It’s okay to turn white characters into black characters, but it’s not okay for the opposite. It’s not even just fictional characters, they have done with it real people as well. Imagine if Black Panther, Shaft, or MLK were played by white guys. It should be equal
shareNo, it would be deemed racist and evil !
shareHollywood has a long history of turning characters of color into white characters.
Ben Affleck as Antonio J. Mendez
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra
Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson
Johnny Depp as Tonto
Christian Bale as Moses
Rudolph Valentino as Ahmed Ben Hassan
Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi
Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan Noonien Singh
Katharine Hepburn as Jade Tan
Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal
John Wayne as Ghengis Khan
Where is the double standard when race swapping has always been popular?
Those people were still portraying their characters as the race they were playing. The OP is talking about when they make an actual person from history that was white and make them black.
shareAre you talking about "whiteface"; the actor alters their skin to appear darker? Or something else? My list was white actors that played a person of color.
What are your examples of "when they make an actual person from history that was white and make them black"?
I know of a few examples; there was no outrage as far as I can tell.
1. The play Hamilton had black acters playing white historical characters.
2. Jodie Turner-Smith played Anne Boleyn.
I'm saying they completely disregard that the person was white. At least when Pacino was playing Scarface, they loaded him with make-up to make him look Puerto Rican, and he was fictional. The same is true of your Cleopatra example. If a black actor wants to put on white makeup to look like the person they are playing, more power to them. It's a hell of a lot more offensive to just ignore the fact they were white.
shareMeh, don't care at all. Changes like that are so inconsequential to me that it does not matter to me most of the time. If it was a story where skin color was important, then it would matter to me.
The Little Mermaid is a story in which skin color does not really matter as it doesn't change the roles that the mermaid and prince play. In other words, I feel it is not about a white mermaid and a white prince even when described that way in the story or cartoon.
Some people here seem to act like they own the story and Disney is merely their "servant" when putting the production together. They need to grow up and understand that the world does not revolve around them.
I'm talking about REAL people in life, not fictional characters. They have existing family members still around. Are you really trying to say it's inconsequential to completely disregard the fact someone was a different race when they actually represent a living family?
shareThis thread is about a fictional character.
When you talked about an "actual person from history" above, I responded with examples of historical white people who were portrayed by black actors. Then you responded with an example of Scarface, a fictional character.
Now you're back to historical people again.
But for what's worth, it is better to use an actor of the similar skin color when portraying that skin color. You will never see me saying "it's a hell of a lot more offensive" when watching a non-fiction film or tv show that changes skin color.
Did you think the play Hamilton was offensive because of the casting?
I clearly have talked about real people from the beginning. I also refered to Cleopatra, which you conveniently ignored, just like I pointed out the issue with existing families and you reference Hamilton, which I still have an issue with. Honestly, if you have to pick and chose points and ignore pertinent facts to maintain your stance, it says a lot about how weak the stance is.
shareScarface is not a real person. I referenced Cleopatra a month ago in a post above; so not ignored.
Hamilton on the other hand is a real person, whom I referenced above. What issue do you have with Hamilton?
Which pertinent facts am I ignoring?
Cleopatra was not a person of colour.
shareCleopatra was Greek with some Persian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_race_controversy
The typical racist SOB will just call her one of the "mud people".
Elizabeth Taylor's parents were both white. This would bother some people. What do you think?
I think you should Google "Greek Woman" and "Iranian Woman" and see if you can seriously tell me those are "people of colour" coming up.
shareGreeks and Persians are both white Caucasians, but I do take your point.
Elizabeth Taylor was basically a WASP, although she did convert to Judaism, and culturally and ethnically, Southern Europeans, and Middle Easterners in particular, are very distinct from people of Anglo and other Nothern European descent, but they are all still white.
Unfortunately, there wasn't an abundance of Greek and Persian A list American actors in the 60s. Real life doesn't exist in a vacuum. There are lots of variables you are choosing to ignore.
shareYou thought you had a hot take?
shareCould you imagine how many bricks they'd shit if Black Panther were portrayed by a white, blond man?
shareYes, because it would be very dumb. Black Panther is an African king, so where would be the logic in having him portrayed by a white man?
By contrast, Ariel is a mermaid. Do mermaids have a specific race?
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I'm sure you know this, but it's not really the same thing, because Black Panther, Shaft and a real-life individual like MLK, are defined by their racial identity, whereas a frickin mermaid is a fantastical character that can be ANY race whatsoever.
My only real issue is that Ariel was a bit of a brat in the original film, and she's also a symbol of monarchial privilege, and I personally don't like to see any of these negative conceits associated with POC. Unfortunately, with Bridgerton and Black Panther, we're seeing this idea that royalty is a 'good thing' just as long as it's represented by POC. I think the idea is that bereft of its colonialist trappings, a divine, hereditary monarchy that demands servitude and allegiance from its subjects, purely by dint of being born a prince or princess, is somehow 'okay'... *sigh* But even if that were the case, it ignores the fact that many African and non-European monarchies and empires were built off the back of imperialist 'tribes' conquering and seizing the land of their neighbours. The truth is, almost ALL monarchies are, by definition, problematic, whatever the skin colour of the people who preside over them.
Too bad there have been movies based on real people that changed the characters from white to black
shareI can only think of one (and it was a TV show, not a movie).
shareFatherhood (2021) and just recently On a Wing and a Prayer.
shareI looked up these films. Who was race-swapped in On a Wing and a Prayer? The main cast appear to be white.
As for Fatherhood, is the character's race particularly integral to the story? I mean, I do get irritated when historical figures are race-swapped (either way, and let's be 100% honest for a moment, it's MOSTLY happened with POC being played by white actors), unless there is an underlying intent/meaning behind the race-changes (i.e. Hamilton), but in the case of a memoir from a relatively unknown figure, regarding a generally universal experience, I'm not sure it particularly matters.
Netflix is now releasing on series about Cleopatra and they made her black
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