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No, yes, and I don't know.Yeoh isn't from Tibet, is she? I mean if the idea is people want someone closer to the source, then they'd have to dig up an old guy from Tibet that can act. Or is "Asian" close enough?
I'm not trying to pick a fight, just saying the old wise mystical Asian guy is kind of a stereotype that's been done to death already, no?
The Ancient One fictional character's background is established. Anyone reviewing Swinton's and Yeoh's respective backgrounds (on Biography.com for instance) might agree that Yeoh is closer ethnically to the character than Swinton. However, no one, including myself, could argue that the island nations of the actresses' birth, Great Britain and Malaysia, exist within or borders the Tibetian region. It's safe to say neither Yeoh nor Swinton are Tibetian.
Some might suggest that the Asian martial arts and Asian mysticism have often been intertwined in films. Additionally, some may observe the vast majority of martial arts movies produced in the world have Asian origins and Asian casts. Yeoh has played non-martial arts roles during her career but she has done enough of them to be commonly associated as an actress having an extensive impressive background in the genre. Swinton's acting resume does not take a backseat to Yeoh's but her background in such movies lags far behind Yeoh's. Casting, like drafting in pro football, isn't an exact science. Swinton was picked for the role. She may do an outstanding job. Yeoh may or may not have succeeded playing the role but she would not have been a miscast in my opinion based on her professional qualifications and physical attributes.
Stereotyping is tricking. I'll stay within the canon of comic books and Marvel Comics in particular. On one hand, a fictional old Asian character being played by a non-Asian actress is "okay." On the other hand, a fictional African-American character called The Falcon played by an African American actor is "okay." Similarly, a fictional Caucasian American character named Doctor Strange being played a Caucasian English actor is "okay." At times it might be said stereotyped roles are blown up altogether, remain true to form, or twisted ever so slightly. That's Hollywood in a nutshell.
I wonder how many actors and actresses hail from Tibet? There must be some in the world somewhere. I wouldn't have any issue with any capable actor or actress from Tibet playing the role. True, a talented Tibetian actor or actress playing a fictional Tibetian character might be considered stereotypical. Movie makers have the final say concerning casting, so the likelihood of that happening would be poor.