Received a great deal of criticism from audiences and reviewers who objected to the fact that although this movie is set in Hawaii, it depicts almost no Asian-American or Native-Hawaiian-descended characters, and the one main character, who is supposed to be of both Chinese and native Hawaiian descent, is played by a white actress, Emma Stone. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) released a statement saying, "Sixty percent of Hawaii's population is AAPIs. Caucasians only make up thirty percent of the population, but from watching this film, you'd think they made up ninety percent. This comes in a long line of films exploiting Hawaii for its exotic backdrop, but goes out of its way to exclude the very people who live there. It's an insult to the diverse culture and fabric of Hawaii." Asian-American and Native-Hawaiian Writers, such as Entertainment Weekly's Chris Lee, MSNBC's Janet Mock, and The Daily Beast's Jen Yamato, were among many who criticized the film's cultural appropriation, and pointed out the offensiveness of casting Stone in her role.