So did Jordan Peele just kill diversity casting?

Oh for god's sake - yep HE KILLED IT. All done. No more diversity.

"Little" will do great too. The way to do it -- make films about yourselves instead of taking crumbs in the pandering name of Diversity. I like where we are going.

Oh and make it good too. Peele is helping a lot on that front as well.

OP = Lena Dunham

[quote]Honestly who REALLY has such endlessly diverse groups of Asian, white and black friends or office workers, even today?

My job is quite diverse. We have lots of people who are white, east Asian, south Asian, and some black and hispanic people. I don't think that is unusual.

Wait, did you just compare Peele’s casting to the casting at Encores? The only thing distracting at I Married an Angel was the dreadful acting from the leading lady.

R4 defiantly works at Buzzfeed!

Thai kind of exclusion based on race is okay if it’s being done by black people. Don’t you GET it????

*this* kind

Girl, you [italic]definitely[/italic] do not work somewhere that requires writing r6.

R7, they’re still a marginalized minority. It would be different if white people were a marginalized minority, as then a white director could only hire white people to make up for lost representation.

and I don't ever see myself going to see a Jordan Peele movie.

Funny how he has a white wife, these types always do.

[QUOTE]This kind of exclusion based on race is okay if it’s being done by black people. Don’t you GET it????

😂 Like white directors don’t exclude by race. You think Martin Scorsese is casting a black lead in his movies anytime soon? Has he ever? He barely has any black people in his movies at all. The only difference is that he won’t say out loud that he only wants white guys starring in his films.

Oh please. I work in casting and if you knew what was happening you’d know that the large majority of casting notices in tv, film, commercials and even theater ask specifically for all ethnicities except white for roles. Times have changed. White actors are told they need not apply. It’s been this way for the past 4 years

[QUOTE]White actors are told they need not apply. It’s been this way for the past 4 years

You are so right r13, why I barely can see any white faces on my TV or at the movies.

R14 you can gif all you want but you obviously have no real knowledge about this. I do. Agencies aren’t signing white actors because literally 8/10 casting notices explicitly exclude white actors. But here we are still acting like diverse actors have such a hard time. It is the opposite.

And where are all of these movies and TV shows without white people in them that were made over the past four years, R16?

Where is all the theater being made without white people?

Let’s do a rundown of our 11 new musicals this year:

Head Over Heels- largely white; all leads white

Gettin’ the Band Back Together- largely white; all leads white

King Kong- reasonably diverse; African American female lead, white male lead

Pretty Woman- largely white; all leads white

The Prom- largely white; leads white

The Cher Show- largely white; all leads white

Ain’t Too Proud- almost exclusively African American; all leads AA

Hadestown- diverse cast; several principals of color

Beetlejuice- largely white; all leads white

Tootsie- largely white; all leads white

Be More Chill- diverse; lead male white, but several featured players of color

That’s NOT a lot of diversity. You were saying?

I can't wait for the third film in his "Black Panic" trilogy.

Do you think he sees himself as a worthy contemporary after they gave him that 'pity oscar' for his 'evil ytpeepo' movie.

Now the bottom seems to be falling out of the 'kill whitey' thing hopefully he'll find himself out on his ass along with the rest of the bigots.

[Quote] Now the bottom seems to be falling out of the 'kill whitey' thing hopefully he'll find himself out on his ass along with the rest of the bigots.

You really think that's going to happen?

r21 fingers crossed, I feel more and more people are getting sick of identity politics and the wave of prejudiced bigots it's given as social and political capital to.

While I go to the movies to escape, I want to believe in the escapism that is being presented to me. A diverse cast is fine in specific settings, but not in others. A movie or TV series set in 21st century Los Angeles or New York or even Dallas wouldn't be realistic if the cast isn't somewhat diverse. But when it's shoe-horned into historical settings that are utterly not believable -- such as the recent Mary Queen of Scots -- then I don't buy it and it destroys the escapism.

I’m good on the race threads for a while. They are over saturated and will be ffd to oblivion.

Get more creative.

OP here.

Flame and Freak me all you want r24 but come on! What should people say when a newly prominent - and successful - director makes such a pronouncement to a publication widely read by the industry? Can you imagine the Ava Duverney/Charles Blow/Brie Larson tweets if the races were reversed?

[QUOTE]Can you imagine the Ava Duverney/Charles Blow/Brie Larson tweets if the races were reversed?

They are reversed, all the time. They just don’t say it out loud. Very few white directors are even willing to give non-white male leads a chance. If it wasn’t for Denzel Washington, Will Smith and Samuel L. Jackson, the concept of a black male lead would be non-existent.

Jordan Peele has done exactly what should be done with regard to diversity in movies - Have a vision, create characters, write a script, and cast actors who embody the characters and story he wants to tell. PERIOD. Trying to shoehorn diversity into a movie rings false.

Peele should continue to make good movies with characters and casts that achieve that. Other writers, directors, and producers should do the same without regard for the demands of diversity (unless, of course, they are cynically pandering to make money, then that's their vision, I suppose).

There aren't enough lead roles in Hollywood for people of color - fine, then do as Crazy Rich Asians, Tyler Perry, and Peele have done and create them. You want a non-white Spiderman, then go with Miles Morales, not Peter Parker. You want a black superhero, make Black Panther, not Superman.

[Quote] You want a black superhero, make Black Panther, not Superman.

Black Superman was a thing in the comics though.

"you can gif all you want but you obviously have no real knowledge about this. I do."

Sure thing random liar on the internet. Too bad the rest of us have access to media. Otherwise your bullshit would be really convincing.

Well, actually it wouldn't. But I love it when people double down on a blatant lie. Shows me how stupid they are.

Goodbye, Liar!

I'm all for inclusion, but depending on the film or tv show, diversity casting can be distracting when it's not done realistically.

The recent Kenneth Branagh remake of Murder On the Orient Express, for example. One of the characters was an African-American doctor. In Europe in the 1930s. Just kind of shoehorned in. The whole movie had to grind to a halt so they could spend an entire scene explaining how this was possible in that time and place. It just took you right out of the damn movie.

[quote]Funny how he has a white wife, these types always do.

He has a white mother as well.

[quote]There aren't enough lead roles in Hollywood for people of color - fine, then do as Crazy Rich Asians, Tyler Perry, and Peele have done and create them.

Of course, your glib suggestion makes absolutely no acknowledgment of how hard it is for people of color to make the kind of inroads behind the scenes that will enable them to create their own projects. If it were as simple as all that, everybody would be doing it.

Hollywood is a network, and as with all networks, the people at the top favor people like themselves, and those are the people they'll surround themselves with and give a leg up to - so it's mostly going to be white men giving jobs to other white men. I'll give you a perfect example of what I'm talking about: Bryan Cogman, one of the writers/producers of Game of Thrones, had never had a real gig doing either of those things prior to getting hired by that show. He was, however, the husband of showrunner David Benioff's nanny. Now, what if the positions had been reversed, and it was Benioff's manny's WIFE who was the aspiring writer/producer? All else being equal, do you think she could have finagled a job on the show like Cogman did? Probably not, because Benioff would be unlikely to hang around and shoot the shit with the manny's wife in the way he would with another guy, which enabled him to get to know Cogman and decide he would fit with the show. That's the kind of bro-network that minorities are up against. The nanny's husband with no experience will get the job before a highly qualified woman, or Latino man, etc.

This won't create a good future. We get it, the point has been made but 2 wrongs don't make a right. This will only make every one emboldened to do the same. I guess it's all about revenge and holding a grudge.

[quote]Of course, your glib suggestion makes absolutely no acknowledgment of how hard it is for people of color to make the kind of inroads behind the scenes that will enable them to create their own projects. If it were as simple as all that, everybody would be doing it.

No, everyone would not be doing it because the majority of people are, in fact, hacks. We bemoan the quality of movies and TV shows produced each year, but fail to grasp the single most important point - no one sets out to make a bad movie. If they could find a better screenplay or project, Hollywood would make it because...money. From Eddie Murphy to The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) to Jackie Chan, non-white people have been headlining movies, not because of their respective races, but because they make reasonably entertaining movies that made money for a lot of people. M. Night Shyamalan was toiling away in obscurity before Sixth Sense. His opportunities since then have been as a result of that success (irrespective of the fact that he's had a lot of bombs in the intervening years), not some misguided effort to give a non-white person a chance.

While my answer may come across to you as glib, your response comes across as a bit unhinged. There are not unending lines of talented and oppressed people desperately trying to get their chance with the white devils running Hollywood.

It is difficult for ANYONE to make it in the entertainment industry on either side of the cameras.

[Quote] It is difficult for ANYONE to make it in the entertainment industry on either side of the cameras.

Why does diversity only mean black?

..it doesn't? There has been a real push for Asian and Latino projects recently r35.

I'm confused. Are you saying there were no African-American doctors in the 1930s? African-Americans had their own universities and hospitals. Which doctors were supposed to serve the African-American community during segregation? Also, black people can buy tickets to Europe...

In Europe in that era, traveling first-class on a luxury train? No, r37.

I got ya, OP. The world needs more Wes Anderson movies.

r38, I'm gonna play devil's advocate: do you think that Josephine Baker or Paul Robeson would've been prevented from travelling first class on the Orient Express in 1935?

I'm getting tired of this term 'diversity'. Apparently melanated people still don't exist in the imaginations of white storytellers. You can have a room full of white actors playing ancient Egyptians but one black person on a train jolts you out of escapism.

R33 = WHITE AS FUCK

I think he’s great and that casting black leads in his movies is fantastic. That said, I don’t really care much for his movies because I’m not a horror fan. I hope he works a long time and has lots of hits. Good for him.

Like they tell writers, write what you know. I like black directors making black-centric movies with largely black casts. They say blacks know all about white people, but white people don't know a lot about black people. As a white person, I want to see movies about black people and learn more about their culture.

[quote]Oh please. I work in casting and if you knew what was happening you’d know that the large majority of casting notices in tv, film, commercials and even theater ask specifically for all ethnicities except white for roles. Times have changed. White actors are told they need not apply. It’s been this way for the past 4 years

R13 Judging by the actual level of “diversity” in roles I’ve seen over the past 4 years, these POC-only casting notices (that you say have become the norm) have not exactly flooded the industry with non-white actors. At best, non-white representation is only just now approaching real-life diversity (although Asians and latinos are still very underrepresented compared to black actors.)

It sounds like these casting notices excluding white actors function as “outreach” to less represented populations, while white actors need not apply because there are already more than enough of them with footholds and connections in the industry, thus they don’t need to go to open calls.

The problem, as always, is that there are too many aspiring actors and too few roles, but now that more and more POC are getting hired, they have become the perfect scapegoats for struggling white actors to blame.

R41, who in this thread mentioned white people playing Ancient Egyptians? I’m the one who mentioned Mary Queen of Scots upthread and I would say the same applies to movies set in Ancient Egypt. It’s the 21st century: there’s no excuse for casting Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Aaron Paul in Exodus: Gods and Kings. Unless you’re doing a parody of Cecil B. DeMille, historical films should strive to be as ethnically accurate as possible in their casting.

On the one hand, I resent a little that Peele can just toss out that he doesn't intend to write roles for white people, because any white person saying the same, wouldn't be just fired and boycotted,, they'd be defenestrated on the spot. Yet he has a good point -- if he has 100 good ideas for AA characters, why would he feel a need to compensate with characters written as white? I have no problem with his thought process, but I imagine he would tolerate the opposite musing from a white director.

R38 Are you sure that blacks were not allowed in first class compartments in Europe in the 1930s, oe are you assuming? I don't know myself, would like to know.

r41 white actors haven't played Egyptians in a long time.

I find it distracting when a character is a certain race or whatever and it isn't consistent with the situation. I know a lot of mainstream stuff has diversity intentionally for marketing etc. but sometimes the movie has to be accurately cast.

Well, except for that Exodus movie no one saw.

White actors play Egyptian in many of the recent films about Ancient Egypt. I actually watch these films, so I would know.

Weren't Ancient Egyptians a different ethnic stock, like ancient Greeks?

“People at the top favor themselves.” Law of nature right? I guess whites should just settle for less success than what their individual abilities would otherwise allow when top management is POC. Right? Oh and yes there are major corporations with POC leadership.

The ruling class was r53. The Ptolemaic dynasty (like Cleopatra), weren't Egyptian, they were Macedonian greek. Most of them didn't even know how to speak Egyptian, Cleopatra was noteworthy for actually learning it.

R55, would that be the case with the Egyptians of the Moses era? You know, Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter?

Diversity is Hollywood is exclusively heterosexual diversity.

Amos n Andy -- now THAT was diversity casting.

[quote] I Married An Angel was not a masterpiece but all of the Asians and black people in Budapest just seemed...wrong

Does it seem wrong that people randomly burst out into song and dance?

Why is it fine for Irish and German Americans to play Hungarians?

Some Ancient Egyptians were macedonian/Greek but not ALL of them. Also, according to my knowledge, Egyptian gods and goddesses were never white/European.

[quote]Agencies aren’t signing white actors because literally 8/10 casting notices explicitly exclude white actors. But here we are still acting like diverse actors have such a hard time. It is the opposite.

It has gotten to the point where, in publicity about a stage version of Disney's HERCULES that's going to be done by the Public Theater at the Delacorte in Central Park this summer, it was stated that "the role of Hercules will be played by a black actor." Even though the character is not black. I think this is really going too far, and it sure sounds like fodder for a class action lawsuit on the basis of racial discrimination.

[quote]Some Ancient Egyptians were macedonian/Greek but not ALL of them

I never said they were, just the ruling Ptolemic Kingdom from 323 BC to 30 BC.

Lots of people conquered Ancient Egypt, for a hundred years it was ruled by the (black) Nubians.

He really likes his actors to look pop-eyed with tears. That is how he seems to like advertising his movies.

RACE. BAITING. TROLL. THREAD. CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jordan Peele should make a horror film about white guilt. I'd watch that.

Peele will be remaking the film Candyman, and I for one will be looking forward to it.

[quote]Peele will be remaking the film Candyman, and I for one will be looking forward to it.

Watch him go all "stunt casting" and have a white guy play Candyman LOL

He said that it's unlikely he'll write a white male lead, not that while people won't be in his films at all. White people have been in both of his films so far.

Also, there will definitely be other filmmakers out there writing stories about depressed white men returning to their hometowns to find themselves and what not.

And take the role away from a black actor!!??? Peele would NEVER do such a thing!! 😲

i dont see white actors telling chinese directors to cast more white people.

[quote] Honestly who REALLY has such endlessly diverse groups of Asian, white and black friends or office workers, even today?

I did.

I worked in NYC hospitals with white Americans, black Americans, Jamaicans, Haitians, Filipinos, Chinese, Korean, Mexicans, Russians, Irish, Scots, Canadian, Israeli, Pakistani, Indian, South African, Australian, New Zealander, Inuit, all kinds of Europeans, South Asian Indians who grew up in Africa and Guyana, etc. I even worked with a white American who grew up in Sri Lanka.

I got my bachelors and master’s degrees from Hunter/Bellevue school of nursing (I think it’s just Hunter College school of nursing now) with people from all over the planet. We worked together in study groups, clinical groups, lab groups, etc. Our larger Hunter graduation ceremony was held in a hotel ballroom and I kid you not - this heavyset blonde woman with a midwestern accent was running around taking photos of students saying, “I can’t believe it! So many different kinds of people! Look at this, this school has EVERYBODY in it! I’ve never seen a group of students like this!” (The word “diverse” wasn’t in popular culture yet). We looked at her like she was an alien. To her, we were the aliens.

Plus, my patients were from all over the world. Some were immigrants (such as concentration camp survivors), some came to the US just to be operated on in our hospital and went back home. Some were people who spent time going back and forth from the US to their home countries. Many doctors who had American accents spoke other languages as fluently as people from the home country. Turns out they were born in say, Germany or Greece, spent younger years in the US, spent their summers in their home countries and went to medical schools and did internships here and frequently went back and forth, sometimes operating for a few months in their home country, then coming back. We had surgical specialties that drew drs from all around the world, especially new things, like embolization of hemangiomas and tumors. When that was a new techniques we got doctors from every country coming over and doing an internship with the dr who developed the technique.

Now I’m in the countryside and it is dull. It’s almost all white or Mexican or Central American. Hardly any black people or Asians. To me, it’s weird. I really dislike it but it was economically necessary after I got priced out of NYC.

[quote]It has gotten to the point where, in publicity about a stage version of Disney's HERCULES that's going to be done by the Public Theater at the Delacorte in Central Park this summer, it was stated that "the role of Hercules will be played by a black actor." Even though the character is not black. I think this is really going too far, and it sure sounds like fodder for a class action lawsuit on the basis of racial discrimination.

R61 Hercules is a frickin’ musical, so you’ve got to suspend your disbelief in the first place in order to sit through people randomly breaking into song and dance. Oh yeah - there’s also a goat-man named Phil who talks with a New York City accent and a Greek chorus that sings like the Ronettes, but you’re concerned that a casting a black Hercules will compromise the “realism?” Please.

I have no problem with what he said, it's his prerogative to cast whomever he likes. However, what I do have a problem with is the hypocriticalness. White directors/productions, tv shows and now even the Oscars are all forced to have "diversity." Either everyone gets the same treatment or no one does. Hell, I saw comments criticizing Jennifer Aniston's birthday party for lack of minorities. It's becoming insane! No mention when Beyoncé threw a party with mainly black guests. I'm so sick of the preachiness of it all.

Amen r73

And r45 the same can be said for black actors proclaiming that this very difficult business is difficult for them because they are black. No, it’s very hard for everyone. But now diverse actors have a mantra that it’s hard for them because they are black (not considering actual talent or connections). And we must all bow and fall in line and self-flagellate and give them everything they demand.

[quote] what I do have a problem with is the hypocriticalness

You also have a problem with grammar.

They word you’re looking for is “hypocrisy.”

I think he's incredibly talented and he's writing his own projects, so he should have a say in whoever he wants to cast. Since he's a black man, he's probably going to write stories from that perspective just like a Wes Anderson or Woody Allen is going to write about people similar to them. This is not a crime. I'd rather someone write characters and cast actors they can relate to than try to shoehorn characters and actors they can't relate to into their projects. You can always feel it when they do and it rings false.

And yet, white writers are criticized for not writing enough diverse characters. And often when they DO, they are criticized for not having the right to do so because they aren’t of that culture. We are stuck in an absurd cycle of demands by people who want nothing more than some kind of payback.

[quote]I worked in NYC hospitals with white Americans, black Americans, Jamaicans, Haitians, Filipinos, Chinese, Korean, Mexicans, Russians, Irish, Scots, Canadian, Israeli, Pakistani, Indian, South African, Australian, New Zealander, Inuit, all kinds of Europeans, South Asian Indians who grew up in Africa and Guyana, etc.

Fuck me I hate America's insane racial catagories, the third reich had a more scientific approach ffs.

Irish and 'Scots' (what ever the fuck that means) aren't races or genetically indistinct from the rest of the British Isles, but I have a feeling you're just describing white 'muh heritage' Americans.

I feel violated.

We should just require that every actor take a genealogy DNA test before giving them a role. Since criminality and mental illness tends to run in families, we’ll probably catch a slew of rapists and serial killers as a result. Dual benefit!

If Sheldon and Amy had a baby, it would be Chelsea Peretti

I'm fine with diverse casting if it's believable, but it's gotten to the point where it's really strained--my favorite being a production of Sense and Sensibility at Ashland where the mom was white and three daughters Asian, Latino and black. All living in rural 19th-century England. There's all this typecasting that goes on--you never see an ingenue with bad hair or acne or an extra 10 pounds, but we're all supposed to pretend that we don't see race.

It's particularly funny on CW.

So, I'm all for a return to a more balanced approach toward casting.

WTF from a very white man with a deep tan?

[quote]I'm fine with diverse casting if it's believable, but it's gotten to the point where it's really strained--my favorite being a production of Sense and Sensibility at Ashland where the mom was white and three daughters Asian, Latino and black

It’s probably more than just for the sake of diversity, but to give those girls a chance to perform in a period piece without having to play a slave, a servant, or a concubine.

It doesn't bother me in theater actually, the nature of a stage performance.

I know that Chelsea Peretti is married to JP, but does anyone know why someone keeps posting that she is leaving Brooklyn 99? What does that have to do with this thread on JP? It sounds like she was (at least partially) pushed out of the show, so I am not getting why someone is posting that people article about her departure.

R16, there are plenty of ways of doing that without making the audience try to figure out how many husbands the mother had.

British tv shows really shoehorn it in. You'd think about 40% of Britain was black, and about 60% of white British women are married to non-white men.

British TV shows barely cast people of color. Most of their shows are about royal families. I watch a lot of British TV and there are only a couple people of color per series. There is a reason so many black British actors move to Los Angeles.

r90 you mustn't watch any of the multitudes of British crime dramas or regular dramas. Most of their shows are not about royal families. God, just look at Netflix for an idea.

Yes, I watch many of the top British TV series of all genres. My statements are still accurate.

No, they are not r92. But whatever, a simple search can tell you that you're wrong. No sense in pursuing it.

The curious thing to me about British shows is that the Anglo-African population is about 3 percent, while the Anglo-Indian's around 10 percent, but you see more Anglo-African actors onscreen than Anglo-Indian ones. There's a similar thing in the U.S. where there are substantially more Latinos than African-Americans, but the percentages seem reversed on television.

The portrayal is skewed enough that Americans think 20 percent of the population is black when it's actually around 12 percent.

Offhand, r94, I'm guessing that there just aren't that many people of Indian heritage who are in the acting profession in the UK. Just a theory.

r90/r92, you're wrong. In fact, there's a diversity mandate at the BBC that their productions feature diverse casts, and so you get David Oyelowo as a black Javert in their recent adaptation of Les Misérables.

Is that what it is, r96? Makes sense. So many British shows just have it shoehorned in, in the most unlikely places. How many black people are chief of police and detectives in Bumfucke Highlands, Scotland for example?

[quote] Irish and 'Scots' (what ever the fuck that means) aren't races or genetically indistinct from the rest of the British Isles, but I have a feeling you're just describing white 'muh heritage' Americans.

Nobody said they were, babe.

We’re talking diversity.

And we’re talking about people from Ireland and people from Scotland (who are called Scots). As in they were born there and came to work in US hospitals. Tons of doctors, nurses, ward clerks, aides, PTs, students, elevator operators, orderlies, speech pathologists, dietary workers, clerics, interns, residents, maintenance workers, custodians. From just about every country on earth. Every color, every language, every culture, every religion.

Diversity. We all worked together.

After all, the OP asked how many actual people of different colors worked together. Btw — did you know many Russians look Asian? And many. Caucasian Russians look like Turks and Iranians? And they speak different languages and are Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish.

I think you’re from Nowheresville.

I'm not wrong. One black person isn't fucking diversity. All you have done is proven my point. British TV shows DO NOT feature that many people of color. They only do the bare mininum.

If the BBC didn't have a diversity mandate, black actors wouldn't have jobs ever.

[quote] Scots' (what ever the fuck that means)

Wtf?

People from Scotland are Scots, you dumb ass bitch.

[quote]there are plenty of ways of doing that without making the audience try to figure out how many husbands the mother had.

What if the white mom is a harlot and her children are WHITE bastards with multiple dads? Why do we assume they all have the same bio dad?

Whenever I see a person of color playing a member of white family, I don’t let it distract me... I just figure, ah - recessive genes - and move on.

If a white director, producer, writer said they would not hire a non-white lead in their films they would be skewered!

You cannot have a reasonable argument about this topic with social justice warriors.

It is distracting when individual families have to look like a fucking UN meeting.

"Wow, mom sure liked to taste a rainbow of cock!"

Jordan Peele can say whatever he wants...he's half white.

The worst thing about this subject is the inane double standard. People will defend every exclusionary practice by POC and condemn white actors/writers/directors/producers for the same thing and lesser versions of the same thing. It’s so unbelievablely hypocritical.

[quote]Whenever I see a person of color playing a member of white family, I don’t let it distract me... I just figure, ah - recessive genes - and move on.

The black daughter in Lost in Space deeply upset many people. They didn’t really explain it in any great detail because it wasn’t important. It changed nothing. The parents loved her. The siblings thought of her as their sister.

She was from a previous marriage but people couldn’t wrap their minds around it because they couldn’t understand why these two white characters would let a black child into their home and not call it out the reason why every few minutes.

(Because it all went down before the story started!)

You guys should maintain the same energy when straight society keeps gay characters and actors out of their stories.

It's distracting to see an openly gay actor kissing a women on screen...

Gays feel too guilty to ask for that r109. They think we must not have it as bad as the people insisting that a comic book character be played by a real Japanese woman onscreen

I know a few couples bi-racial kids, and the kids look WAY more like one parent than the other. One is a white mom with a half-Asian child who is oft assumed to have been adopted, while the other is a dark-skinned woman from Central America with a very fair-skinned son... she’s oft assumed to be his nanny. I’m not surprised at the idiots whose heads explode at the sight of multi-racial families on stage, TV, and film... they’re the same ones who deplore interracial marriage and parentage.

White people tell black actors and directors all the time that black leads don't sell (without having proof of this belief). You guys are living in some weird post-racial delusion where whites are victims.

[quote]So, I'm all for a return to a more balanced approach toward casting.

So some blacks are getting prominent roles now and all of a sudden the racists come out of the woodwork and wish for it to return to how it was before.

You know these Wilford Brimley types scream at the TV when they see a scene with white co-workers having lunch with a black or 'other' co-worker.

Several years ago there was a Cheerios ad in the U.S. with a bi-racial child (black dad and white mom) that sparked outrage. I’m from the west coast and remember thinking “wow - it’s 2013 and there’s never been a multi-racial family in a national ad before?” All hell broke loose after that, and now EVERYONE wants to turn their TV casts into the U.N., according to many of you. Thanks, Cheerios!

Who do these blacks think they are? Where’s our White Entertainment Television?

R114, no--casting that doesn't strain credulity--as in the case of that production of Sense and Sensibility. I don't like whitewashing OR colorwashing when it adds nothing to the story. Emma Stone shouldn't have been cast as someone 1/4 Asian while Bess of Hardwick should have been played by someone who looked European.

With stage productions, I don't care as much, but family members should vaguely resemble one another. In the S&S case, a truly creative director might have changed the setting--impoverished, but high-caste Indian girls during the Raj, for instance.

And the Lost in Space tactic of squeezing in a daughter-of-color was just pathetic.

I think Crazy Ex-Girlfriend handles the issue well--diverse cast, but with writing that acknowledges the different backgrounds.

peele has lost all credibility. he is a joke in tinseltown.

The stories need to be more diverse, not just the characters. The world is getting tired of the same old Anglocentric narratives that Hollywood recycles. It seems like white Hollywood has run out of interesting stories to tell.

is casting actors jus cause they is black , racist?

duh

latest medea did shitty at box office

It takes Tyler Perry like two weeks to film one of his films. Tyler Perry is the McDonald's of film and TV.

R119, No one whose last movie was a hit and whose second movie cleared $70 million opening weekend is a joke in Tinsel Town.

So is Peele self loathing, over compensating, ashamed of his white heritage or trying to score black brownie points? Either way he's a racist, hypocrite and supports discrimination.

How many black leads has Woody Allen had?

How many out gay leads has Woody Allen had R126? How many out gay leads has Peele had? Why does it always have to be black. They aren't the only fucking minority that ever existed.

[quote] My job is quite diverse.

[quote] We have lots of people who are white, [upper management and interns]

[quote] east Asian [buried away in finance or in design]

[quote] south Asian [our IT guys]

[quote] and some black and hispanic people. [support staff, mailroom and the cleaning crew]

[quote] I don't think that is unusual.

Good question, R127. How many openly gay leads has Woody Allen had?

I hope he has killed diversity casting, because what's deemed to be acceptable for one group will have to be, in the name of equality equal treatment within the industry, be deemed acceptable for all other groups.

peele will have no more big hit movies, one hit wonder, US is ridic.

[Quote] peele will have no more big hit movies, one hit wonder, US is ridic.

Sure Jan

[quote]Hercules is a frickin’ musical, so you’ve got to suspend your disbelief in the first place in order to sit through people randomly breaking into song and dance. Oh yeah - there’s also a goat-man named Phil who talks with a New York City accent and a Greek chorus that sings like the Ronettes, but you’re concerned that a casting a black Hercules will compromise the “realism?” Please.

R72, do you have no reading comprehension whatsoever? I didn't AT ALL address how "realistic" or unrealistic it would be the cast a black actor as Hercules. I didn't even use the word "realistic," or any other form of it, in my post. What I wrote was that to specify BEFORE casting that "the role of Hercules will be played by a black actor" is blatant racial discrimination and CANNOT be legal. If the notice said "actors of all ethnicities will be considered for the role of Hercules," that would be totally different and not a problem at all.

I can't stand it when people like you waste other people's time because they don't even understand the argument in which they're trying to engage. But since I've already taken the time to respond to you (in order to point out your lack of reading comprehension), if I WERE to address your tiresome argument that casting in musicals doesn't need to be "realistic" because musicals aren't realistic, I'd say that you would probably think it very odd to find a man and woman in their eighties cast as the young romantic leads in OKLAHOMA! or SHE LOVES ME, or to see a grossly overweight actress cast as Lorelei Lee in GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, or......

r133 get used to it. DL is FULL of people who have fuck-all reading comprehension and then go off on another poster, when the poster said nothing about what the pissed-off poster is raging about.

[Quote]get used to it. Thr internet is FULL of people who have fuck-all reading comprehension

Fixed that for you.

But yes, reading seems to be a lost art if it is more complicated than a simple headline. So many people have shockingly low comprehension levels.

[quote]It has gotten to the point where, in publicity about a stage version of Disney's HERCULES that's going to be done by the Public Theater at the Delacorte in Central Park this summer, it was stated that "the role of Hercules will be played by a black actor." Even though the character is not black. I think this is really going too far, and it sure sounds like fodder for a class action lawsuit on the basis of racial discrimination.

A lawsuit won’t happen because there just aren’t many roles for black men in the Disney cannon, so casting a black actor as Hercules is a “reparative” measure to make up for Uncle Remus and the crows in Dumbo, lol.

The reason there’s an uproar when a white actor is cast as a person of color has to do with the history of minstrelsy and other negative potrayals of POC by white actors who have created 2-dimensional buffoons specifically to ridicule the character’s ethnicity, like Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi in “Breakfast At Tiffany’s”.

Considering the history of racism in America, it’s hard to compare casting a black actor as a white hero to, say, casting a white actor as a black servant. The power dynamics do not match up.

[quote]there just aren’t many roles for black men in the Disney cannon

Oh, dear. *BOOM*

^^Woops - CANON. The pedantry on this thread is eclipsing the racism.

[quote]A lawsuit won’t happen because there just aren’t many roles for black men in the Disney cannon, so casting a black actor as Hercules is a “reparative” measure to make up for Uncle Remus and the crows in Dumbo, lol.

A lawsuit MAY not happen for that reason, but it COULD happen, because again: To come right out and say in advance that white (or Asian, or Latino, or whatever) actors WILL NOT be considered for the role of Hercules because it MUST be played by a black actor (even though the role is not black) has GOT to be illegal. So there would be grounds for a lawsuit, whether or not any non-black actor dares to initiate one.

It's not illegal. There's always been a loophole with casting because physical appearances do matter in acting, unlike most professions.

Basically, Disney's doing two versions of Hercules--neither of which comes close to representing anyone who looks vaguely Greek. It's another case of stunt casting in lieu of, say, doing an original story or delving into African or other black narratives for a genuine folk hero who's black.

I'm the poster who doesn't like white or color washing--and with Hercules, Disney's going to manage to do it in both directions. Congratulations, I guess?

Seriously, Disney did a decent job with Moana, it's not that hard when you have more money than God and access to a world of talent.

What R140 said. Specifying ethnicity in casting is routine, which is why you’ll never see a black Cinderella or an Asian Tiana at the Disney Parks (as far as I know.) Some parents are VERY concerned about spoiling the fantasy illusion for their crotchfruit; they worry that their spawn will be traumatized if they discover that their favorite cartoon characters are not real. (Black Santa will ruin Christmas!)

Pocahontas is an exception though - Asians, middle-easterners, latinos, or anyone who vaguely resembles a Filipino can impersonate her on stage or at a Disney Park.

Here’s an example for a production of Hercules that specifies “ETHNICITY: White / European Descent” for Herc, and “ETHNICITY: Middle Eastern for Meg” :

Cast for the way the character is drawn .

How many blue-eyed, redheaded Greeks have you ever seen?

Irrelevant. Cast for the way the character is drawn.

Actually, ancient Greeks were more fair than modern Greeks so a blue-eyed redheaded Hercules would really be historically accurate.

Yes. Exactly. Thank you.

[quote]Irrelevant. Cast for the way the character is drawn

Will Smith looks NOTHING like the Genie in Aladdin, and we’re officially calling for a boycott of the film.

Well, that's an exception above and beyond normal concerns. While it's true he looks nothing like the character, he's also hideous to look at, and a terrible, mugging ham.

It’s a wonder that casting directors can find any actors that look like the drawn version of Hercules, since Disney’s character design department, for whatever reason, gave him both red hair AND a tan. What the heck were they thinking? It’s probably easier to find a dude with blue skin than it is to find bronze-skinned redhead.

(Seriously - how does a ginger get a tan like that?)

[quote]I hope he has killed diversity casting,

Yes, because having to look at a minority face on screen will kill you.

[quote]It has gotten to the point where, in publicity about a stage version of Disney's HERCULES that's going to be done by the Public Theater at the Delacorte in Central Park this summer, it was stated that "the role of Hercules will be played by a black actor."

In traditional art, Hercules is typically more on the dusky side, even Moorish. Disney, unfortunately, made him a redhead, so thank Zeus they are correcting that mistake. They should never have ginge-washed him in the first place.

R151, meet r13 & r16 . Then go away.

R152 :

Everything will reach an appropriate balance soon. 4 years of over correcting isn't that long.

"Moorish?" In classical antiquity? You'd better read some history.

Hercules is FICTIONAL, you dumb twats, which is why artists have created different interpretations of him.

omg what a silly bitch, jus look at his face....sad

[quote]Everything will reach an appropriate balance soon. 4 years of over correcting isn't that long.

There is no over correcting. Everything is still lily white. You guys are spazzing out because it went from 100% white to 98% white and you have to see brown faces on the screen now.

R159 you are probably wrong. There has been a massive effort to exclude white actors in casting for the past 4 years now in order to appease the new social mandate.

[QUOTE]There has been a massive effort to exclude white actors in casting for the past 4 years now in order to appease the new social mandate.

You people keep saying this but never follow up with examples of all these shows and movies that are just utterly devoid of white faces.

[quote]"Moorish?" In classical antiquity? You'd better read some history.

No, R156 - “Moorish” as post-classical depictions prior to the modern era, and the Disney version itself is a modern interpretation that barely resembles the Hercules of antiquity. The black actor in the musical version is not the first dark-skinned Hercules, and he won’t be the last.

R13 I'm a white actor and I agree with you

Yes - the tables are turning, but you can always wait them, along with all the other unemployed actors.

[quote]You people keep saying this but never follow up with examples of all these shows and movies that are just utterly devoid of white faces.

Black Panther, Us, Get Out, Little, 227, If Beale Street Can Talk, BlackkKlansmen, Night School, Madea’s Family Funeral, Blackish, grownish

Lots of blacks on tv shows now.

Funny you still don't see many Asians on tv shows, which is pretty odd for any tv show set in present-day California.

R161 your statements are disingenuous. No one is saying there are no white people in tv and film. The fact is, about 85% of casting notices in tv film theater and commercials ask for only diverse actors for roles. It’s a fact.

Jordan is half-white but basically lives as a white man 100% of the time.

How could he live as a white man when society sees him as a black man. What an ignorant thing to say.

Two of the main characters in Black Panther are white. Multiple main characters in Get Out are white. Multiple main characters in BlackkKlansmen are white. These movies are telling stories about Black America/Africa, not many films or TV shows do that. These films represent a minority of what Hollywood looks like. White people are still the overwhelming majority on TV and film. Stop being delusional.

Every television program I see lately has colored people in it.

Just waded through the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report from 2018--numbers go up through 2016, but, basically, blacks are actually proportionately represented in film at that point (12.5 percent), while other minorities were significantly underrepresented, particularly Latinos at 2.7 percent.

I suspect that Black representation in film is probably above proportional representation at this point, while Latino representation has increased, but still far behind proportional representation.

Blacks are actually overrepresented on television at 17 percent (go thank Shonda), Latinos are again significantly underrepresented (6 percent). Whites are at 66 percent--which is sort of accurate (a significant percentage of Latinos also identify as white--hi Ted Cruz.) Asians are on point at 5 percent.

Women in all groups continue to be significantly underrepresented, though the situation is better on television.

[quote]a significant percentage of Latinos also identify as white--hi Ted Cruz.

Latinos who are of exclusively Spanish heritage are white, so it's not incorrect.

R174 No just no. As an example,the vast majority of Mexican Americans are mestizo or mixed race. The vast majority of Puerto Ricans in this country are mulatto and mestizo. The list goes on with perhaps the exception of Cubans in The US .

Latinos want to be white, so they don’t count as diversity.

Latinos are a mix of European, African, Native American, and sometimes Asian. Please skip this conversation please.

The majority, yes, but there are more white Latinos than you think--Argentineans are a good example. I know white Mexicans with blonde hair and green eyes.

So what, do they deserve a trophy?

Cameron Diaz, Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch--all Latinas, but also all seen as white.

r175 Spanish people are white Europeans. People of Spanish heritage are also white, but Latino as well.

Don't you DARE call Argentines Latino or Hispanic! I learned that the hard way - boy do they get pissed! As far as Argentines are concerned, they're basically Europeans who live a little further west.

It's normal for directors to make films about their own small section of society. Woody Allen makes films about New Yorkers, Martin Scorcese makes films about Italian-Americans, Sophia Coppola makes films about rich girls, Tyler Perry makes films about ordinary black people, etc. They're telling the story of what they know.

If Peele wants to make films about black families because those are the stories he wants to tell, he's following an established filmmaking tradition.

[quote]Cameron Diaz, Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch--all Latinas, but also all seen as white.

So what? Darrin Criss, Mark Paul Gosselner, Dean Cain, Emma Stone, Constance Wu, Rob Scnider, Jennifer Tilly, Keanu Reeves — all Asians, but also seen as white.

They're all mixed-race r184 not pure Asian.

[quote]The fact is, about 85% of casting notices in tv film theater and commercials ask for only diverse actors for roles. It’s a fact.

R168 - Anyone with two eyes and a functioning brain can see that the percentage (you claim) of open casting calls for diverse actors does not reflect the actual percentage of diversity in TV, film, and theater. As was mentioned upthread, there are still laughingly archaic shows set in California, for example, with few Asians and latinos.

If your figure IS correct, it indicates that most POC are new to the industry and get work through open calls, while white actors are more likely to get jobs through existing connections and closed casting sessions. The fact is, older caucasians tend to be well-established, while younger ones often land jobs with the help of sexual favors or nepotism. This ease of employment in the past has led to a surplus of white entertainers who WILL be displaced, now that the door is open to others.

I know: it would be a tragedy if the next Affleck or DiCaprio ended up in teaching or social work instead of doing Pizza Hut commercials because a black stole their jorb. Oh well - boo hoo.

R186--Ease of employment, for actors? Are you fucking kidding me? You just cavalierly toss out "sexual favors" as if whoring yourself out for a job was no big deal.

Acting's a tough business--particularly for women. Actresses far outnumber actors, but there are far fewer roles for women. I notice that you didn't even bother to mention the possible loss of an actress.

Jordan Peele should be able to cast however he wants. And so should other directors. And the casting should be about making a good film.

Agree, R183. But I don't understand why Peele has to make some grand announcement that he won't hire white males. It's not necessary.

[QUOTE]Cameron Diaz, Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch--all Latinas, but also all seen as white.

And that’s just the way they wanted it. If you’d ask them what they are, they’d all say white. Latinos are desperate to be accepted into the world of whiteness.

Latinos aren't a race. Many of them are white.

R188, I have to assume the remark came in the context of discussing whether Peele was going to go mainstream, and whether he was going to make big-budget studio films with big-name actors. That's what most rising directors would do, if they made a name for themselves with a couple of small films that the studios would consider "niche market".

If he plans to take his "niche" and storm the mainstream then good for him! But that's not exactly what he said, what he actually said has all the white straight men sniveling.

[QUOTE]Latinos aren't a race. Many of them are white.

And that’s just the way they want it. They worship the ground the white man walks on. They’re almost as bad as Asians.

R192 doesn't get it--those actresses aren't trying to be white, they are white. And Latino. A bunch of Europeans emigrated to the Americas--both of them.

[QUOTE]those actresses aren't trying to be white, they are white.

And that’s just the way they wanted it.

Yes that poster seems quite dense, speaking Spanish doesn't make you nonwhite. Latinos come in every race.

Yeah, one of those alt-right types, I expect. Not the brightest bulb in the box.

And that’s just the way they want it.

R186, asshole, you know nothing of which you speak. I’m not talking about “open calls” whatever the fuck that means in tv and film. I’m talking about breakdowns. “Closed calls” in your language. 85 percent of them, for about the past 4 years have exclusively asked for all ethnicities except Caucasian. And yet we still swallow the trope thatbdivwrse actors have some horrible disadvantage. It’s simply not true anymore.

Many actors are now changing their professional names to some ethnic family name or suddenly claiming pride in an ethnic culture they never really recognized before. Why? Because they KNOW IT WILL GET THEM WORK.

^bs

You guys know we have red haired North Africans, and red haired Jews. Remember your classics? In Greek plays, Redheads were comic relief.

Only on DL is there no genetic variation. In the real world thing are different

[quote]Ease of employment, for actors? Are you fucking kidding me? You just cavalierly toss out "sexual favors" as if whoring yourself out for a job was no big deal.

I meant the ease of employment for WHITE actors relative to non-white actors. Overall, it’s hard to find work in a profession where your main skill is playing pretend, because there are thousands of others who think they can do it well enough to make a living, such as the multitude of hayseeds who migrate to NYC or L.A. for their “big break.”

So what is plan B for the unfortunates whose only talent is to behave a certain way, convincingly, but don’t have industry connections to get their foot in the door? How about waiting tables, emceeing a tour bus, or, if you’re young enough: sex work!

[quote]Acting's a tough business--particularly for women. Actresses far outnumber actors, but there are far fewer roles for women. I notice that you didn't even bother to mention the possible loss of an actress.

You must be thinking of law enforcement, medicine, chemical engineering, or social work. People who have studied, trained, and practiced in these highly technical and dangerous professions sacrifice their own health and well-being to help and protect others. THESE are the “tough” careers.

Acting, on the other hand, is a COMPETITIVE business, because most people have gained the minimum required skills to do it in early childhood (learning lines and reciting them back convincingly), leading to a surplus of aspiring thespians. On top of that, the exhibitionistic nature of showbiz attracts histrionics, narcissists, and loons with attachment disorders.

Unfortunately, many women who were abused in childhood are attracted to monsters like Weinstein and exploitative professions such as acting and sex work, so is it NOT surprising that they all intersect? It’s a no-brainer: fewer roles for women, means more competition, means “more likely to give oral” to get the part.

That’s why I don’t mourn the loss of a potential Streep or Blanchett - I’d much prefer that she pursue a career in politics or STEM, where she can actually make the world a better place for women, rather than reinforcing sexist tropes written by old (or dead) white men.

[quote]rather than reinforcing sexist tropes written by old (or dead) white men.

If you think that white men are the problem when it comes to "reinforcing sexist tropes" then you are blind to the rest of the world.

seems like most of the shows on Netflix, hbo and showtime are ethnic shows ...hows a white feller sposed to put food on the tabe???

[quote]I’m not talking about “open calls” whatever the fuck that means in tv and film. I’m talking about breakdowns. “Closed calls” in your language. 85 percent of them, for about the past 4 years have exclusively asked for all ethnicities except Caucasian.

That honestly sounds high, so I’m curious how many breakdowns you have seen in the past 4 years, and if you think it’s a large enough sample to accurately represent widespread casting practices. I’m also wondering if this is a regional problem, or if it’s happening nationwide. Is this in the U.S.?

[quote] That honestly sounds high, so I’m curious how many breakdowns you have seen in the past 4 years, and if you think it’s a large enough sample to accurately represent widespread casting practices. I’m also wondering if this is a regional problem, or if it’s happening nationwide. Is this in the U.S.?

It sounds like a lie, because it undoubtedly is.

It’s not a lie. 85% of all casting in the last four years have only been for people of color. Whites not welcum. That’s why we’re getting all the Black Panthers, BlackkKlansmens, Black Mirrors, Orphan Blacks, Black Lightning’s, Black Mantas, blackishes, Jefferson’s, Madeas and all that crap.

R27 very sensible

R201, Oh spare me. I've known plenty of rich doctors, social workers with balanced lives--you're just veering way off point so you don't have to acknowledge your issues and basic lack of respect for female actors. And misogyny is hardly limited to white men.

What we're now seeing are films with white leads and supporting characters of various ethnicities--in other words, it's very tough for white actors who aren't leads to get a break, particularly women since there are fewer parts for women in general and more actresses than actors.

If you were serious about equity, you'd recognize this, but I don't think that's where you're at.

'When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.'

So much white butthurt on this thread. Get over yourselves. You are not being oppressed by people of color.

[quote]Latinos aren't a race. Many of them are white.

To be a Latino in the US carries with it a connotation of being a person of color because most of the Latinos here ARE of color. There are white Latinos, but mostly they don't immigrate to the US because they don't need to - in Latin countries, race is VERY tied to class and wealth. You see mostly brown Latinos in this country because they are the poor and the descendants of the poor. The majority of Latinos here are of Mexican descent, and they are overwhelmingly mestizo. Then the next largest group are Puerto Ricans, and they too are mostly of mixed race. It's really only the Cubans who have a lot of whites among their number here in the US. The reason so many Cuban-Americans are white is because the wealthy and privileged fled Cuba early when Castro took power, and they were mostly white.

And of course, just as with other groups, there is self-loathing that makes mixed-race Latinos deny any heritage other than Spanish. But make no mistake: American Latinos are, by and large, brown people.

[quote] butthurt

There's that phrase again. I guess your pussy is getting sore over some of the responses here.

It's just more LSA detritus. Pay them no mind.

R209, You may not like it, but there are enough Latinos who identify as white that it bumps up the percentage of white Americans from 60 percent to 70 percent. You can squawk about it all you want, but it is what it is.

Furthermore, nearly half of all mixed marriages in the U.S. are between a white and a Latino--basically, they're behaving like previous immigrant groups to the U.S.--marrying locals. You're going to see a lot more people looking like Cameron Diaz.

The main reason *you* think that they're "overwhelmingly" mestizos, other than Cubans, is that you don't realize how many people you see as white are Latino--like Martin Sheen or, for that matter, that a large chunk of them aren't immigrants--aka "We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us."

So, yes, most Latinos are "brown", but plenty of them aren't (some, of course, are black). Since they don't as a group deny their heritage, it's hardly "self-loathing" when they don't bother to classify themselves according to the color that you deem fit for them. "White" is a cultural construct, it doesn't have a scientific definition.

There's a tendency for a lot of people to see race relations in the U.S. as between black and white--all the people who don't fit neatly into one of those categories tends to get wedged into an overall POC category, but it's all a bit more complicated than that, because, yes, a lot people who have non-Irish levels of melanin in their skin actually have a fair amount of affinity with people paler than themselves.

[quote]because there are thousands of others who think they can do it well enough to make a living, such as the multitude of hayseeds who migrate to NYC or L.A. for their “big break.”

It worked for me!

R212, I AM a Latino of mixed race. I have an Anglo mom, and my Mexican dad is not an immigrant. I live in a majority-minority state, surrounded by Latinos both recently arrived and long-entrenched. But by all means, go on 'informing' me about my own people.

This thread is a hot mess.

[quote] You can have a room full of white actors playing ancient Egyptians but one black person on a train jolts you out of escapism.

White actors playing Egyptians are put in suitable wigs and makeup. It may be politically incorrect, but it sure helps with the escapism.

[quote] Why is it fine for Irish and German Americans to play Hungarians?

Because they look the same. Or at least sufficiently alike to pass.

[quote] Does it seem wrong that people randomly burst out into song and dance?

It does, actually. That's why my favorite musicals are "Cabaret" and "Chicago".

[quote] my favorite being a production of Sense and Sensibility at Ashland where the mom was white and three daughters Asian, Latino and black.

And now the trend is coming to a theater near you. The new "David Copperfield", out later this year, stars an Indian as the hero and has a variety of ethnicities playing family members.

[quote], Oh spare me. I've known plenty of rich doctors, social workers with balanced lives--you're just veering way off point so you don't have to acknowledge your issues and basic lack of respect for female actors.

Because some doctors are “rich” and some social workers have “balanced lives” does not make their jobs any easier or less valuable. As much as I enjoy working in the entertainment field, I acknowledge that we are simply less necessary to society than MDs and caseworkers, along with other professions that are vital to basic human survival. And yes - there are way too many actors struggling for work because there is a glut of people who want to break into the industry. Conversely, there is a shortage of skilled individuals in fields like nursing and construction.

Considering the excess of wannabees, it’s no wonder POC are being scapegoated by white casting directors who bemoan the good ‘ol days when minorities knew their place as “sassy black nanny” or “hispanic drug-dealer no. 2 in back alley.” Now they worry that the darkies are taking over all the lead roles in theater that were written for white people, because 95% of the lead roles written for white people, until recently. Oh nooooo!

That said, life would be dreary without creative professionals, and if diversity casting helps young POC feel like they belong in society and deserve to participate, I’m all for it. At least we’d be doing a public service by providing more balanced, positive images of marginalized people instead of gazing in the mirror and thinking how special and superior we entertainers are compared to the commoners.

R216, No one has suggested that POC actors go back to playing servants. And it was already pointed out that blacks are not underrepresented in film and they're hitting above their weight in television. If you're so aware, you'd actually fucking know this.

R214, "Your people"--okay, let's start with the basic fact that most Latinos don't see themselves as one group. They see themselves as whatever their country of origin is. As I said, the situation is a lot more complicated than people want to make it. And if you are what you claim to be (because no one's ever lied before), you just show what I said above--that there's a major amount of intermarriage between whites and Hispanics. If you followed suit, your kid would be one-quarter Mexican--at which point, that kid's not looking all that brown.

And, eventually, you get the Liz Warren situation, where people resent her claiming her Native American ancestry. Lots and lots of Liz Warrens out there.

[quote]Women in all groups continue to be significantly underrepresented, though the situation is better on television

R173 Thanks for posting those stats - they paint a better picture of what’s really going on than the baseless speculation on this thread. I can sort of understand why straight men overwhelmingly favor male leads in TV and film (they just can’t relate to female leads because they’ve been socialized into strict, masculine gender roles) but why is it that women, who contribute to 55% of box office, put up with this nonsense? It’s time to boycott films with male leads until women get equal representation. (Is it really that much of an inconvenience to miss the latest Bourne installment?)

Boycott films with male leads??!?!?! I think it's more important to support films with female directors and writers. The racial and gender makeup of casts are indicative of the kinds of stories being told. Support female-centric narratives and old white billionaires will be willing to invest in those kinds of films.

[Quote] Boycott films with male leads??!?!?! I think it's more important to support films with female directors and writers.

I'm sure there's a way of balancing the 2.

Surprised no one has commented on how Peele treats white characters in his films, not to mention how he has excluded almost every other race The Elisabeth Moss character is defined by her cliches of whiteness and rosé. There is a special glee in both Get Out and Us when Peele drags out the killing of white female characters - Catherine Keener, Moss (and her twin daughters), Allison Williams

[Quote] Surprised no one has commented on how Peele treats white characters in his films, not to mention how he has excluded almost every other race The Elisabeth Moss character is defined by her cliches of whiteness and rosé.

It's very telling that whenever anyone brings up the blatant hypocrisy of this trend, all people can do is eyeroll. Deep down you know you can't justify this shit.

If people are willing to pay for a seat in the theater to watch a black Asian Indian burqa wearing transsexual Hindu who identifies as a Dalmatian, I'm all for it. It's all in what the market is willing to pay for.

It's not acceptable for anyone to say "I won't write/cast characters/actors of this race."

I think Jordan Peele is just being honest. Other filmmakers/writers don't create lead roles for people of color but don't publicly acknowledge their behavior. People are more offended by people's words than their behavior.

Someone ask Woody Allen or Martin Scorcese if they ever plan to have a black man star in their films.

Because they'll never do it, I just want to hear how they phrase it.

Yeah r225 lives in some make believe world. The number of directors who have only had (and would only ever have) white actors star in their movies is very long.

Has anyone explicitly announced this r228??

[quote]Someone ask Woody Allen or Martin Scorcese if they ever plan to have a black man star in their films.

Spielberg also never featured an African American family in his fantasy films, but I understand why. “Poltergeist” would have been over in 10 minutes if the Freelings were black.