5 ms·

> Like when black actors get representation in media previously dominated by white people, to me that is just a good thing, but I see reports that many think th

> Like when black actors get representation in media previously dominated by white people, to me that is just a good thing, but I see reports that many think this is “wokeness”, which they think is bad. In the 90s Will Smith starred in Independence Day, and absolutely no one complained (as far as I know) because Will Smith is awesome and he deserved the role. See also Blade from the same era. People get upset when it's clear that a person has been chosen for a role/position just because of their skin colour/gender/sexuality rather than their talent. I can't actually think of any movies that have done this, but plenty of TV shows (Star Trek Discovery). Obviously some roles require the person to be of a certain race for it to appear authentic. Lots of older films used white actors for middle Eastern roles, which is seen as "white washing" and is therefore wrong. The latest Ghost in the Shell race swapped the main character to be American, and was rightly called out for doing so. Basically we should be allowed to criticize both ways...

SuoDuanDao 5y ago
>I can't actually think of any movies that have done this The Dark Tower was a sore spot for me. The protagonist was a character inspired by Clint Eastwood and was depicted as fair skinned in every piece of cover art and spinoff before Idris Elba was cast in the role. Blackwashing a character fans of the story all imagined as white really underscored how little appreciation the movie makers had for the source material.
- scollet 5y ago
  It really changes nothing.
foldr 5y ago
A quick bit of Googling suggests that plenty of people did not feel too positively about making a movie with a black lead: https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/independence-day-studio-refused-will-smith-racism-1234648383/ https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/independence-day-studio-re... In this case, though, the roles are reversed. The supposedly "woke" studio system didn't want to put a black guy in the lead, whereas the public were more open to the idea.
4ggr0 5y ago
> People get upset when it's clear that a person has been chosen for a role/position just because of their skin colour/gender/sexuality Could you prove to us in some way that these actors are chosen because of their skin colour/gender/sexuality, and not because of their skills?
mpalmer 5y ago
Look I hate Discovery as much as the next guy but are you really saying that some of the women or POC on that show are worse actors than the white men that would have been cast a few decades ago? Is Discovery the only Star Trek show you've seen?
- CodeGlitch 5y ago
  I watched and loved TNG and DS9. I'm not sure any amount of acting talent could save Discovery. The problem is the writing.

SuoDuanDao 5y ago

>I can't actually think of any movies that have done this The Dark Tower was a sore spot for me. The protagonist was a character inspired by Clint Eastwood and was depicted as fair skinned in every piece of cover art and spinoff before Idris Elba was cast in the role. Blackwashing a character fans of the story all imagined as white really underscored how little appreciation the movie makers had for the source material.

scollet 5y ago
It really changes nothing.

foldr 5y ago

A quick bit of Googling suggests that plenty of people did not feel too positively about making a movie with a black lead: https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/independence-day-studio-refused-will-smith-racism-1234648383/ https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/independence-day-studio-re... In this case, though, the roles are reversed. The supposedly "woke" studio system didn't want to put a black guy in the lead, whereas the public were more open to the idea.

4ggr0 5y ago

> People get upset when it's clear that a person has been chosen for a role/position just because of their skin colour/gender/sexuality Could you prove to us in some way that these actors are chosen because of their skin colour/gender/sexuality, and not because of their skills?

mpalmer 5y ago

Look I hate Discovery as much as the next guy but are you really saying that some of the women or POC on that show are worse actors than the white men that would have been cast a few decades ago? Is Discovery the only Star Trek show you've seen?

CodeGlitch 5y ago
I watched and loved TNG and DS9. I'm not sure any amount of acting talent could save Discovery. The problem is the writing.