The world is a harsh and cruel place. The internet, much more so. Lily Gao found out just how much hatred can congregate on one spot on the internet after continued harassment forced the Ada Wong voice actress to wipe her Instagram clean last week. Now, Gao is back, stronger than ever, as she called out the abusive trolls who ganged up on her.
Gao went on Instagram to first thank the game’s producer and director for greenlighting the “authentic representation” of Ada Wong in the RE4 Remake before addressing the critics about making her feel like she doesn’t belong.
Gao acknowledged that this has been a trend for a long time, saying “while criticism is expected, it’s not the first time an actor of colour faces racist and sexist harassment, for simply participating.”
In another section, Gao addressed her voice performance of Ada Wong, which some have criticized for not being as “sexy” when compared to Sally Cahill’s take, the voice actress of Ada Wong in Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.
According to Gao:
It is time we stop only capitalizing on the sexualized, eroticized, and mysterious Asian woman, and make space to honour every kind of Asian woman. My Ada is a survivor. She is kind, just, intelligent, and funny. She is unpredictable, resilient, and absolutely not a stereotype.
Gao’s post came with photos of the Asian actresses who she claims served as an inspiration for her performance as Wong, which include:
- Shu Qi in The Assassin
- Faye Wong in Chungking Express
- Maggie Cheung in Irma Vep
It isn’t clear yet if Gao is returning to Instagram full-time or if she only came back to make a statement before going on a hiatus again.
Most likely, we’re better on the latter.
Resident Evil 4 Remake continues to make waves following a successful launch. It’s now the second-best-selling Resident Evil game after coming out and is on track to maybe even outpace some of the franchise’s best outings. As a result, Ada Wong remains front and center of the mainstream spotlight, especially if Capcom releases her as a post-launch character for The Mercenaries Mode, as per the earlier leaks.
The still-ongoing backlash might also affect the release of Separate Ways, which many presume is a DLC that lets you play as Ada Wong just like in the original game.
Speaking of Resident Evil, a live-action reboot might already be in the works. But, if that’s not interesting to you, you can also look forward to Resident Evil: Death Island, a CGI-animated movie featuring all the iconic protagonists in the franchise that’s coming out on July 7.
