Dear Larry: I was reading an entertainment news report about a Pakistani actress who accused the production crew for the upcoming film "The Hobbit" of racism. She was auditioning for a role as a Hobbit and was dismissed because they thought her skin tone was too dark.
The director wants to make "The Hobbit" authentic to the book. The Hobbits are described as small with a light skin tone. The last time I heard of an actor who made accusations of racism, it was a black man who auditioned for the role of Jesus Christ in a play.
In times past, the role of Jesus always has been played by white actors. According to theology scholars, there are no contemporary descriptions of Jesus. He was not considered black or white. Hypothetically, Jesus may have been described as having a dark skin tone, but not necessarily black.
Many movies based on novels or comic books have plots that are very different from those of the originals. It is also not unusual to change the characters. It isn't always white actors playing black roles. There have been times when a black actor has played someone described as white in the book. For example:
—In the 1989 movie "Batman," Billy Dee Williams portrayed Harvey Dent, a character who eventually would become Batman's nemesis Two-Face. Williams never had to play the role of the villain; instead, Tommy Lee Jones played the role.
—Michael Clarke Duncan played Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) in "Daredevil."
—In the comics, Nick Fury was a white man. Eventually, the character became black in another storyline in Marvel comics. Samuel L. Jackson played the character in "Iron Man."
—Morgan Freeman was Red in "The Shawshank Redemption." In the novella, he was described as a middle-aged Irishman with graying red hair.
I am very critical of the casting decisions in most of these movies.
A lot of times, I cannot picture an actor playing such a role. But whenever I question why a black actor was cast to play a character the author described as white, I get accused of being biased.
My question is this: How can the actress who auditioned for the role of a Hobbit accuse the production crew of racism when so many people of color have been playing roles of white people without any complaints? — Noel
Dear Noel: The same way people accuse others of being racist because they disagree with President Barack Obama. Everyone knows the president was elected with an overwhelming white vote. Too many people throw the racism label just to get their way. I have found that this accusation is tossed out when they do not have plausible reasons.
Continue to speak out. This is the only way to stop these "racist" bomb throwers.
Dear Larry: My daughter accused me of being a bigot because I have some issues with her black boyfriend. Please believe me when I say that his skin color has nothing to do with my concerns.
I don't like the way he disrespects my daughter and family. He can't keep a job because he has a problem following instructions. I told this to my daughter, and she blew up.
What should I do? I think it is my duty as a mother to share my observations, but I want to keep a relationship with my daughter. — Margie
Dear Margie: You must share your opinion. You are a concerned parent, and it is your duty to point out things you think will be problems. It is up to your daughter to evaluate your information and somehow apply it to the relationship.
My only caution: Make sure you give your opinion without sounding as if you are nagging.
To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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9 Comments | Post Comment
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I agree with LW1. It seems to me like actors who star in a movie adaptation of some book should look as much as possible like the character described in the book. Ask yourself this - would you cast a white, Asian, or Hispanic actor in a movie about Martin Luther King Jr or Malcolm X or Ray Charles or Nelson Mandela? Would you use a black actor for a movie about Cesar Chavez? Would you use Hispanic actors to play Japanese soldiers in a movie about the Pacific theater in World War II? No? Then why in the h--- is this writer's position considered the least bit controversial? It's no different from casting actors who are the proper gender, age, weight, or height for some role. Remember, this is not a commentary on who can or cannot act. It's about filming a story in which some actor can convincingly play the role that's called for in the book (and its screenplay adaptation). It's not always possible to get someone who looks absolutely perfect, but I fail to see why you'd go out of your way to cast someone who doesn't look anything like the character. As to Jesus, I have always heard that He looked pretty much like the people of present-day Lebanon, Jordan, or Egypt. (Modern Israelis are probably whiter than their ancient Biblical counterparts due to generations of living in Europe.)
Comment: #1
Posted by: Matt
Sat Dec 11, 2010 1:08 AM
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It's called "dramatic license," folks! (You may insert the mandatory jokes about revoking it here.)
Tim Robbins, at 6'5", doesn't exactly match Stephen King's physical description of Andy Dufresne either, since he's not a short, neat, meticulous man with thin sandy hair, small hands, and gold-rimmed glasses. Going purely by that, Richard Dreyfuss would have been a better choice! "Red's" backstory and crime (rigging a car crash to kill his wife for life insurance money -- & unintentionally taking out the neighbor woman and child to whom she gave a ride that day) isn't even mentioned in the movie. Sam Norton is the only warden in the movie, while in the novella, the prison goes through several staffing changes in the 28 years Andy is there. And (**spoiler alert!**) the warden resigns, a broken man, after Andy's escape, but his dramatic suicide is entirely an invention of the screenwriters. And lets not even get started on Brooks Hatlen. Given all that.....why *shouldn't* "Red" be black? I thought Morgan Freeman did a great job, BTW - and speaking of him, who's to say what "God" looks like? Freeman in "Bruce Almighty," or George Burns? Hey, maybe His voice sounds like Charlton Heston! Who played a late Bronze Age Israelite, opposite a Russian actor playing an Egyptian Pharaoh (this same Russian was also noted for playing the King of Siam, and I found him much more believable than Rex Harrison in the non-musical version of that same role a decade or so earlier!)
"As far as Jesus & his companions are concerned -- we don't know what Judas Iscariot looked like, either. Did he resemble white Murray Head, or black Carl Anderson? Was Mary Magdalene really half Chinese/Japanese & half Irish? Yvonne Elliman is! Meg and Jennifer Tilly -- both half Chinese -- routinely play Caucasian roles. So does Rob Schneider -- in fact, since he doesn't "look" Asian despite his Filipino heritage, he wore makeup to play the "Asian minister" in one of the most offensive "yellow-face" performances since Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's!"
Does anyone buy John Wayne as Ghengis Khan? Or Liz Taylor as Cleopatra (who was Greek! with not one drop of Egyptian blood! even though she's considered the epitome of all things Egyptian!), or blue-eyed Chuck Connors as Geronimo? And speaking of Chuck Connors -- how in the world did he and Leslie Uggams manage to give birth to dark-skinned Ben Vereen?
I could go on and on....but I'll stop before *my* dramatic license is revoked ;-)
Comment: #2
Posted by: VAdame
Sat Dec 11, 2010 4:18 PM
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Matt, I have to disagree with you here too. A race switch in a movie based on a piece of fiction is very different than switching races in a piece based on a historical figure, especially a well known one with race playing a major role in their historical significance like the ones you name. The most important factor in choosing an actor is believability. I had no trouble believing Sam Jackson as Nick Fury because his race isn't relevant, it's his attitude. However, I'll concede that if a character's appearance is described clearly and repeatedly and is used as a way of sending a message about the character ('The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a good example of one that most movies get wrong and it drives me nuts), it's distracting to vary too much from the original work.
Comment: #3
Posted by: Nichole
Sat Dec 11, 2010 4:33 PM
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Re: Nichole. You make some valid points.
Comment: #4
Posted by: Matt
Sun Dec 12, 2010 10:46 AM
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It's not just whether the work is fiction or non-fiction. It's whether the person's race is a part of the character. A black Luke Skywalker? No problem. A white lead in The Colour Purple? Don't think so.
And as for the character's race otherwise not being consistent with the book, so what. The movie isn't supposed to be the book. It's a different person's interpretation of the story. Just because little red riding hood was a blond girl in the first nursery rhyme book I had as a kid, doesn't mean a brunette can't play the part.
Comment: #5
Posted by: Jpp
Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:57 PM
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I don't think that the casting decision behind "The Hobbit" was a racist one. Much as I think diversity is a good thing to encourage, not every film should be required to have a multi-ethnic cast. Some would argue that historically it didn't make sense to for Morgan Freeman to appear alongside Kevin Costner in "Robin Hood". But unless it completely flies in the face of logic, I don't have a problem with taking liberties if it ultimately works in the film. I never read "The Shawshank Redemption", but I respect that they cast against type and went with Morgan Freeman. He turned out to be a major factor in helping to tell a compelling story. Whoopi Goldberg has frequently played roles that were originally intended for white actors, and each time she made the role her own. Can anyone now imagine Madonna as the lead in "Sister Act"?
I think, "Hobbit" example notwithstanding, the letter write seems to more hung up on race than the actors about whom he's complaining. It's not as if there's been a sudden dearth of working white actors.
Comment: #6
Posted by: Jon
Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:07 PM
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Just a clarification...Bette Midler was the original choice for the lead role in "Sister Act." However, I agree with Jon; I can't imagine anyone other than Whoopi Goldberg in that role!
Comment: #7
Posted by: Paul
Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:19 PM
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Producers of the movie "Princess Kaiulani" received a lot of criticism for casting the beautiful actress Q'orianka Kilcher in the title role. Many thought that a native Hawaiian actress should have been chosen for the part. Q'orianka is half-Peruvian and half Swiss. She also played Pocahontas and the producers of that film were also criticized for casting her. She's a very talented actress and did a superb job in these films.
IMHO, roles should be cast based on the ability of an actor to bring life to the part. Skin color can be altered with makeup and only rarely does a part *require* an actor of a particular skin tone. Santa Claus immediately comes to mind at this time of the year, hehehe.
To see how the makeup wizards in Hollywood can completely transform actors into their complete opposites, check out the Wayans brothers in "White Chicks" - just amazing.
Comment: #8
Posted by: PuaHone
Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:20 AM
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I am in total disagreement with you and Noel . First of all Noel you need to know the difference between fiction and non-fiction and Larry well, you can"t tell the difference because you are a security threat to our honorable president Obama . You can't give a response without putting down the president get over it he is the president of the United States. Seek counseling because it is driving you psychotic. Noel I have a feeling that you do not want any people of color to be represented on Television. Jesus Christ was not a white man born in the middle East according to Luke the 2nd chapter he was described as having hair like the texture of a sheeps wool and skin the color of copper read it foryourself if you indeed read the Bible. Cleopatra was of African descent not Elizabeth Taylor and all biblical characters played on T.V. by mainly white characters were people of color much to your shock and dismay. Once again I emphasize we are not talking about fictional people we are talking about lies perpetrated by the media to brainwash people such as yourself. As I advise anybody that make ignorant statements read about black history and other people of color in this country and outside this country. Larry I am continuing to speak out against your type of racism it is pathetic. My newspaper has resorted to putting you on the comic page as I feel I am not the only one that think you are a joke. I continue to pray this country will be eventually eradicated of racial hatred.
Comment: #9
Posted by: Anita
Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:56 AM
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