Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone have backed director Cameron Crowe over the title of their new film, Aloha.

Some native Hawaiians disapprove of the name of the romantic comedy, claiming it is disrespectful misappropriation of culture and simplifies a word that’s rich with meaning.

The actresses, who shot scenes alongside Bradley Cooper in Hawaii for the movie, batted away controversy over the title, with Rachel saying: “I think you know that Cameron was very much about Hawaiian culture and we did a blessing to kick off the film and you know he took us to watch live Hawaiian music all the time… I don’t know that that’s fair.

“I mean people are always going to be sensitive and I understand that you want to represent everyone equally, but I certainly think he has a great deal of respect for Hawaiian people and Hawaiian culture.”

Rachel McAdams and Bradley Cooper star in Aloha
Rachel McAdams and Bradley Cooper star in Aloha (Fox)

Emma added: “Kind of being in Hawaii alone was having fun. I think everyone slept on the downtime.

“But it was so beautiful. This movie couldn’t have been shot anywhere else. It was obviously the most integral part of the movie so that was a really special experience.”

Rachel McAdams, Cameron Crowe and Emma Stone at the Aloha LA screening
Rachel McAdams, Cameron Crowe and Emma Stone (Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP)

Filmmaker Cameron, who wrote and directed Aloha, insisted there was a lot of thought behind the film’s title.

“I read some of the stuff that has been said and I just think, ‘I can’t wait for you to see the movie’, because we certainly know the power of ‘aloha’ and what ‘aloha’ means and didn’t choose the title randomly,” he explained.

“It’s said and used many different ways in the movie and in the different ways that ‘aloha’ has such power and it means so much more than one or two things. It’s everything.”

Aloha, which also stars Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski and Danny McBride, opens in UK cinemas on September 4.