I probably ABU but my family is mixed race

[PearlyG8]

These are so beautiful I have to share.

Wow!

The posters didnt make me think in the way they have for others, i just thought they were advertising possible amateur plays. I think stats on the posters as someone mentioned above would be good. But im more maths minded so that grabs me more....

galway what message do you think a group of white teenagers making film posters replacing black actors with white teenagers would be promoting?

How would you appropriately edit the headline on the top if the posters ("if you're surprised, it means you don't see enough black people in major roles")?

I don't think the people in the posters are actors.

Witchend - we know the famous five aren't Jewish because Blyton describes them going to church (there's one scene where Timmy whines at being tied up outside a church because he knows george disappears into one for an hour or so every Sunday!). Not surprising given their era!

If the UK is approximately 3% black and 8% Asian, that article says only 0.5% of roles went to black actors. Even though it's obviously never going to be an exact science, clearly there should be more representation and support for BAME actors/producers etc.

I suppose some parents may be stricter about what their kids do, but suspect that mostly it comes down to assumptions or even unconscious bias on the part of casting directors and perhaps also money - not everyone can afford to train as an actor and look for work?

There have been a few things I've seen recently with a black actor in a lead role - "save me" and "trauma". More programmes like that would be good.

I think the posters look good and make a good point. There's no reason why the actors in films like Harry Potter or the In-Betweeners should be white. It must be frustrating as a black actor to still not be considered for parts where race is irrelevant. Sometimes it matters - the King in the King's Speech had to be played by a middle aged white man. Too big a stretch of the imagination otherwise.

Similarly I went to see Streetcar Named Desire at the Royal Exchange last year and they had Blanche played by a white actress and Stella by a black actress. In a play set in the Deep South during segregation etc. it didn't work so well. I wondered if they were suggesting that they weren't really sisters / had different fathers which was why they were so different. If both were played by black actresses, fine.

Cavoli and book spectacularly missing the point. Stamping you feet and declaring you have the same opportunities doesn’t make it so. You don’t.
This campaign isn’t saying hire black people because it’s the right thing to do, it says don’t be so blinkered in your choices. A fitting message to all in positions of power not just those casting movies. A very hard message to get across,as we all suffer unconscious bias and need to be reminded to challenge it in our selves.

I love that these are created by young people, who are actively making a change in their community. I think that's brilliant.

I'm not so sure on a personal level, how much I like the posters. I look at them and think 'but they're the wrong people' - maybe because I love HP so much. You could have swapped the actors for other white people, or even kept the same & digitally altered their appearance, I still wouldn't like it.

I think they would have been better making up a whole new concept, for a fake / new film, with an entirely BAME cast but keeping the same message.

I think the posters make a great point. I can honestly say it’s not something I’ve actively noticed but now it’s pointed out - yes. There is a definite lack of Black actors in lead roles, particularly in British tv and film.

I think it’s marginally better in America but that might just be the particular shows/movies I watch. In particular I think Viola Davis is an amazing actor and was routing for her all the way to win her Oscar for her role in Fences last year. I also love the TV show How to get away with Murder which again she is the lead role. But again when you look at the hundreds of tv shows made each year then black actors are underrepresented in lead roles.

There have been some moments in films or tv where the one black character is the ‘stereotypic’ ganagsta type of character - you know the sort of role I’m talking about. Or on other occasions it’s a try too hard effort to make sure one actor from every ethnicity is represented in a movie which is equally as annoying. Very few black/ minority people are cast as just normal everyday people. I think perhaps that is also the point of these posters. What was the comedy/ spoof film (not another teen movie?) in the 90’s that made that point well and with the character ‘token black guy’.

My kids have taken to discussing films and whether the gender or ethnicity of the actor is important to the film. They've come to realise that unless a film is about real people or events, in the majority of cases it's irrelevant to the story.

They've started recasting films with their favourite actors who are male, female, black, white, oriental and Polynesian (thanks 5-0). It's opening their eyes to what they call the hidden racism/misogyny in the world.

Fair play to these kids and I'd love to see more if their posters.

Sophieelmer
Cavoli and book spectacularly missing the point

I am not missing the point at all, or am I stamping my feet. I understand the point that posters are trying to make, I do not agree with it in the slightest. You are completely missing the point of what I am saying.

No, I don't think Harry Potter should have been black, and I don't think I would have like a little black boy starting the movie by living under the stairs and the whole concept and surrounding of the stories make it reasonable to have a white cast.

I am not pretending that racism does not exist in this country, and the reactions to Meghan Markle are something else on that subject and prove it. The posters shown on this thread are just a completely wrong way to address the problem.

Titanic and historical movies hold realistic problems that black people would not have been in the positions and rewriting of history would be ignorant of the hardships. I do believe that promotion of black authors of books and screenplay is needed.

I suppose we should ask JK Rowling why were her characters all white (there's only the odd non-white actor in the film from what I can recall)?

You wouldn't get far with that. "I never said Hermione was white..." Yes she did, people went through the books and found proof. She also made Dumbledore gay retroactively (and apparently it may not even be addressed if the new film series), and defended the casting Of Johnny Depp by twisting Amber Heards' statement. She just likes harvesting retweets and likes from easily impressed 12 year olds.

Sadly there is no one quick foolproof way of defeating racism or any other prejudice. Perhaps it's right that lots of different ways to challenge it arise and have an impact on different people. Perhaps the most important effect of these posters is the effect on the teenagers who got the support and mentoring by doing the project.

I hope I see your point Cavoli thank you for making it.

Love these for so many reasons; for what they provoke and especially that young people are behind them. Here's hoping times are a changing

According to this only 73% of characters in Hollywood films were white. Which is beneath the population percentage of Im not mistaking?
www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/30000-hollywood-film-characters-heres-many-werent-white

Love these. My first thought was ... Is there a new inbetweeners starting. Then I read the message and thought yes their so right.

Fabulous impact. These posters should not have been removed. Thanks for sharing OP.

But what percentage of Bollywood actors are white? It's all relative to the diversity of the country.

I saw that in the paper today and loved it. We were trying to choose a family movie last night and I kept saying 'no not another white man with a gun'.... these look a lot better!

Brilliant! Brixton is a fantastic place

Zzzzzzzzzz They're shit.......

Qtgirl
Assuming the majority of films are American, yes, non whites are definitely underrepresented. This goes back to my point. Is there enough talent - percentage wise of BAME actors? Idk the answer. Others have said the same, it’s traditionally a white industry.

Constraints aside, yes, the best person for the job should be cast regardless of ethnicity. From an artistic POV, I want to see the beauty and richness people with different life experiences from my own will offer as well as people with more similar ones. Everyone’s interpretation of a role is very different.

I think they're brilliant. It isn't simply about replacing white actors with black actors and I think the posters make that perfectly clear. They've obviously chosen instantly recognisable films for the impact of making people pay attention to why they're seeing what they're seeing and their headline sums it up perfectly.
Representation matters hugely for young people, it's incredibly difficult not seeing yourself reflected in the world around you in the same way that your peers might. A PP made the point about how many BAME people train to become actors etc etc. It is representation that often encourages people to aspire to achieve things. How often do you read an interview with a celebrity or athlete that where they talk about who they idolised as a child/teen and made them want to achieve the same things? The importance of representation isn't new, we're just slowly but surely starting to highlight it more and more.

Mummy but non-whites are not underrepresented according to the stats I posted. Do you have any stats on Hollywood films that state differently?
I agree it’s much more interesting to have characters with various backgrounds, but I wonder about the accuracy of the message this is sending.

the number of BAME is important but less important than the roles they play

When having hundreds of black slaves and one black lead and 3 white leads the numbers are negated

And when the black man is always a drug dealer/gangster/criminal/deadbeat character and the black woman is a stripper/cleaner/waitress/'best friend'/cashier in a supermarket it says something

It is harder to get into performance arts if you are BAME - it's also harder if you come from a deprived background

Colleges need to address this

Rita - why shouldn't the posters have been removed? It sounds from the article that they were stuck on private property without permission, if I read it correctly. The business that owns them pays rent itself and then leases out that space. Why should someone plaster over its paying customers for free?

If they had put them somewhere that they could have stayed up, then taking them down would be a whole different thing.