In the most popular films of 2019, protagonists were more diverse than ever, and there were more women were behind the camera. But in many other areas — speaking roles, behind-the-scenes jobs, LGBTQ representation, parts for people with disability — Hollywood remains far from reflecting the makeup of its American audiences
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The lack of diversity and inclusion in Hollywood has been an issue since the dawn of the industry, and an issue that I worry is not running away anytime soon. Hollywood fails to fairly represent life in America- both movies and film are all too often centered on a white family or group of friends, with the exception of a token POC, or gay character at an attempt at “diversity”. Characters are often whitewashed in adaptations, characters with disabilities are often embodied by able-bodied actors, and, yes- the POC we see on screen are often villians or criminals. This is issue dives deep past Hollywood though, this is an American issue- the American way of life has always been one that is white, slender, and focuses on European ideals of beauty. Hollywood has work to do, but we still need to dismantle racism and prejudices in our educational systems, local theatres, regional theatres and even Broadway.
The lack of diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry has been a well- known reality. Hollywood, in particular, has struggled with it and has garnered a lot of bad reputation because of that, given the scope of the industry. However, as this article rightfully asserts, a lot of new changes have been taking place in the industry over the last few years: Black Widow, Joy, Us, Get Out, Moonlight etc. are all films that are either being headlined by a female actress or by actors from minority communities. This is a huge step in towards achieving inclusion in the industry but it is when this data is compared with the bigger picture of audience demographics, that it becomes evident that the industry still has a long way to go before it can credit it with anything like this. That being said, it is a wonderful change to see movies that have diverse casts, female protagonists and more relatable stories, because I think that is the way to go forward.
I echo what my classmates have said above about this article. Hollywood has always been problematic in how it deals with diversity on screen and behind the screen as well. I would have loved to have seen more studies about the behind the screen workers. I understand, though, that the on screen is ‘visually’ more important as that is what the general public sees and thinks about. The more studies that are done like this, the better. If we continually track the data over the years, we can easily point at what we need to say “Hey, Hollywood, THIS is still a problem, do not pat yourselves on the back yet!”
As the studies have shown, this definitely is not a quick change, but it does seem to be moving at a faster pace than it ever had before. I think also with recent events, it hopefully will kick this into high gear and push for a more diverse and inclusive Hollywood.
USC has been tracking the progress of diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry for 13 years, and yet, there seems to be such a lack of acknowledgements to the problems of underrepresentation that continue to persist. While this article points out the points of progress that have been made, it definitely highlights how far away we still are from a real equal and fair representation. For women to make up only 32/100 leading roles for top box office films makes me question what exactly the entertainment industry thinks people are looking for in the content that they produce. Is it only because of the history of a male dominated industry that women are fighting to make it to an equal 50/50 or because people don't think they would make it as far? Perhaps (most definitely) it is a combination of both that blocks all underrepresented groups from fulfilling their place in our society. I am thankful to see that there has been progress; however, as we all are, I will continue to call out the industry for their blatant disregard of equality.
The entire history of Hollywood has deeply rooted problems with inclusivity so it’s no real surprise that they still persist today. While it’s good that there has been some progression over the years, like the article says, a fair amount of it feels like forced representation. They’ll throw in one or two people of color, or one gay character, only to have them be painfully stereotyped and probably killed off early. We also see a fair amount of whitewashing still such as Scarlet Johansen playing the main character in Ghost in the Shell, based off a Japanese anime, as well as other ethnic roles being played by white actors. But the problem with representation doesn’t just exist onscreen. A large majority of people behind the scenes writing, designing, and creating these films are white people sometimes trying to tell POC stories. A recent example of this would be Mulan, a film that on the surface has an entirely Asian cast, but is told by white voices and puppeted by white people. However it is still minor improvement and I hope the recent surge in awareness to these kinds of issues continues to push Hollywood in the right direction.
(Chloe Cohen: cgcohen@andrew.cmu.edu) It's incredibly disheartening to see that films like Aladdin "made major improvements in diversity." The actress who played Jasmine was half white, and the colorism apparent in the casting of the film is atrocious. Films like Aladdin and The Lion King should not be taken into account when considering diversity in films, because the region they take place in should require diverse casting. Studios should not be praised for doing what they should be expected to do. I expect Mulan will receive the same praise for its representation, but did Disney really have a choice in the casting? I don't believe these companies should get brownie points for finally doing the right thing. If you only cast people of color in films set in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, you're not being inclusive.
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