Actress Sandra Oh co-hosted the 2019 Golden Globes with funny man Andy Samberg Sunday night. The two kept their promise and kept the political dialogue to a minimum. In fact, most of their jokes ended up just being compliments for their star studded audience. They did have a few zingers, however, for actors who have participated in some of Hollywood's more politically incorrect films.
"Crazy Rich Asians is nominated tonight for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy," Oh said. "It's the first studio film with an Asian-American lead since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha."
Those who remember the controversy got the joke. Critics sounded off against the cast and crew of Ghost in the Shell a few years ago for casting Scarlett Johansson in the Japanese anime movie over an actual Japanese woman. The producers were lambasted for choosing her, and she was skewered for accepting the role. Similarly, in 2015, the producers of Aloha were criticized for casting Emma Stone in one of the starring roles over an Asian actress. Stone played a part-Hawaiian and part-Chinese woman and critics accused the film of "whitewashing" the story.
Stone, who was just feet away from the Globes' hosts on Sunday, yelled, "I'm sorry!" as Oh finished her joke.
Emma Stone yelling I'M SO SORRY to Sandra Oh after 'Aloha' joke is everything i needed tonight, thanks #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/Wu44QiYFH7
— emma stone daily (@dailyemmastone) January 7, 2019
It was Stone's second apology for her role in the film. She already knew she was the "butt of many jokes" back in 2015 and said she'd learned a lesson.
“I’ve learned on a macro level about the insane history of whitewashing in Hollywood and how prevalent the problem truly is," Stone said. "It’s ignited a conversation that’s very important.”
Oh held her hands to her heart at Sunday's ceremony after Stone shouted her apology, suggesting she accepted it.
Oh later noted the progress Hollywood had made in regards to the representation of Asian culture. As a woman who was born to Korean parents, she was proud to see the cast of Crazy Rich Asians front and center at Sunday's Globes. The film was a major box office success last year and was nominated for several awards. She started to choke up when she pointed at the actors and said she "sees" them. It was the first feature film to have an all-Asian cast in over two decades.
"I said yes to the fear of being on this stage tonight because I wanted to be here to look out onto this audience and witness this moment of change," Oh said.