Online anger erupts over "racelifting"

[Andara Bledin]

About Hunger Games, one of my friends said, "What, do authors have to say, "These be negroes" for people to realize a character might be black?"

Pretty much. If they don't use racial stereotypes, they must be white as far as many people are concerned.

While thinking about it, I realized that I don't have a mental image of a character until I get a description; they're sort of a fuzzy blob with a voice as opposed to any real visualization. The biggest thing that trips me up when reading is if the character is revealed to be left-handed partway through.

As for Depp's heritage, it wouldn't surprise me were he to be part native; he has some facial structure that would fit (this article at The Guardian, written by someone who is Lakota, agrees) and his family has been in Kentucky for longer than the US has been independent. Also, he guesses that he's possibly part Cherokee or Creek, not Navajo. Plus, it's not like this is the first time he's played a native American, either.

This is another one of those things that I just can't see the point of even questioning, much less getting worked up over.

^-.-^

[Lace Neil Singer]

If they were such die hard fans, they would know there *is* a black version of Nick Fury in the comics and that version was based on Samuel L. Jackson with his permission. Years before any of these movies came out. >.>

Exactly my thoughts. -.- In any case, Samuel L Jackson is a fantastic actor; I've seen the trailer and to me, he's the best man for the job in any case. I'd far prefer him cast as Fury, rather than a white actor who makes a total hash of the role.

What annoyed me was a white actress playing Chun Li in Legend Of Chun Li. Yeah, she might be part Chinese, but she looked far too Caucasian to be a convincing Chun Li. That movie was pants anyway, but they could at least have gotten that part right.

[BlaqueKatt]

This is another one of those things that I just can't see the point of even questioning, much less getting worked up over.

^-.-^

except I'm sure any of these actors would have been available for the role....

[AdminAssistant]

Do any of those American Indian actors have millions of devoted fans who will flood the theatres to watch anything that they're in?

Depp at least as some of the physical features right. I have a Choctaw great-grandparent on my father's side and a Cherokee great-grandparent on my mother's side. My sister got the cheekbones, hair color, and can tan beautifully. Unfortunately, I lost that roll of the genetic dice, gaining the fair skin and freckles of the Irish/English ancestors. (No, I can't *prove* mine either, except with photos. Many American Indians didn't sign the roles, including my ancestors.)

[fireheart17]

They expected someone tan.

I will admit that when I read the book, my mind skipped straight over the "Dark-skinned" bit and I was picturing a pixie-like girl hanging from the trees. When I saw the movie, I was a little surprised at first, but then worked with it.

I remember people losing their minds because in the movie Thor, Heimdall is black. Who cares? As long as Idris Elba can play him well (and I am convinced Idris Elba could play almost anyone well), who cares what color he is? I mean, in Marvel world the Norse gods are freaking aliens, so they don't all have to be Scandanavian looking.

My boyfriend and I (both attending a Viking re-enactment group) watched the film. I didn't give two freaking rats about whether Heimdall was Black or not, I almost didn't notice actually because he's mostly covered up by the mask. I was happy at the beginning sequence, which actually got the Viking clothing CORRECT! (when the Frost Giants attack a village)

And Nick Fury is sometimes black, even in the Superhero Squad show Khan watches, he is black.

I really don't give a crap most of the time, unless, say, a story is set in Vietnam and the characters are Vietnamese and all the actors are white. That would be silly.

I now have a reason to watch the Superhero Squad show.

And as for your last comment, there was another huge shitstorm over the casting of non-Asian actors for The Last Airbender. While the film was crap anyway, the huge controversy was over the guy who played Aang for being predominantly white.

[Andara Bledin]

except I'm sure any of these actors would have been available for the role....

Do any of those American Indian actors have millions of devoted fans who will flood the theatres to watch anything that they're in?

This. Depp has a devoted following that will get the movie made and sold. Which can be more important than whether he's any good at all in the role.

^-.-^

[anakhouri]

I now have a reason to watch the Superhero Squad show

There are lots of reasons to watch Superhero Squad. There are tons of in-jokes for Marvel fans, Stan Lee voices the mayor of Super Hero City, and the #1 reason of them all:

Season 2, George Takei is the voice of Galactus.

[mikoyan29]

Do any of those American Indian actors have millions of devoted fans who will flood the theatres to watch anything that they're in?

Depp at least as some of the physical features right. I have a Choctaw great-grandparent on my father's side and a Cherokee great-grandparent on my mother's side. My sister got the cheekbones, hair color, and can tan beautifully. Unfortunately, I lost that roll of the genetic dice, gaining the fair skin and freckles of the Irish/English ancestors. (No, I can't *prove* mine either, except with photos. Many American Indians didn't sign the roles, including my ancestors.)

Wes Studi was pretty awesome in Last of the Mohicans.

[lordlundar]

While, all other things being equal, I would prefer a white kingpin, the choice of a black character for him is more than, "just because". He was a "common thug from the Bronx" that used to mean some ethnicities. Nowadays it mean other(e.g. Blacks)

Actually, it wasn't "just because". The Kingpin has a particular size and stature (aka similar to an 800lb gorilla and about as strong) that was difficult to duplicate for a live action film. There was no one available with the, for lack of a better term, "dimensions" that fit the Kingpin and had acting experience. Michael Clarke Duncan was the closest fit available with the only issue being the skin colour. Rather than try to find someone with little to no acting experience that fit the visual representation and be white, they chose the experienced black actor that fit the role.

[Bloodsoul]

I thought Idris made for a fantastic Heimdall, myself; dude look and sounded absolutely brutal.

[Jetfire]

My take on it, is similar to what others have said; as long as the actor is good and can get into the role, then I don't care if they are white, yellow, purple, black, blue, indigo or any other colour or race for that matter. Of course if the story is crap or they can't act, I'll roast them and the director for that; but otherwise race/religion is irrelevant to me.

On the flip side though, there are some characters where race, religion, etc... are important parts of their character. If someone made a New Mutants movie, and decided that Sunspot should be an Asian baseball player, Dani Moonstar should be an Aboriginal, Rahne should be a Cajun Wiccan and Douglas should be a Swedish Chef, I'd have issues with most of those changes, but not all. Dani's native heritage and Rahne's Irish Catholicism are huge parts of their characters so those changes would be warrented roasting. Sunspot's south American heritage is almost as important but not as much so that change wouldn't be as bad , but it comes really close to the line. And while I love Douglas as a character, his origin and character isn't particularly tied to his race, religion or nationality.

(And to answer someone else's comments above, I'd say Luke Cage's race is an important aspect of his character and something that shouldn't be messed with, at least not without a lot of careful thought; something Hollywood isn't particularly known for).

And that all said, I do think the expectations are different between Comics and Novels. Novels are a written medium, so everyone only has the words of the author to set up what the characters are; and most authors don't (and shouldn't) describe everyone in their stories in excrutiating detail. Comics are a visual media, which means we do have a certain look we've associated the character with that limits what people can do with them when going to other media.

[Amanita]

I liked the actors who played Rue and Thresh in "The Hunger Games". They did a great job in their roles and fit the characters perfectly. I've also heard it said that making many of the characters of district 11 (Agriculture, and treated worse than the residents of Katniss's home district) black, was that it was a nod to a rather ugly part of our history, one that shouldn't be forgotten.

But little Rue's character was truly lovable and clever- you had to admire her spirit, and I genuinely felt sadness when she died. And Thresh also was cast very well- the book described him as a physically powerful individual, not much of a talker. The actor who played him nailed it, and I applauded when he avenged Rue, letting Katniss know that just this once he would let her go in peace, because of what she had done for Rue. Overall, I thought the casting for the Hunger Games was well done, likewise Kingpin of Daredevil. I haven't read the comics, so I had no preconceived idea of what that character looked like. So unburdened by preconception, I thought that actor was spot-on, his character was perfect.

[anakhouri]

(And to answer someone else's comments above, I'd say Luke Cage's race is an important aspect of his character and something that shouldn't be messed with, at least not without a lot of careful thought; something Hollywood isn't particularly known for).

This is what my husband said when I asked him what he thought; see though, I didn't know anything about Luke Cage (except he has a cute headband) until Husband explained his Blaxploitation roots. I was only going on the fact that he is a black guy in the comics.

Husband thinks I was exhibiting reverse racism. I think he was right.

[Gravekeeper]

I thought Idris made for a fantastic Heimdall, myself; dude look and sounded absolutely brutal.

Yeah, it did seem a little odd to have a black Norse god at first glance, but damned if he wasn't intimidating on screen. I was cheering him on by the end of the movie.

[siead_lietrathua]

wait a min, since when is "wrong race" new? heck the '89 batman flick had a black Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams)!!!
when they choose actors of a race diffrent than the character's original it seems like a poor desision, from a fangirl p.o.v.. they probably could have found people that would fit the roles physically as well as acting ability, but it would have ment giving up the "big name" actors.