that I have. Often I’ll have curiosity about news stories, try to see the other side of something that seems too terrible to be true. Or find out why other parts of the world might view things differently than I do, but I just can’t. But I do have some questions. Not that it matters, but was the most recent shooting also of an American citizen? Were they both POC? I’ve seen some footage of Good and I thought she was white. Of course, IT DOESN’T MATTER what colour she was, but I wonder how the government is crying about drug trafficking foreigners while they’re gunning down white Americans? And last question, I thought you all had this god given right to bear arms so that you can overthrow governments when they go cray cray. Any plans to put that into action in the near future?

    Please keep yourself and your family safe xx

    Sue.

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    • Misty is definitely eager to enjoy the outdoors again, Sharon. Maybe next week; this week looks like it will continue to be COLD. Until then, he’ll walk from his cat bed to his food bowl and back. 🙂

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  3. Dave! Your President is giving me nightmares!!!! I am hoping he goes mid-term this November! I understand he is even suffering from some form of cognitive disorder!! So, how comes he is still President?!!

    He certainly has a personality disorder! That became clear when he was threatening to invade Greenland, a NATO member via its association with Denmark!! Like I said nightmare!

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    • Trump is indeed nightmare-inducing, Sharon. If the U.S. government functioned reasonably, he’d be removed from office for cause. Trump does seem to have some dementia, in addition to his lifetime of vile views and disgusting behavior. His push to take over Greenland is absolutely repulsive — and imperialistic.

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  6. Thank you for your reply, Dave!

    I think filmmaking is changing regarding people of colour. And not before time!

    So sorry once again to read about a young man being fatally brutalised by the police! Terrible! It’s been on the news over here!!

    Funnily, cats love the snow! You’re right to keep him inside, though.

    Thank you, Dave.

    Have a great day! ☺

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    • I agree, Sharon, that things are getting better with movie casting, even as there’s still a ways to go.

      And, yes, the U.S. — “thanks” to the evil Trump regime — is deservedly getting some very bad publicity overseas. Most non-Americans (and about 70% of Americans) think Trump is one of the worst people on Earth, and they’re right.

      We give Misty a choice every morning, taking him to the front door of our apartment building for him to decide whether or not to go out. The decision has been “no” many times during this bitter winter.

      Have a great day, too!

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  7. Hi Dave! This a very interesting debate!

    Great books, as always Dave! I’m looking forward to looking some up!

    I hear you on filmmakers casting white actors when in the novel it is a person of colour or non-white ethnicity! I don’t agree with it, at all. I feel the film should be an accurate depiction of the novel, as much as possible.

    There are many great talented actors from across the racial spectrum that could easily play the roles which call for a non-white actor.

    I guess, it is about money and using A list actors. A real shame.

    So sorry to hear about the events in Minnesota! A loss of life is always tragic. Terrible circumstances.

    Thank you Dave for your thoughts and for the novels mentioned in your post.

    All the very best!

    Ps: I’m with Misty! A nice cosy nap!

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    • Thank you, Sharon!

      Yes, SO many great actresses and actors of color who should be getting more parts and/or better parts.

      The latest Minnesota murder has been devastating. A good person killed…the federal government blatantly lying about it/blaming the innocent victim despite all kinds of video evidence…ugh.

      Misty is chomping at the bit for a real walk, but there needs to be some melting of snow first… 🙂 He used to go out in the snow when younger, but he avoids it now that he’s about 10 years old.

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  9. Thank you for this wide-ranging and deeply considered post, Dave. The Good Earth remains such a powerful novel precisely because Pearl S. Buck wrote from lived proximity and moral attention, even as film adaptations failed her vision. Your examples trace a long, troubling lineage of whitewashing that reminds us how storytelling has so often been constrained by who was allowed to be seen.

    One example that came to mind is Jeff Chandler portraying Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950). At the time, the film was praised for its sympathetic portrayal of an Apache leader and marked a shift away from outright caricature, yet it still relied on a white actor to embody an Indigenous figure. Good intentions, meaningful narrative progress, and yet the same structural exclusion.

    What strikes me across all these cases is how often empathy was permitted at the level of story, but not at the level of casting. Representation lagged behind imagination.

    Your post is a reminder that books and films don’t just tell stories. They reveal the values and blind spots of their time. Revisiting them now helps us see both what endured and what still needs reckoning. Oh, I must leave you with a quote from The Good Earth: “The rich are always afraid.”

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    • Thank you, Rebecca, for your eloquent thoughts! Yes, Hollywood has usually reflected the blind spots of the times — and can have good intentions even as it executes those intentions in a mixed way. Your “Broken Arrow” mention is a great example. There was also Tom Laughlin in the “Billy Jack” movies, which were clearly sympathetic to Native-American rights even as the actor was a white guy playing a character half Native American.

      There’s a lot of truth to that Pearl S. Buck quote you cited. One would think the rich shouldn’t be afraid, but there must be something in the back of their minds that there can (at least potentially) be consequences for having so much more than others (with the money often inherited rather than earned), underpaying workers, paying off politicians to do their bidding, etc.

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  10. I would find it very difficult to see Memoirs of A Geisha and/or Raisin in the Sun played by actors who are white. Nor would I like to see a movie based on a Martian played by a non-Martian. Since we have no Martians around than yes I’ll have to imagine what one might look like, but I dont have to imagine what a Japanese and/or a black person does. As a result, there is no excuse for having a white person perform in those roles. Not only is it disingenuous, its rather sad. Only MAGA would like something like that since they wanna whine about being replaced which I think is laughable. They have no problem playing Hitler and according to studies his ethnicity was based on Jewish and African DNA. The truth of the matter is It’s really all about oppression. Nice post Dave. Susi

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    • Thank you, Susi! Great points, and I greatly enjoyed your Martian riff. 🙂

      Yes, MAGA would have no problem with all-white casting — which I suppose it will get or mostly get with the upcoming cringe-of-a-bad movie “Melania.”

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  11. I’m not much of a movie person, so I don’t really have much to add in terms of particulars. I think each case has to be considered individually. I know it was difficult for non-white actors to get starring roles for a long time, and that history is shameful, but I also feel that, as in the case of “Hamilton”, unexpected casting can be used to illuminate. I thought “A Wrinkle in Time” was effective in that way too.
    As to the actions of our “government”–their noses should stretch from here to the moon by this point. May they all get the karmic retribution they deserve. And the sooner the better. (K)

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  12. I can’t bring too much to the table on this one, Dave, apart from to say that, where possible, characters ought to be played by actors of the same ethnicity. To take a different slant on the topic, how about Hattie McDaniel – and other actors – being allowed to play the slaves in ‘Gone With the Wind’ – but not being allowed to attend the Academy Awards when she earned one? Shame on them. And, incidentally, I thought Mickey Roony was so embarrassingly bad in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ that I couldn’t watch him. On the issue of the murders in Minnesota, another appalling development in the fascism currently staining your land. I hope to live long enough to see Nuremberg Mark 2.

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    • Thank you, Laura! Terrible the way Hattie McDaniel (and other Black actresses and actors of that period) were treated. 😦

      Another set of Nuremberg trials would be SO welcome. Doubt it will happen, though. Either the Republicans will continue to remain in full control of the U.S. government via intimidation, cheating, etc., or many Democrats will wimp out as usual if they regain power and not hold Republicans accountable.

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  13. I read and loved The Children’s Train, by Viola Ardone. The main character, Amerigo, has red hair in the book, which was an important piece of his story. In the movie, the child has black hair. When features of a character (race, gender, size, age, etc.) is critical to the story, I think extra effort needs to go into casting (or a disclaimer asking the movie watcher to suspend belief). When a theater company in Philadelphia bought a new building and could not afford much in the way of sets, most plays began with “Imagine if you will….” I wish movies with miscast characters would do the same.

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  15. An interesting theme, Dave. As I see it, the early film industry’s tendency to cast whites in non-white roles was a matter of guaranteeing top sales returns with well-known movie stars. This situation has changed and continues to change as non-white movie stars gain ground. Surprisingly, it was announced this month that Zoe Saldana, of Afro-Latino heritage, is now the highest-grossing film actor of all time. Who would have thought this possible a few years ago?

    I give thanks to our white neighbors who are risking their lives to support the non-white immigrant members of their community. Bear in mind, this invasion of our cities–in blue states, for now–is not just about immigration.

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    • Thank you, Rosaliene! Wow — didn’t know that about Zoe Saldana! I guess things have changed somewhat, and of course her being in the “Avatar” movies hasn’t hurt. 🙂

      I, too, am so impressed with the Minnesota residents risking their lives in the face of the fascist (yes, fascist) federal assault. And I agree that this assault is about more than immigration. Obviously, they’re going after liberal U.S. citizens, too, and this assault could be, among other things, a test-run to trying to cancel the 2026 midterm elections.

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  16. I think actors are actors, they are just performing a role. And they should perform it irrespective of ethnicity.
    There are thousands of theatres in the world, for example, where Othello is played, in countries who do not have a black minority (except some refugees, who surely were not into studying Theatrical Art Conservatory). It means not to play Othello anymore?
    The same would be if in an Asian or African country a theatre would play another Shakespeare play, any of them – lets say Twelfth Night. There the actors are majority black. Shouldn’t they play Shakespeare just because they are not white? What has the colour to do with playing a role?
    I think Snow White as a character would be the only exception I would stay away from, if not a white protagonist… Or change her name somehow in the story, to not relate appearance to the name (Be her Clara or whatever).

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    • Thank you, Marina! I hear you. Certainly in countries where there isn’t a lot of population diversity, any performer playing anyone in a theatrical production makes sense. But if there is a lot of diversity in a nation or a place within that nation, an actress or actor of color playing a person of color seems appropriate.

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  17. Yes, Dave I remember having read “The Good Earth” and the hardships Wang and his wife went through and also the unjustice the wife had to bear! I didn’t however, know that so many films were produced without the authentic caracters of the books and I would like to thank you this unbelievable news:)

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  18. I immediately thought about “West Side Story” when I read your post, Dave. You’ve offered so many examples of questionable decision-making…and now I wonder what my long-departed mom would say about your observations about Buck’s “The Good Earth”. She loved, loved, loved the book (which I’ve never read) but hated the film. I never asked why but I wonder if what you shared is an inkling. My mom could be a wonderful champion for others when she was at her best and your closing paragraph about the horrors occurring in our own country…she would be in disbelief. Thank you for your voice in the name of Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. I appreciate you, Dave. 💝

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    • Thank you, Michael! I loved your “appalling or hilarious” take! Often, cultural “fails” like “The Good Earth” miscasting evoke that reaction combination. Glad there’s at least somewhat more cultural sensitivity these days.

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  21. Hi Dave, the book you mentioned sounds good. Thanks for these recommendation. I believe that everything should work on the best and most suitable person for a job or role. Colour and gender should not be factors. Life doesn’t work like this, sadly. I’ve struggled against gender bias my entire working life.

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  23. West Side Story (1961) is especially problematic, as it not only cast non-Hispanics to play Puerto Rican characters (George Chakiris as Bernardo and Natalie Wood as Maria), but it also features Rita Moreno (an actual Latina) wearing “brownface” to look more stereotypically Hispanic.

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