Anne Boleyn as a black woman

[Frustratedbeyondbelief]

Am anyone explain why ? I know this question raises the issue of race which is highly controversial. It is not meant to be goady.. just perplexed by what they are trying to achieve. To me like playing GHandi and Martin Luther King as while men..

For context I hope my non racial credentials as a mother of mixed race children assist in not seeing this as an 'anti black' thread ... I genuinely would like to be educated as to why this is thought to be a 'good thing' when simply factually incorrect . ? Her home at Hever is less than a mile away, I have never had any idea she was black or mixed race. Just seems a bit 'trendy' ...

White men

I don't understand why either OP

Sounds crazy to me

I really don’t see an issue.

It’s a woman actor doing her jib and playing a part.

*job

Someone will come along and say ‘why not’ but it’s widely known Anne Boleyn was white.
They are just trying too hard to be ‘pc’.

There is uproar when white people play ethnic characters.

But it’s racist to say these things.

Because it broadens the role to more candidates?

Means that POC can see themselves on telly in an iconic role?

Same complaints with Bridgerton, and you forgot it in about 5 mins. And the actors they chose were superb in embodying their roles. But somewhere at home there was a wee little girl who saw someone who looked like them as a princess on the TV.

If a white man was cast to play Muhammad Ali there would be uproar

I'm curious to know if they're just doing it as a colour blind production, much like The personal history of David Copperfield with Dev Patel was (really enjoyed and would recommend if anyone's interested) or if they'll be casting her family as black also?

It does seem a bit odd 🤔

She is widely believed to be mixed race. Her skin, as described by her physician, was ‘mulatto’ and ‘sallow’ was used a lot too - both of those words were used for mixed race people in those days.

Black people were in the UK in Elizabethan times and had jobs and businesses since the Middle Ages. St George is also another mixed race person which is totally ironic considering how many English racists fly his flag.

Well because race is key to story with Martin Luther King, Mohammed Ali etc. In this case it’s just an actor playing the role where her race is not pivotal to the story.

Except that the lead actor is black and Ann Boleyn was white... it's like a white women portraying Maya Angelou .. simply not true. A white womans place in the world in the 1570s was VERY different to that of a black woman. To portray a. Black woman at court in the age of Henry V111 where race is 'blind' is just nonsense political correctness of the worse kind and to my (white) mind betrays the struggle of horrendous racism black women have suffered .

As a black female I'm honestly sick of this. Yes, we know they are just acting but to me acting is portraying another personality. Picking somebody who has zero resemblance to the very real person they are portraying is unnecessary and divisive.

I hope the 'woke' type realise they are creating even more racism.

I’m not sure which program you’re referring to but, like with Bridgerton, I assume they’ve gone for colour conscious (very different to colour blind) casting. Opportunities for black and other non-caucasian actors are very sadly limited, especially with regards to major roles. I think it’s fantastic to see more diversity on our screens.

It’s a very different situation to portraying MLK or Ghandi as white men (which would be extremely insensitive and likely offensive, in my opinion)

The problem I have with this is that a lot of people are just a bit thick*. They pick up their patchy and erroneous historical knowledge from TV and film. This will lead some people to think Anne Boleyn was black - and I don't think anyone should be 're-raced' in the telling of their life story. A fictional character is different, so a black James Bond for example would be fine by me, but if it's a real person just a basic level of historical accuracy, like the right sex and race of the actor portraying that person, should be maintained.

• See recent thread about the woman complaining the OP had ruined the Bohemian Rhapsody film by telling her Freddie died. People on that thread relating how others had been shocked that the Titanic sunk at the end of the film, etc.

Why not? As a PP said, she's just an actress doing her job.

This is meant to be progression and diversity but it is not. There are so many brilliant other black women in history whom this fabulous actor could have been cast in AND made a brilliant production because it was authentically correct.

I really enjoy the “colourblind casting” in general. If this is a thing where everyone is totally white except Anne though, that’s a little weird. But nothing to get excited about. It’s not like we think the other actors actually ARE the person either is it.

@Vinto

I'm curious to know if they're just doing it as a colour blind production, much like The personal history of David Copperfield with Dev Patel was (really enjoyed and would recommend if anyone's interested) or if they'll be casting her family as black also?

I really enjoyed Bridgerton- but that was because Caroline may have been mixed race .. another PP has said that AB was also mixed race - if so I am on board with this ... but have NEVER previously heard this assumption - and live in Hever literally a few yards from the castle..

Also OP, don't ever try and explain yourself by declaring you have mixed children. It means fuck all to those that insist on pulling this shit.

This honestly really upsets me. If you are not racist, you NEVER need to make an excuse for a valid opinion.

People who play real life characters don’t often look exactly like the real person. We accept that. But when it’s because of race it freaks people out.

Maybe she performed the best on audition day and just deserved the role.

Anne Boleyn has always been portrayed as a bad woman. She seduced the king away from his loving wife. She was power hungry. Sex mad.Greedy.Wily and scheming. A liar. So lacking in morales she even commited incest with her own brother. None of this is true. History is written by men who chose to portray her this way and remove all the men who destroyed her from any blame or obligation. She was also very much an outcast in court as people were jealous of her rise to power and remained loyal to Queen Katherine.
Now look at the comparisons between Anne and how WOC have traditionally seen and been portrayed throughout history. I personally think it was a very very clever bit of casting and Im really looking forward to the show.

It is just acting, I think if you can't get past this then you have a bit of a rigid mind.

I don't mind when it's a fictional character like in Bridgerton.

Anne Boleyn was not black and she was the mother of Elizabeth 1. Not sure why it's wrong for gandhi or Muhammad Ali but not a famous white woman. Just comes across as trying to be PC and ticking a diversity box.