I've been doing some digging the last few days, and it all seems to point to what we suspected. I don't think there was ever any real intention of casting Asians for the lead roles in this movie to begin with. (I know, shocking.) These were the original casting calls:

AANG: 12-15 years-old, Male, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. We are looking for a young man to play the lead role in a motion picture franchise. He must be athletic and graceful with an ability in Martial Arts (not necessarily extensive experience, but at least an aptitude for it). Kids with experience in gymnastics, dance, or sports could also be good. He is a young adventurer and should seem like the type of young man who will grow up to be heroic.

KATARA: 14-17 years-old, Female, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. She is Sokka’s younger sister. She is a headstrong and determined girl with a real sense of idealism. She believes in herself and feels that she can play on the same team as the boys. She is beautiful, intelligent, passionate, feisty, and has a real sense of adventure.

SOKKA: 16-20 years-old, Male, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. He is Katara¹s older brother. He is intelligent but awkward, and very funny (although not necessarily intentionally so). He aspires to greatness, but he tends to doubt himself. He is always one to be swayed by a pretty girl.

ZUKO: 16-20 years-old, Male, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. He is a brooding, intense young man who wrestles - not always successfully - with being good. Regaining his honor is a driving impetus for him. He is extremely handsome and is the type of dangerous boy every girl falls in love with. Athletic and/or martial arts experience is a plus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzx3SkvqSok&feature=related

I wonder how many Asian Americans even showed up for the casting call. I'd be willing to bet there would have been many, many more if the casting call had been "Asian or any other ethnicity." It's just mathematically improbable: Even Paris -- seen in my previous post -- a starting actor, seems almost there, and he's just one kid on YouTube. Among the millions of other Asian Americans, they really couldn't have found 4 of them just as talented as those white actors to play these roles?

I think the following is just as telling. Here's a recent casting call for extras that's happening today (in bold is what I'm focusing on):

Casting folks are looking for extras to play soldiers, martial artists, dancers, gymnasts, athletes and families - specifically physically fit people from 18 to 65 years old. The open call will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Bullies restaurant at the Wachovia Spectrum. You're asked to dress casually or in the traditional costume of your family's ethnic background. Info: lastairbendercasting@gmail.com or 215-574-7878.

Hm. That's interesting. I wonder why they didn't include that bit in the casting calls for the four main characters. I wonder why they didn't include "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" for this extras call. Everybody, together now!

And for those of you who keep harping on about how the decision wasn't based on race but about making money and thus not racist, here, I'll let the always articulate Mr. Neil Babra explain it to you: "I wish that Hollywood would be a meritocracy for actors, but unfortunately, it views Asian faces as less attractive and less marketable, and that often trumps acting prowess. That's fundamentally racist, because evolutionary biology shows that their human consumers don't actually find people in other races less attractive without social dissuasion, which the studios are responsible for exacerbating."

Just because your intentions aren't racist, it doesn't mean you can use racist practices to achieve your goal. Some of you seem to be really misreading this part -- I didn't call the ones responsible for this casting racists in my essay, I called their actions racist and discriminatory.

Furthermore, even if they had no racist intentions, the end result ("Yellow Face" in this case) is racist. Among other things, it implies that white people are better at playing Asians than Asians.

Also, and most importantly, if the movie's great, it'll be a hit whether the cast is Asian or not. So why not do what's right and cast Asians in Asian roles?

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