MovieChat Forums > Princess Ka'iulani (2010) Discussion > awesome

awesome

posted 16 years ago by mbrhelle
12 replies | jump to latest

i dont know what this is, but if Barry Pepper is going to be in it, it has to be gold!

[–] Larry-115 16 years ago

I'd say the same thing about any movie that has Q'orianka Kilcher in it. She was simply amazing in The New World.

[–] brinmai 16 years ago

I don't think the casting of a non-polynesian in this role will sit well with any Hawaiian. They couldn't find one polynesian actress in the entire Pacific? A stop in New Zealand should have been the first location on the casting directors list.

[–] UnderPressure 16 years ago

I believe they were looking for a half Hawaiian, half European actress for the role. People with this specific mixed ancestry are said to have a very specific look, from what I was reading about the movie. They did a ton of auditioning across Hawaii, and even trained a girl for a few years for the role, but ultimately went with a stronger performer in Kilcher. Though she's half Peruvian, she's apparently a big campaigner for Native rights & culture, so I believe the Hawaiians involved with the film were happy with the choice.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] heavenly_pearl 16 years ago

Casting isn't really a concern; script is. People have been protesting outside of 'Iolani palace since filming began. Apparently, the filmmakers view it as a work of "fiction" (check the Star-Bulletin website) and have taken creative liberties with the plot (note that on this website it is advertised as a "true story"), shoving in a romantic sidestory where none existed and implying that Kaiulani was for universal suffrage under the American government. As for the other characters, apparently they try to make Sanford B. Dole look like a good guy when he was one of the key players in the "Provisional Government." I think people are actually more mad about this movie than they were about the proposed Kamehameha project starring Dwayne Johnson, probably because Kamehameha wasn't around for the overthrow. I'll be boycotting it, but from the looks of things, it isn't going to be doing very well anyway.

[–] brinmai 16 years ago

Keisha Castle-Hughes would have been a perfect Ka`iulani!

[–] YouLookLikeAToaster 16 years ago

I didn't even think of Keisha and I consider myself a huge Whale Rider fan. She does have the right look! I really wonder why they didn't go to New Zealand when finding someone in Hawai'i didn't work out.

[–] LilRed_RoRo 16 years ago

I think Keisha looks the part a bit more but to be honest I find Q'Orianka to be a much better actress (not the Keisha isn't good, but Q'Orianka just blew me away in The New World) and isn't the acting more important?

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[–] cojnit 16 years ago

Barry was ill on set yesterday.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] luv2havfun 16 years ago

I think it's funny that people want to criticize a film they never even seen yet, also Q'orianka can pass for a polynisian and also has the acting chops so why not. Keisha can't hve all the roles, people need to understand there are more up and coming ethnic talented actresses out there and not just Keisha, plus she's busy raising a baby and Keisha don't look like the princess either. I bet q'orianka is tired of being compared to Keisha anyway, I know I would be if I were in her shoes.

[–] filmgeekwhore 15 years ago

i don't know what polynesians you know to be able to say that. lol.

there ARE more actresses than keisha and q'orianka. and honestly, q'orianka may be a beautiful woman, but she's not such an amazing actress that we can write off the importance of her "exotic beauty" (specifically, when viewed by a white audience). i'm sure that was foremost in the casting directors mind.

i've read other posts on here talking rather offensively about how all hawaiian women are ugly, fat and "potato-nosed". given that kind of attitude, is it any wonder we're concerned about how one of our most beloved cultural icons is portrayed to a mainstream audience (an audience who knows NOTHING about the truth of our history and tenuous relationship with the US government...an audience that doesn't even acknowledge that hawaiians are a people of a specific race and ethnicity, and you can't be "hawaiian" just because you live in the state...an audience who thinks we're ALL fat, lazy and ugly?)?

and in the end, the casting is just the straw on the camel's back. it's really the historical integrity of the film that matters, and casting some pretty "brown" girl (as if we're all the same) to further exoticize our culture is simply offensive. and people have a right to complain.

it's not kilcher's fault--she probably has VERY FEW roles available to her, so i don't blame her for going for a juicy one like this. it's the filmmakers who hold the responsibility. that's who we're complaining about/to.