Earlier this year, Marvel boss Kevin Feige surprised fans when he did an about-face on the studio’s decision to cast Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in the original Doctor Strange. Stephen Strange’s mystic mentor is a Tibetan man in the original comics. In response, many viewers accused the filmmakers of whitewashing the character to appease China. Regardless, Feige and his collaborators believed they were taking a progressive approach. Despite Feige’s latest comments, Swinton doesn’t seem to be offended at all. In fact, she seems to be on the same page.
Swinton reflected on the backlash against her Doctor Strange casting during a recent sit-down with Variety. The actress actually wasn’t aware of Feige’s recent remarks prior to the interview. Afterwards, Swinton expressed gratitude for Feige’s comments.
“I remember at the time having a question mark in my own mind,” said Swinton. “And being attendant to the public response to the idea that a Scottish woman will be playing this character, and being aware that there was no resistance at all — there was widespread welcome — which shifted at a certain point, for very good reasons with which I had an enormous amount of sympathy.”
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“The audience feels ever more empowered to contribute to the narrative and to feel heard within the narrative, and that’s a really healthy social development.”
Although Swinton’s Ancient One was memorably killed off in Doctor Strange, she returned for a surprise cameo in Avengers: Endgame. However, the jury is still out on whether she will reprise her role in the upcoming sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which premieres next year.
What do you make of Swinton’s comments about her turn as the Ancient One? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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