Matt Damon says 'Wall' role never intended for Asian actor

FILE - In this July 2, 2015, file photo, movie director Zhang Yimou, right, speaks next to actor Matt Damon during a news conference of their latest movie "The Great Wall" at a hotel in Beijing. Damon says his role in the new China-Hollywood production "The Great Wall" was always intended to be European, in response to criticism that an Asian actor should have been picked for the part. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

BEIJING (AP) — Matt Damon says his role in the new China-Hollywood production "The Great Wall" was always intended to be European, in response to criticism that an Asian actor should have been picked for the part.

Some critics have said Damon's casting amounted to "whitewashing" in which Caucasians are chosen for roles that should go to actors from other ethnicities.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Damon said he thinks of the term as applying to Caucasian actors applying makeup to appear to be another race, as was common in the early days of film and television.

The 46-year-old American actor plays a British mercenary in the upcoming adventure fantasy helmed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The trailer sparked criticism in the U.S. earlier this year.