Group Blasts 'Aloha' for Allegedly Excluding Asians from Major Roles

LOS ANGELES - "Aloha," Cameron Crowe's upcoming film set in Hawaii, was blasted by an advocacy group that claims the movie whitewashes the islands by not using native talent for any major roles.

The Media Action Network for Asian Americans accuses the Columbia Pictures film of attempting to present a "whitewash" version of Hawaii. In its press release, organization head and co-founder Guy Aoki said ""Caucasians only make up 30 percent of the population [of Hawaii], but from watching this film, you’d think they made up 99 percent."

He added: "This comes in a long line of films — The Descendants, 50 First Dates, Blue Crush, Pearl Harbor — that uses Hawaii for its exotic backdrop but goes out of its way to exclude the very people who live there... It's an insult to the diverse culture and fabric of Hawaii."

Aoki said the largest roles for islanders in "Aloha" are characters without names, and are described as "Indian pedestrian," "upscale Japanese tourist" and "upscale restaurant guest."

Sony has not commented, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"Aloha" stars Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray. It tells the story of a military contractor, played by Cooper, who moves to Hawaii falls in love with Air Force official (Stone).