HONG KONG (AFP) - A Hong Kong television show has ignited anger over a Filipina character played by a local actress who darkened her skin, in the latest incident of "brownface" in Asia.
Broadcaster TVB cast Canadian-Hong Konger Franchesca Wong to play a Filipina domestic worker for its series "Barrack O'Karma 2".
Ms Wong appears in the show with visibly darker skin and a clip posted by a colleague on Instagram showed her applying make-up to her legs.
"I am transforming into another person," Ms Wong said in the video, affecting a Filipino accent.
"I am sun-tanning right now," she added.
Local media reviews this week of Ms Wong's portrayal have been largely favourable and skipped discussion of race.
But the decision to darken her skin - and the casting choice itself - have sparked criticism, particularly among the city's Filipino population.
Ms Eni Lestari, a domestic worker and chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance, described the TV show's choices as "an insult" to domestic workers who already often face discrimination.