Why Bullet Train's Casting Was So Controversial

As mentioned above, the film is based on a novel by Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka and, of course, takes place in Japan on a train that is traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto. However, where the film differentiates from the novel is that, in the book, all of the characters are Japanese. The film boasts only two actors of Japanese descent in leading roles: Andrew Koji and Hiroyuki Sanada. Masi Oka and Karen Fukuhara are also in the cast but in minor roles. Because of this, "Bullet Train" is facing whitewashing accusations.

Earlier this year, in March, Rachel Tao wrote an extensive article for AsAm News chronicling the perceived whitewashing. Here, she interviewed Japanese American Citizens League executive director David Inoue, who said he believes the criticism is fair. "I absolutely think charges of whitewashing are accurate as this is a story based around what were originally Japanese characters and it remains set in Japan," Inoue said. "Foreigners, or gaijin, remain a distinct minority in Japan, and to populate the movie with so many in the leading roles is ignoring the setting."

Inoue also called out Brad Pitt directly, adding, "To see a film set in Japan with Japanese characters only as the background is offensive, and some of them should have been asking questions about this. Someone of Brad Pitt's stature has the ability to do that and he failed to say anything." Inoue then added that, because of Brad Pitt's popularity in Japan, he can see why casting him makes sense, but that he'll still see it as a problem until Asian actors are more frequently cast in roles that would typically go to white actors.