....everyone loses their mind when a mariachi kid sings the american national anthem!
How come is this ok? Ben Affleck can't even act for sh!.t. A real talent like Edward James Olmos or Damián Alcazar could've played the role just fine. If Tony Mendez wasn't played by a whitney this overrated piece of junk wouldn't have won the Oscar for best picture.
Agreed. Just absolutely despicable.
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
Spanish people are white. It really depends on Tony Mendez's heritage whether you would consider him non-white. There's no such thing as Latin American race.
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
He is Mexican not Spanish (and definitely NOT white. This guy passed as an Indian in India). And if there is "no such thing as Latin American race", then what are the natives of Latin America?
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
Native Americans are just one of the races in Latin America. Again, how someone looks depends on a person's heritage. If it were mostly Spanish (or European in general) they'd be white. Plenty of such people in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Of course, even though Mendez is a Spanish name, one can't assume anything. But in this case, does it really matter? There's too much emphasis put on race, even when it's not really relevant. Is the amount of melanin in a person's skin always significant?
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
Yes it does really matter. Non-whites are constantly shut out of quality roles and representation, erased from their own stories and places in history. Our next president could very well be a man who thinks that Mexicans are rapists and murderers. A movie like this which could have shown one as a hero goes a long way in fighting those stereotypes.
Also, like I said, his looks are why he was so effective as an undercover agent and got to be the Master of Disguise in the first place. So yes, the amount of melanin in a person's skin is very significant when their livelihood depends on it.
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
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Yeah I was trying to word that carefully. "A" hero is all he is, not THE hero. John Sheardown's exclusion is an absolute travesty, and it makes no sense at all why. Had it been about him, they'd have the true figure behind it all AND their white hero. But no, I guess it's the Americans just have to be shown as saving the day even when they didn't.
Though I think had Affleck played Sheardown he would've ruined that too with his crappy acting and huge ego in inserting himself into a part he looks nothing like. Someone like W. Morgan Sheppard would have made a great Sheardown. But of course since he's not one of the "beautiful people" he'll never get to be a main hero, even if that hero looked like your next door neighbor and not a Playgirl centerfold.
I haven't seen Spotlight yet and don't know where it clashes with reality, but it's good to see a movie that's actually trying to call attention to the true evils of the world and make it a better place win. Not propaganda bullsh*t like this that only wins because the Hollywood elite want Iran wiped from the face of the earth.
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
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Tony Mendez' mother had Italian, French, and Irish ancestry, while his father was from Mexico. He isn't a Latino but a descendant of one: I doubt he even speaks Spanish (or Portuguese or French for that matter), so he isn't Latin American, his father was.
Latin American = somone who speaks a Latin-based language and is from The Americas.
Um no, language has nothing to do with anything. I'm fairly certain African-Americans aren't called so because they speak an African language.
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
You're mistaken. It IS about geography and language. Please leave African-Americans out of the equation, that's another matter. Latin Americans aren't US citizens, I mean, they can have multiple citizenships that's for sure, but the "American" in "Latin American" refers to The Americas in general, not USA. Please google "latin america" and read the wikipedia entry, in case you don't have the time here's what it says:
Latin America (Latin: Americae Latinae, Spanish: América Latina, Italian: America Latina, French: Amérique Latine, Portuguese: América Latina, Romanian: America Latină)[a] is the group of territories and countries in the Americas where Romance languages are spoken. The term originated in 19th century France to include French-speaking territories in the Americas within the larger group of countries that speak Spanish and Portuguese. It is therefore broader than the term Iberian America or Spanish America, though it excludes French-speaking Quebec in Canada, Latin America consists of twenty sovereign states and several territories and dependencies which cover an area that stretches from the northern border of Mexico to the southern tip of South America, including the Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 19,197,000 km2 (7,412,000 sq mi),[1] almost 13% of the earth's land surface area. Demonym: Latin American
Don't go even think about going there, you idiot. I know how the USA appropriated the name America from the rest of the continent
Tony Mendez wasn't white, and if he was, he certainly wasn't an anglo saxon like Affleck. Stop trying to justify this racist trope, you biatch
You're mistaken. It IS about geography and language. Please leave African-Americans out of the equation, that's another matter. Latin Americans aren't US citizens, I mean, they can be, but the American in Latin American refers to The Americans in, not the USA. Please google "latin america" and read the wikipedia entry, in case you don't have the time here's what it says:
Latin America (Latin: Americae Latinae, Spanish: América Latina, Italian: America Latina, French: Amérique Latine, Portuguese: América Latina, Romanian: America Latină)[a] is the group of territories and countries in the Americas where Romance languages are spoken. The term originated in 19th century France to include French-speaking territories in the Americas within the larger group of countries that speak Spanish and Portuguese. It is therefore broader than the term Iberian America or Spanish America, though it excludes French-speaking Quebec in Canada, Latin America consists of twenty sovereign states and several territories and dependencies which cover an area that stretches from the northern border of Mexico to the southern tip of South America, including the Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 19,197,000 km2 (7,412,000 sq mi),[1] almost 13% of the earth's land surface area. Demonym: Latin America
Given the Iran setting, this reminds of the controversy over Jake Gyllenhaal playing a Persian. Even though he looks like plenty of people in Iran. After all, a lot of Europeans are descendant from people of that area.
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
I've met a few Iranians in the UK, also had an Iranian flatmate. They don't look dark when they've been in the UK weather for a while!
shareIn this case he was undercover as a guy named Kevin. Darker skin wasn't relevant.
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
So, in short. Whites get a free pass when they whitewash roles that could and SHOULD be played by TALENTED people of color (Ben Affleck is a horrible actor, we all know that) but when it's the opposite whites just lose their minds.
Thank you for supporting racism in the film industry, way to go, jackass
When Alejandro G. Iñárritu received his Oscar for The Revenant he said he dreams of a world where the color of our skin is no more relevant than the length of our hair. Does that count for something? Are we supposed to be color-blind or be acutely aware of the slightest differences in people's "color"?
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
Native Americans are just one of the races in Latin America. Again, how someone looks depends on a person's heritage. If it were mostly Spanish (or European in general) they'd be white. Plenty of such people in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Of course, even though Mendez is a Spanish name, one can't assume anything. But in this case, does it really matter? There's too much emphasis put on race, even when it's not really relevant. Is the amount of melanin in a person's skin always significant?
Tony Mendez looks pretty white to me:
https://youtu.be/WW6Woa87ePQ
In fact, he doesn't look less white than Affleck. Of course, otherwise they look substantially different, but then again that's par for the course when Hollywood actors portray real people.
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
No he doesn't. Even as an old man he still looks pretty ethnic, really no different than the likes of Edward James Olmos or Miguel Sandoval. Hell if anything he's much more Asian-looking than white. So yes, he looks a LOT less white than Affleck (in the clip they're literally side by side, he's clearly not pale).
Why don't you take a look at this image, one actually relevant since it's from the time period that the film is set in:
https://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/ba8ae930f3.gif
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
Mendez must've used brownface in India:
https://youtu.be/WW6Woa87ePQ
"I'm not arguing that with you. I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
Mexicans comprise many races, from white to Asian to black.
shareMexicans comprise many races, from white to Asian to black.
I swear, does nobody who brings this interview up actually READ the damn thing? He's talking about cultural upbringing, not race. Did the instant contrast with "a person who grew up in the desert" not make that clear?
If you want a quote that's relevant, there's this one: "My (appearance) is such that I can be in India and look Muslim or do the same thing in Russia and Latin America."
And anyway, it's just PR. Of course he's not going publically criticize something that he's profiting off of, no matter how many lies it tells (did he ever speak up in Sheardown's defense? Didn't think so.).
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
Keep in mind that Ben Affleck actually MADE this movie (he was a co-producer, and it's sole director), not just star in it. And if you are implying that cross-racial casting wins (allegedly) 'bad' movies Best Picture oscars, you would be hard-pressed to name even ONE other example of one. "Breakfast at Tiffany's", which featured Mickey Rooney as an Oriental landlord, wasn't even nominated for the top award.
shareKeep in mind that Ben Affleck actually MADE this movie (he was a co-producer, and it's sole director), not just star in it.
And if you are implying that cross-racial casting wins (allegedly) 'bad' movies Best Picture oscars, you would be hard-pressed to name even ONE other example of one.
Here are my counter-arguments:
1) Ben Affleck essentially gave himself the leading role. If anyone was offended by this, they were welcome to boycott the movie. Both Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson have actually played leading roles in movies they also directed (i.e. "In the Line of Fire", "Unforgiven", "Braveheart"); and Woody Allen has played the male lead in virtually EVERY movie he ever directed, throughout his first few decades of film-making!
2) "A Beautiful Mind" was actually a pretty good movie. You may have disliked it, but it's a pretty big leap to say that it won it's awards - and acclaim - merely due to Jennifer Connelly playing John Nash's wife (who was originally from El Salvador). A movie HAS to have more going for it than that! It's also worth noting that Alicia Nash actually had a light skin tone, and could have easily passed for caucasian (i.e. American-born).
3) Not clear why you mentioned "The Departed". There is no cross-racial casting in this movie at all, and it does feature some minorities in small roles. Maybe you are referring to the fact that it was loosely adapted from a Japanese movie?
1) Way to completely miss the point. The characters in Unforgiven and Braveheart (Wolfgang Petersen was the director of In the Line of Fire, but ok that too) are white. They didn't cast themselves as nonwhite people (real life or not). When the story called for nonwhite actors, they went out and got them.
2) A "light skin tone" doesn't mean white. Do you think an Ice T biopic should star a white man? And she was still rather ethnic-looking.
3) The CHINESE film it remakes got exactly zero attention from the Academy. But just replace them with white people and suddenly it's Best Picture material?
And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!
We already know that Ben Affleck is a delusional a-hole that lacks self-awareness and just can't admit that he can't act.
He is white, therefore white supremacist and racist. He won't give the opportunity to a person of color.
I can think of many mexican actors with actual talent that could've done a wonderful job instead of the lifeless, wooden, still "acting" performance that affleck gave in this crappy movie
Keep in mind that Ben Affleck actually MADE this movie (he was a co-producer, and it's sole director), not just star in it. And if you are implying that cross-racial casting wins (allegedly) 'bad' movies Best Picture oscars, you would be hard-pressed to name even ONE other example of one. "Breakfast at Tiffany's", which featured Mickey Rooney as an Oriental landlord, wasn't even nominated for the top award.
Iranians aren't Arabs. They don't speak Arabic. They are Persian.
share"He is white, therefore white supremacist and racist. He won't give the opportunity to a person of color."
"The only reason it got so many awards is because is a patriotic piece of crap in which arabs are portrait in a very negative light"
Irony isn't a dead scene.
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I bet you anything that you're white. Why do you care who plays Tony mendez? It's whites who are the ones who are complaining about the casting lol. Mexican is not a race. Anybody can play anybody if they look the part. Plus how come you didn't complain when thay cast antonio banderas (a white man) to play pancho villa? I'm pretty sure they couldve found a native mexican to play villa.
share[deleted]
There is nothing Nordic about Ben affleck. And pancho villa hated spaniards so it would insulted him. And antonio is hispanic. A white hispanic from europe. Villa was an indigenous american. They look nothing alike and they put brown make up on antonio face to make him look darker. If antonio was a perfect actor for villa why darken the skin?
shareBoth Antonio Banderas and Ben Affleck are two white wannabes that cannot act at all and they are stealing the job from actual mexican talent. Have several seats
shareAntonio Banderas is a spanish "actor" that plays mexican parts, stealing the job from actual mexican talent
I bet you are a self hating mexican that wants so desperately to be accepted by whites and be seen as one of them. Pathetic