In response to previous remarks made by comedian Margaret Cho, Tilda Swinton has shared an e-mail exchange between the two with Vanity Fair.

On Wednesday, Cho told podcast host Bobby Lee about a tense conversation she allegedly had with Tilda Swinton prior to the release of Doctor Strange, concerning the whitewashing backlash surrounding the film. Fans were outraged when Swinton was cast to play the Ancient One in the Marvel movie, a character who is a Tibetan man in the original comic-book series. Cho, a vocal critic of whitewashing in Hollywood, told Lee that Swinton e-mailed her to discuss the controversy. “She said she didn’t understand why people were so mad about Doctor Strange,” Cho told Lee. “She wanted to talk about it and get my take.”

What followed later, according to Cho, was a tense conversation, which Cho seemed to imply happened over the phone. “It was so weird,” Cho recalled, later adding that it felt like “a fight about why the part should not have gone to her. That’s what I thought.” By the end of the conversation, Cho said she felt like “a house Asian, like I’m her servant,” she said, adding that Swinton arbitrarily mentioned that she was working on a film with Steven Yeun (Okja, directed by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho). Cho added that Swinton asked her not to tell anyone about the conversation.

Swinton’s team has since responded to requests for comment from Vanity Fair and other outlets by sharing an e-mail exchange the two had on May 13, 2016. The conversation, comprising five e-mails in total, is the only communication Swinton and Cho have ever had, according to Swinton’s team. Representatives for Cho have not yet responded to V.F.’s request for comment.

Below are Swinton’s e-mails to Cho, in which Swinton initiates the conversation about the film, saying she’s not fully aware of the whitewashing controversy, but would “love to hear” Cho’s thoughts. In her response, which V.F. has not published, Cho gamely replies to Swinton and explains her thoughts on the controversy and about whitewashing in Hollywood at large:

On Friday, May 13, 2016, [Tilda Swinton] wrote:

Dear Margaret,

We’ve never met, but you’ve been in my head for years - I’m a fan.

I want to ask you a favour now which is sprung out of a truly important social conversation but may be heading for some crazy-making shit.

The diversity debate - ALL STRENGTH to it - has come knocking at the door of Marvel’s new movie DR STRANGE. I am told that you are aware of this. But since I am that extinct beast that does no social media, I am unaware of what exactly anybody has said about any of it. I believe there are some ironies about this particular film being a target, but I’m frankly much more interested in listening than saying anything much.

I would really love to hear your thoughts and have a - private - conversation about it. Are you up for this? Can we e-mail?

No wrong answer here. Tell me to fuck off if you feel like it. In any and every case,

Much love to you,

Tilda

Cho replied by noting that she’s a fan of Swinton’s, then gave her thoughts about the controversy, as well as whitewashing in Hollywood in general. She also adds that the two can keep the conversation private.

On Friday, May 13, 2016, Tilda Swinton wrote: