requirements on casting

i was just reading about how they had to cast this movie with a latina actress because they thought two black leads would limit its audience appeal, and a white actress would have created a taboo racial issue?

umm, does anyone think this is true, or was this simply studio paranoia? because i honestly believe that will smith is the kind of movie star at this point that people will literally see in anything, no matter what. i'm almost sure the actress' ethnicity wouldn't have mattered at all. (and it shouldn't have, because then they might have found somebody better than eva mendes. she really bugged in this movie)

seriously, if will smith were to get together with a white actress in a movie, nobody would care! i can't believe they were so concerned about this. i feel like i see interracial relationships on tv and movies a lot now. does it really bother people? outside of a tiny minority, i mean.

i really don't think there would be a widespread resistance to an interracial couple in a big-budget movie anymore. it's no big deal