Colour blind casting - am I being thick?

[ImJustMadAboutSaffron]

I'm watching Sherwood that was on recently, am up to episode 4. What I don't understand, and was told it was colour blind casting when I discussed it, is why actors of obvious Asian heritage are given characters with names like Fraser, Andy and Neil Fisher.

Diversity in drama is one thing but I see this as taking the mickey and denying someone's heritage. Or am I overthinking it?

I didn't think anything of the casting in Bridgerton. I also didn't really register the names in Sherwood. But the colourblind casting did throw me in the David Copperfield film because I didn't know the story in advance and I didn't twig about the casting straight away. I wasted quite a while trying to figure out how David came to look so different from his family.
I should read more Dickens and more film trivia.

I'm genuinely surprised at this. I have Irish heritage myself and had no clue. I did ask in my OP if I was being thick...

Colour blind casting in theatre is when you go and see Pride and Prejudice and one of the Bennett sisters is black. But they don't change her name or invent something into the story line as to why she has a different skin colour to her sisters. Because its irrelevant, she is the person who they thought was the best actor to play that role.

Thats completely different to making more programmes about black people, or writing new programmes which have a full range of characters in them.

I haven't seen Sherwood to know how its being produced, so I don't know if they are following the theatre route of colour blind casting, but I would assume thats whats happened?

Personally, whilst colour blind casting is great as it allows everyone an equal chance at playing roles in plays they wouldn't otherwise be able to audition for, I hope it doesn't come at the expense of people thinking that its sufficient and therefore there is no need to produce programmes that specifically have a diversity of characters in them.

According to our subtitles, the Neil is Sherwood is Neel, which is a pretty common name among men of Indian heritage.

OP is getting a hammering here by the word police.

Op, I say taking the Mickey on a daily basis. Sue me. I understand what you meant by your post. There are just times MN Pp like to go on the attack and sadly its you todau.

I'm sure he will be flattered to be asked 🙄

The comment about names is very odd OP

can I not have an English name just because I'm not white?

Because it’s acting…

The character was already created. The characters called Fraser and Andy were already written. The point is they then found the best people for the role, regardless of their race. The best person to act that role.

Otherwise many talented non white actors would struggle to find roles.

In the new series of Malory Towers there are more actors from ethnic minorities than would have been in 40s/50s English boarding schools..Would I want black kids who auditioned to be turned down because of their colour? No I wouldn't. I'm glad they are being offered roles based on ability rather than colour

the only "issue" with Sherwood was you were trying to guess WHO DID IT so looking for clues. Therefore was it relevant that the grandkids of the first man shot appeared to be mixed race, therefore i was wondering whether their mum or dad was maybe the (secret) child of the london copper and his girlfriend from the stike.

(in the end we just didn't see the dad, just the mum and it wasn't relevant, just odd the parents stayed away so long, hence thinking it would be a suprise who they were)

Andy was odd casting in that he was younger than his new Daughter in law, which was jarring.

'Taking the mickey' is Cockney rhyming slang.

Best actor for the role, regardless. Makes perfect sense to me. Saw Maxine Peake’s Hamlet, she was fantastic.

My FIL 's family are Anglo-Indians, they all have Christian names, English surnames and appear Asian. So it's not outside the realms of possibility.

(Incidentally, Neel is an Indian name)

Rule of Mumsnet:

DON'T. MENTION. RACE.

Ever.

I'll let you know. I do know him very well so I'm qualified to judge.

Taking the mickey is Cockney rhyming slang - taking the piss - Mickey Bliss. It's not racist.

A quick trip across Google shows that 'taking the mickey' originates in Cockney Rhyming Slang and simply means 'taking the piss'.

Eamonn Holmes (who is Irish) said the phrase was racist as a sarcastic comment to make a point about political correctness.

So no, the OP did not use a 'racial slur' in the opening post.

OP I don't really feel you have explained why you feel it's taking the mickey.

Lots of us with Asian heritage don't have Asian names. Guess you've learned something there.

I think it's a really interesting question but not one you can have sensible debate about on MN unfortunately 🙄

I perhaps didn't word that well. I was getting at the idea of actors feeling it was maybe tokenism? In actual fact my cousin was in that drama, with whom I've not had this discussion, but I don't imagine a Norwegian type actor (hope that is not racist) auditioning for or playing a part of a character named for example Faiza Salim. Feel free to correct me without insults.

So I'm guessing the characters were written with none of them having any identifiers of heritage, so anyone could play them.

I don't especially understand colourblind casting in some situations e.g. in Bridgerton the casting of Queen Charlotte, a real historical figure except to say that the actress who played her was beyond fantastic in the role and her ethnicity had no bearing

Bridgerton is entirely fictional, with a few real historical figures, they can all be purple if the writer so decides.

I'm Irish and I'm not offended.

Irish and no offence taken.