Race and Ethnicity Portrayed in Movies - Comments

[b]ayanasioux[/b]

I agree with you, it's rare you see a black family or people just in general doing well in movies (Hollywood for sure) I don't want us to be represented as "perfect" but as something that's positive for once. And where our representation is actually legit and it doesn't seem fake or sellout. I want people of all colors to see themselves in black movies or TV shows, but we all know that's asking for too much.

I feel your pain. Most of the roles that ARE played by black people in movies are usually negative roles with people in fucked up situations. But it's rare that you see black people playing roles of someone who's intelligent and not an ex. gangbanger or some effed up shit like that (except for in The Great Debators) but that could be debatable because that tall guy who was the main character (can't remember his name) was kind of effed up also.

Not all of our lives are like that. I know a lot of African Americans who make outstanding grades, live in big houses and not doing drugs and gang banging in this world (including myself) but you almost never see that in movies (and if you do, they don't make it big like the movies that are "whitewashed" or with white people doing FANTASTIC in life). That's why I write though. I'm trying to change that although I'm only one of a few (that I know of).

I think you're overplaying it a bit. Anyway, how many movies have you seen? Minorities actually have a lot of roles. I also know of a lot of really famous minority actors besides the ones you mentioned.
One thing about this though, is you have to think about the image that they're going for. Casting directors leans a lot on looks, it's true, especially when families are being cast. Maybe it's because I'm an aspiring actress, but if one person fits a directors frame of mind better than another, I believe they're going to get the part. Talent is also very important. Considering 40% of the USA is white, there is a larger amount of aspiring white actors than that of individual minorities.
Another thing is that you shouldn't look so lowly on Americans. Sure they might gravitate towards someone appealing to them individually, but they are not racist for that. If someone has proven themselves worthy of their ticket money then they will go see them, whether it's Morgan Freeman or George Clooney.
I agree that Airbender was completely miscast, but I don't think it was whitewashed. M. Night was a horrible script writer anyway. Prince of Persia just sucked, it doesn't even matter about the cast at this point.

For the record, I'm white. And you know what? I gravitate towards Asian actors and actresses. This is because I grew up around Asian girls and they were who I compared myself against. Does that make me racist?

I really have to agree with Dirty Byrd. Though Jackson Rathbone did play a good Sokka, I would have wanted a different person to play him. TLA was a very good movie, overall, but if one looks singularly at the casting choices and not at the plot/acting/effect/soundtrack as well, then you just wasted five dollars of your money.

Personally, I agree with the article. Lots of movie roles should have been played by black/hindu/ whatever actors...

"The Last Airbender is a really good example of whitewashing... Katara and Sokka were supposed to be tanned, like Inuits are, and so is their tribe. Zukko was supposed to be pale, but they cast a darker actor as him, though i really don't object to that...."

I object to that. *shrugs* The Fire Nation isn't Indian, simple as that. I want characters who look like the ones from the show.

I have been saying that exact same thing, especially regarding The Last Airbender. What in the world were they thinking? "Hey, let's just slap together some actors that look nothing like the characters in the show, throw in some special effects and BAM, everyone will love it!" No, not at all. What happened to TV? And movies, what happened to movies? There is such a thing as diversity. Let's get with the program people, this is getting pitiful.

The Last Airbender is a really good example of whitewashing... Katara and Sokka were supposed to be tanned, like Inuits are, and so is their tribe. Zukko was supposed to be pale, but they cast a darker actor as him, though i really don't object to that....

it sucks that almost all the hispanic movies i've seen, "Blood in Blood Out" "American Me" and others, usually degrade our race by putting the leads as gangsters, which most of us aren't...I mean, there are some good movies out there about hispanics, like "Spanglish", but most Latino-based movies portray us in a bad way...
it's like if they cast a hispanic as a lead role, they have to come from poverty-driven towns that have a population of mostly hispanic people.... and if they are hispanic, they are usually lighter skinned....

And the Princess and the Frog is another example, sure, they cast a black princess, but they turn her into a frog soon after... i find it ironic in a weird way...

[b]The Hatman:[/b] "white face" isn't racist though. White people have a history of dressing up in blackface to ridicule people of colour. The two instances aren't comparable.

I have to approach this with the usual pinch of salt I put on most race or gender arguments because they always sound exagerated. I personally hadn't noticed, but I don't watch a lot of films.

Anyways, on topic. This reminds me of certain arguments for a quota of certain races/genders in certain jobs. Ridiculous, because that simply reinforces the inequality. This one is different however, in that members of a particular race are, probably, much better at playing a character of that particular race than someone of a different one. Example, a black actor will probably be better than a white actor at playing a black character. Any industry has the right to employ the best person for the job, but it is that necessarily compulsory?

@SHYLA01 - About the man who used the pale powder to look more white, I'd like to point out that when white men 'black up' they are considered racist.

Well written article, however. Kudos.

I watched a play, where all the actors played two roles; the indiginous actors played white people/half cast. It was so cool, the male actor had pale powder to lighten his skin to play a white male. It was an ingenious idea! LOVED IT!

The least presented minority in my opinion is the Aboriginals. You rarely see them in anything but depictions of a true story that involved an Aboriginal. Honestly the only actor I've seen outside of those movies was Adam Beach who played Detective Lake for about a season on Law and Order:SVU. As a Metis(Half-Aboriginal, Half-European) it depresses me how little I see of my ethnicity on T.V. and I'm sure many others feel the same way.

I do know the reverse is true for ONE film.

A Little Princess - the servant girl Becky was originally a sort of teenage, skinny pale girl and in the movie she was a younger, black character.

Now, I didn't even know this practise was in use and it's a bit...yeah.

Interesting.

I think there may be a problem with a lack of writers from all ethnicities. So...it's white writers writers writing films for white audiences. And I think there's a perception that white people can't relate to people of colour. ie. How movies like Avatar are generally from the white guy's perspective, rather than the perspective of one of the Pandora natives.

I do think it's a problem.

"Same with The Last Airebender I have seen the show, and know all the characters are racially ambiguous and the show even depicts Asian culture... Katara and Sokka are dark skinned there’s no denying that, I’m sorry."

THANK YOU, BEEN SAYING THAT FOREVER. But continuing on- white washing may not be considered "bad' but it's not healthy. The point is: how many famous blacks can you see and recognize instantly? How many asians, how many hispanics, how many different nationalities? Totaled, it's not many.

Whites still dominant in a lot of industries, but the films industry angers me the most because it's SO OBVIOUS, it's SICK. I mean, how LONG as Disney been making movies? And just NOW they add a black Disney princess?

And it bothered me that the first thing they add is voodoo. LIke.... really? THAT'S NOT child's play. I was really disappointed and dismayed that they made something so dangerous so lighthearted. Associating black with voodoo is almost as bad as making us hood rats, or things as gross like that, and worse- it sets up our future generations for the same badness.

@lonna lullaby no doubt in the show they are dark skinned but the movie is different from the show, after rereading my comment I realized I sounded like a bitch. Sorry for that, I'm was just irritated.
Another problem is how many famous asian actors could you find in this country who aren't tied down to kung-fu movies? I think it's turned into more of the image of the actor then actual white-washing. Many minority actors are "tied down" so to speak to a certain genre of movies. And that affects what people will think of the movie when they see a trailer. And just to make this clear I do not support racism in any way shape or form.

What matters not is the color of their skin, but the talent of their acting and how well they fit into the character.

The stage productions I've done have always been pretty colorblind (as well as genderblind), but Hollywood tends to be a lot more conservative and a lot less open-minded than the theatre in that respect. I've been cast as a male in some shows because I was the most qualified and played it the best. However, most Hollywood movies would take the less qualified male actor over me simply because he's male. Hollywood is way too aesthetic.

Shame, really. That's why I'm sticking to the stage.

I kind of figured this article would be kind of everywhere because whitewashing isn’t something that’s straight forward or cut in stone. And people will view it differently. There’s s much going on, I honestly wasn’t sure where to go. People have different aspects and opinions on this and I was just giving mine. Like I've said in my article, people are tired of hearing about race, but it’s never going away, and not once did I say I was looking for racism in these movies. It’s kind of hard to miss something when it’s right in front of you.

@Audrey T. I understand you completely, but some people find it very disrespectful for their ethnicity to be casted poorly, there are people who want “political correctness” and I never said they casted Jake Gyllenhaal because he was white. I simply knew it was because he’s Jake Gyllenhaal. Who would I cast? A Persian, a real one too. More profit, I understand that, but just the message they are sending when they do things like that. Do you understand? Much more to be taken into consideration, for people to understand, yeah I hope so.

@Midnight Ruby. Majority of the people I’ve spoke to felt that they should have gotten a Persian to play that lead role and if they didn't want a Persian Disney should have changed the movie title. All my friends are of mixed creed and race and felt that way. Same with [i]The Last Airebender[/i] I have seen the show, and know all the characters are racially ambiguous and the show even depicts Asian culture, so why wouldn’t they be Asian? But let’s get real here. I’m racially ambiguous too, but my race is black and that’s what people are going to see, you might have someone say, "oh I don’t see skin color first", well I don’t think that’s true. Katara and Sokka are dark skinned there’s no denying that, I’m sorry.

Yes, white actors/actress brings in a lot of money and it should be about acting skills, like I’ve stated in this article. Hollywood isn’t all to blame, I understand that there’s more going on behind the screens, but I think it’s just the fact that don’t try to cast black actor/actress because [i]they[/i] think they are not convincing enough for audiences. When I was talking about Pacino and Sam Jackson, I used them of examples of good actors who have played characters written for white actors and gotten away with it. A lot of you guys are stating what I already cover about Hollywood being a business and about money; I know that, I should have just started with that instead of going in face first.

Another thing, saying someone looks white doesn’t necessarily make them so. I agree 100% on the fact that actors/actress should get the part on acting talent and not skin color, but I know for a fact it just doesn’t happen that way, especially when you’re not looking.

This article was a bit..scattered. About Avatar the last airbender; I used to love that show as a kid, and it is racially ambigious..but to the point where you can tell that some characters _are_ white. Also..I mean, it should be about talent, but sometimes, it's just about money. I slightly disagree with the parellel you drew between that and whitewashing, though..

@Lonna Well, Prince of Persia for example. I think that's more about Jake Gyllenhaal being a cash cow, than him simply being white. I do believe that he was casted in that part because he's "Jake Gyllenhaal" and putting him in a film will bring in the money.

I mean, who would you cast as the lead role there? Someone who is more "ethnically" fit for the role or someone who is going to bring in the money? Hollywood and movies and films, it's a business. So they're going to do what's going to be more profitable, not what's going to be more "politically correct."

Similarly for the Airbender film. They're pushing kids like Jackson Rathbone into the film because he's going to bring in the VERY large audience from Twilight - he's theoretically bringing in his fans (which are plentiful). As for the rest of the cast, to be honest, I've seen the animated show and if we're going on look wise, I look at that cartoon and the characters seem pretty racially ambiguous to me. While the "culture" within the movie (with the Monks and stuff) may be considered Asian (Buddhist and Tibetan, is where the culture of the movie was formed from< i believe) and the style of drawing is similar to anime, the characters themselves, are they even Asian? Going on looks, on the looks of the cartoons, I wouldn't say so.

Like I said, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but there's certainly much more information that needs to be taken into consideration other than race and ethnicity.

I started reading this article but I stopped when you brought up The Last Airbender. And in defense of Katara and Sokka being white the north water tribe was mainly white. If you watch the show you would know that they descend from the north water tribe. Sorry I went all fan geek on you, but honestly I'm sick of hearing about people called that movie racist. Racism is awful no doubt about it, but people need to stop looking for racism where there is none.