Cameron Crowe has refrained from hitting the interview circuit during the press cycle for his newest release Aloha. (Read our two-star review and learn why!) Last night, however, the filmmaker took to his blog The Uncool to release an official statement addressing one aspect of the film that’s rubbed some audiences the wrong way. No, not the aggressively self-evident scriptwriting—“I’ve lone-wolfed it all the way. That’s who I am!”—and not the high-fructose-corn-syrup sentimentality, and not the monumentally poor tagline. Though sometimes, we really do need to say goodbye before we can say hello.

Instead, Crowe spoke to the topic of character Allison Ng, played by card-carrying white actress Emma Stone. Upon the film’s theatrical debut, the revelation that Allison has Chinese and Hawaiian heritage as well as a Swedish mother rankled a moviegoing public tired of seeing nonwhite roles awarded to Caucasian actors. (Coming soon to a theater near you: Rooney Mara as Tiger Lilly!) Vulture, in their singularly Vulturian fashion, called the casting decision a “Great White Nope”. 

Crowe, however, asserts that those offended simply don’t know the full story. In his blog post titled “A Comment on Allison Ng,” Crowe explained that he specifically modeled the character on a real-life Hawaiian woman with white skin and red hair who felt frustrated that her appearance didn’t express her ethnic makeup. Here’s the relevant passage:

“Thank you so much for all the impassioned comments regarding the casting of the wonderful Emma Stone in the part of Allison Ng. I have heard your words and your disappointment, and I offer you a heart-felt apology to all who felt this was an odd or misguided casting choice. As far back as 2007, Captain Allison Ng was written to be a super-proud ¼ Hawaiian who was frustrated that, by all outward appearances, she looked nothing like one. A half-Chinese father was meant to show the surprising mix of cultures often prevalent in Hawaii. Extremely proud of her unlikely heritage, she feels personally compelled to over-explain every chance she gets. The character was based on a real-life, red-headed local who did just that.”

That’s… hm. That’s a surprisingly fair rationale for casting a white actress such as Stone. We’ve gotten so inured to mealy-mouthed pseudo-mea culpas from studio heads without a remorseful bone in their wrinkly bodies, that when a filmmaker takes the time to provide a logical explanation for his choice, it comes as a refreshing change of pace. The rest of the post goes on to note that Stone did extensive research to prepare for her role, and that the production provided local Hawaiians with work as members of the cast and crew. Most importantly, Crowe gives a sincere acceptance of all culpability for any racially problematic elements in his work. Now where was that clear-eyed writing in the Aloha script?