Colour Blind casting

I dislike misrepresentation, innaccuracy and lies in historical films and TV. Masters of the Air (atrocious acting, mumbling, clichéd etc) was so full of annoyance it made it almost unbearable to watch. But of course they felt they HAD to incorporate the Tuskegee Airmen (black fighter pilots) into the story in a fairly central role. They had nothing whatsoever to do with the 'Bloody Hundredth' and should not have been included as it throws the whole historical value out of the window.

The Tuskegee Airmen were absolutely first class and deservedly had two films made about them. Rewriting history in this way insults them. It's diversity box-ticking.

Bob Marley isnt being played by Bill Nighy.

IM NOT WHITE.

Now I’ve made that perfectly clear I find the whole idea of casting ethnically inaccurate characters so disrespectful.

It says to me that there aren’t interesting enough black or Asian characters to make films about and we must be thrown a bone. It also pisses white people off after years of being told they must not appropriate.

I don’t need a helping hand (usually offered by hysterical white liberals who see me as poorer and stupider than them). I’ve got pretty far on my own merits.

What about non-white people (including on this thread) who dislike the misrepresentation of history and the "I don't see race" attitude?

Personally, I think it's great to see non-white actors in adverts and Disney. As do many people who don't necessarily always think colourblind casting is a good thing.

Iran might have something to say about your origin beliefs.

I’m guessing the PP isn’t from Spain. Unless perhaps they moved to Benidorm and voted for Brexit?

White people from the Mediterranean region shouldn’t be allowed to use a spice that originated in the Mediterranean region?

Whilst we’re at it, let’s look at the presenting team for gladiators… 4 white men as co-presenters, lead referee and VO artist.

Let’s look at the screen time given to each gladiator to talk - eg Legend gets plenty of time on the mic, the episode I watched yesterday (9?) Phantom wasn’t even interviewed after beating the contestant, in a break from the format.

If you’re going to complain about ‘too many black people’ on tv, at least have the sense to look at the quality of parts.

I really enjoyed the performance of the police officer in Wicked Little Letters. She is a great actress.

Are you suggesting that the contestants were chosen specifically because they are not white? Not because they are the best people for the job (entertaining, obtuse, whatever the casting brief for the Apprentice is these days)?

Next you’ll be moaning about all those Olympic sprinters and marathon runners who aren’t white.

Have you considered the possibility that the Gladiators / Apprentice contestants were the best people who auditioned?

Of course you haven’t - it could only be favouritism that made ethnic people stand out, couldn’t it?

Not if they’re the kind of people who think black people shouldn’t play certain parts. That would be hypocritical.

racism seems the obvious explanation for disliking actors who are not white playing roles. Seems between the lines in many posts on this thread.

What % of the population is ethnic minority amongst the 20-40 year old age group that is physically suitable for the show?

Suspect your numbers are off. 71yo Lesley isn’t being denied a glittering TV career.

What @slore so eloquently said.

I loved the TV adaptation of Wolf Hall, but I understand the imminent adaptation of The Mirror and the Light has some colour blind casting, so I won’t be watching (and yes I realise nobody gives a shit about me not watching a TV show, before someone points that out).

Often, the people in top positions in the TV companies want to be seen to be doing the right thing, they’re thinking of their salaries, and paying dividends to their shareholders. People who thinks that anyone, regardless of race, is always cast because they’re the best person for the role are very naive.

You're being obtuse. Just watch any ad break, then bear in mind that the actual black British population is 3%, and mixed race 1.5%.

Here's another example. 50% of the candidates on the current Apprentice series are not white British.

At least 50% of the contenders on the current Gladiators were not white British. 50% of the actual Gladiators are also not white British.

White British people make up 80% of the population.

This means that white British people were being systematically deprived of the opportunity for a £250,000, to take part in a £50,000 game show, and for lucrative TV careers. This is simply not fair.

YANBU, it's completely wrong to erase the ethnicities of real people.

Also, Europeans are indigenous to Europe, and that should be ok. Until last century Britain was >99% European, and had been since the Ice Age ended. It should be ok to portray it accurately.

It is totally distracting to see a non-white person playing somebody from 18th century Europe and know that they would never be there in real life. Or to see someone like Anne Boleyn being played by a black woman.

Lord knows if Europeans were playing another ethnicity from another part of the world there would be absolute uproar. The usual suspects are still raging about Liz Taylor playing Cleopatra, even though Cleopatra was Macedonian.

I am watching Mr Mitchell's List and the colour blind casting is causing chaos in my brain! Nothing wrong with the acting - just such a mish mash of races that believing one is parent to the other is hard to credit!

White people shouldn’t be allowed to make paella?

Thanks you. It was sarcasm based on a previous poster's comment.

I believe that it's a specific crocus, the saffron crocus, that produces the spice, not the bog standard roadside plants. They're pretty expensive to buy relative to other varieties.

Yes, because JK Rowling is known for not rocking the boat isnt she...

What "simple skin colour change" was there in Harry Potter? My annoyance was more about how some characters were written out and how Harry's personality was completely different.

If JKR had no reason to complain I'm sire that the royalty cheques had nothing to do with it...

I feel a bit sorry for all these folk who lack imagination. I get they may find it ‘jarring’ to see a non-white person to start off with. But surely as the plot progresses they can use their imaginations to get into the film/show and ignore the distracting melanin in people’s skin. It must be tough to be so literal.

Maybe it’s simply to give actors a chance. White actors have loads of parts open to them. Ethnic minorities would not have as many lead character opportunities if there was no flexibility. The white actor not getting the part of Mulan still has other roles to go for easily. I am sure you agree that prejudice on the basis of ethnicity is wrong…

JK Rowling wrote the books and is not irritated. Maybe you should question why you are 'annoyed' by a simple skin colour change?

Search her Guardian interview

Without derailing the thread - Saffron Walden in Essex was just called Walden until the 15/1600s when it became so famous for growing saffron that it became Saffron Walden.

I think it’s the fact that in colour-blind casting, actors of other races aren’t pretending to be white, even when they are part of the representation of a time and place and class when basically everyone was white that irritates people.
Yes. It’s an artistic judgment.