Friday, March 28, 2014
They Cast Whom?! Actor Choices To Offend Every Racial Sensibility
Code Switch : NPR: No matter how you feel about ethnicity and casting — and how ethnicity or race should relate to casting — there's probably something in the news lately that's going to make you upset. Folks have strong opinions about how the race of actors should or shouldn't relate to the characters they play, but regardless of the position you take on this front, let us count the various ways that certain actors getting cast in certain roles might make you squirm
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4 comments:
I think there's definitely a difference between casting a black character in a traditionally white role and casting a white actor in a traditionally minority role. For a long time, the default race for any character has been white- they were only different if something in the character demanded it. In this case, changing the actor takes nothing away from the role, and does not affect the overall depiction of white people in the media in general. However, major roles for specifically minorities are few and far between, and taking away one of those roles in a major movie has a serious effect on representation in general. It's simply unacceptable to do this, especially in an industry that claims to be attempting to address under-representation and promoting equality.
This was an interesting article that provided insight, for me, on a topic I only recently began thinking about. I had never in the past had a problem with colorblind casting, and thought that ignoring the ethnicities of the actors enhanced the experience in some cases. However, recently I have realized that there are roles that are dependent on the ethnicity or racial makeup of the character. And in these situations, it only really makes sense if the actor is cast to match. Othello becomes a very different show if Othello is the same race as the rest of the Venetians.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that race and ethnicity should not be as big of an issue as it is. Also, I feel like the roles that are being discussed are roles where the ethnic culture portrayed is either not accurate in the first place or is not affected by colorblind casting. For example, the natives in Peter Pan are completely different than actual natives were, so much so that one could argue that the portrayal itself is offensive. Even Aladdin portrays the culture inaccurately! I agree that there are some roles where the ethnicity or race of the actors makes a difference such as in a production of Dream Girls or a remake of the movie Frida Kahlo. However, in the cases recently presented, it doesn't actually matter in the make up of the big picture.
Personally I don't see anything wrong with casting an actor because there ethnic background fits the role. If you think about it broadway does this all the time. Take in the Heights for example, the story revolves around a Latina family so most of the people in the show have some sort of ties to that ethnic background in order to make the role seem more genuine. This is similar to how if they need someone who is playing a morbidly obese character they can put a clause in the contract that loosing to much weight could result in being dropped from the show. Or even a child growing out of a role. I don't think that any producer is looking to be exclusive they simply want the person best suited for the role.
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