Matt Damon has defended his role in upcoming action epic The Great Wall against accusations of whitewashing. In response to complaints that an Asian actor should have been chosen to lead a movie centered around the construction of the Great Wall of China, Damon told The Associated Press that "the role was always intended to be European".

Whitewashing broadly refers to roles being written as non-white but ultimately played by white actors—historically with the use of makeup, and more recently with the use of script rewrites. "That whole idea of whitewashing, I take that very seriously," Damon said, adding that he generally thinks of the term as referring to white actors wearing makeup to appear to be of another race.

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Damon stars in The Great Wall as a British mercenary who comes to China to steal gunpowder, and ends up being swept up in local efforts to combat an army of monsters. The film is reportedly the most expensive Chinese-Hollywood co-production ever, with a budget in excess of $150 million.

Damon's front-and-center presence sparked controversy as soon as the first teaser was released in summer, with Fresh off the Boat star Constance Wu tweeting "We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world." The backlash came amidst a slew of similar criticism for roles including Tilda Swinton's The Ancient One in Doctor Strange and Scarlett Johansson's The Major in the upcoming Ghost in the Shell remake.

"Once people see that it's a monster movie and it's a historical fantasy and I didn't take a role away from a Chinese actor," Damon said, then admitting he hoped the backlash would subside. "It wasn't altered because of me in any way."

The Great Wall debuts in China on December 16, and in the US on February 17, 2017.

From: Esquire US