Actress Lily Gao has returned to social media, hitting back against the abuse she received over her performance of Ada Wong in Resident Evil 4 Remake. This comes after she was spammed with hateful comments, forcing her off social media around the time of the game's launch.
In a statement, Gao says that much of the hate she received stems from the fact that many Asian characters such as Ada are often not voiced by Asian actors. She says that such inauthentic castings "perpetuate an unhealthy image that further dehumanizes the community they seek to reflect." Gao also praises Ada's writing in Resident Evil 4 Remake, saying that she's a "survivor" and "absolutely not a stereotype."
"Being the first Asian actor to portray Ada in the Resident Evil video games is an honour, and I will forever be grateful to our producer and director, for making the decision on authentic representation," says Gao, speaking in her first statement since she took a break from social media.
"While criticism is expected, it's not the first time an actor of colour faces racist and sexist harassment, for simply participating," she continues. "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."
This statement seems to target those who criticised Capcom for hiring Gao over Ada's previous voice actors, none of which were Asian. Gao was also criticised for sounding much different to Ada's previous voices, going for something new rather than imitating the original game.
The response from fans seems to be - for the most part - supportive, especially after many had seen the level of harassment Gao received after Resident Evil 4 Remake launched. However, some still debate her performance in the replies, or try to downplay the severity of the hate that was sent her way.
In any case, it seems like we'll hear more of Gao's take on Ada soon. Earlier today, further evidence of the Ada-centred expansion, Separate Ways, was found in the latest Resident Evil 4 Remake update. Gao's statement makes no mention of this or any future work as Ada, but it's safe to assume she'll be leading Separate Ways, whenever it launches.
Right now, we don't even know if it will be paid DLC or a free update. But thankfully, Mercenaries was just added at no extra cost, which bodes well for this new game mode.