Did Cameron Crowe “Whitewash” Pacific Islanders Out Of Aloha?

Not everyone's looking forward to Cameron Crowe's newest film. The New York Post reports the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) is reportedly blasting the director for "whitewashing" his latest movie, Aloha. The film takes place in Hawaii and stars Bradley Cooper, Bill Murray, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Alec Baldwin, Danny McBride, and John Krasinski. The only roles available for Pacific Islanders were "Indian pedestrian," "upscale Japanese tourist," and "upscale restaurant guest."  "Caucasians only make up 30 percent of the population [of Hawaii], but from watching this film, you'd think they made up 99 percent, the MANAA's Guy Aoki told the Post. Aoki also told the news outlet Aloha is just one example of what seems to be a pattern in Hollywood of excluding Pacific Islanders from movies made in Hawaii. (Aoki named The Desendants, 50 First Dates, Blue Crush, and Pearl Harbor.) Refinery29 reached out to Cameron Crowe's publicists for comment. A Sony representative replied, sharing a link to a tweet with a behind-the-scenes look at Aloha. In the clip, the actors talk about the importance of Hawaiian culture in the film. We have not yet received a response to our additional request for comment.