Matt Damon Defends Against Whitewashing Accusations in 'Great Wall'

Matt Damon is responding to accusations of whitewashing with regards to his role in next year’s The Great Wall.

“That whole idea of whitewashing, I take that very seriously,” Matt told the AP. “Once people see that it’s a monster movie and it’s a historical fantasy and I didn’t take a role away from a Chinese actor … it wasn’t altered because of me in any way.”

In the same interview, Matt admitted he believed whitewashing to mean that a white actor puts on makeup to make them appear to be of another race.

Stars who have also recently been accused of whitewashing include Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell and Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange.

Watch the trailer for The Great Wall below, and look out for the film, in theaters on February 17.