Racial Bias in Hollywood aka Racebending

[KannaRougeV]

Okay, this may or may not be a good topic for this section, but I decided to post this topic here because I wanted to and I'm doing a project for my Process of Communication class about Racial Bias in Hollywood.

Now, has ANYONE seen GanXingba's "Aang Ain't White" video about the casting choices for the Avatar live-action movie aka The Last Airbender? If not, then notify me (in this thread, of course) if you need the link and such. Moving on.

So, Hollywood has been favoring actors who are the typical "Blonde hair and blue eyes" features over talented actors of other ethnicities when it comes to movie roles and to me, it doesn't seem right in 21st century America because the country is more diverse.

Also, it's not right to typecast actors of different races in roles that are stereotypical and degrading ALL THE TIME. If you were an actor who was either African-American, Latino (not actually a race to many, but whatever), or Asian, then...would you be comfortable to be cast in roles such as the gangster, the convenience store clerk with a lick of an accent, or the villain who has to face the good guy played by a White actor? I don't think so. You'd rather be cast as someone who would represent positivities of other races.

Organizations such as MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) are protesting against this and they've been protesting when casting for The Last Airbender and other movies that deal with whitewashing or how movies enforce negative stereotypes of other races.

Now, I'd like to know what's your opinion about racebending. Oh, and I have no ill will towards White actors and please do not regard me as racist because I'm all for diversity...especially in Hollywood.

[Rahne]

This is one of the very reasons I much prefer voice acting. You don't have to worry about physical appearance pretty much at all.

[KannaRougeV]

That's true and even though it is as competitive as other aspects of acting, more people of minorities are more comfortable doing VAing.

However, it would be nice if Hollywood had more diversity when it comes to live-acting movies and TV.

[Matt Cruea]

I think, if you want blind casting to work in a very public industrial environment like this, you have to go both ways. If the director, a non-white man himself, chooses to alter the race of a character when that race is not necessarily a driving focus of the character itself, then I would think that is well within his rights and doesn't hurt the portrayal.

If I get a white man to play Martin Luther King, then I'm probably making a mistake.

If I get a white man to play a fictional character originally intended to be vaguely Asian (in a world that I don't think actually HAS an Asia...) but whose story arc does not pertain to his race, I don't think that matters so much.

[KannaRougeV]

I see what you mean and thank you for telling me about it from a director's perspective.

[TamTu]

Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as the Prince of Persia, when an actual prince of arabia had the acting resume to back it up too

[KannaRougeV]

I heard about that at Racebending.com and the site mentioned that the casting choice was basically "whitewashing."

[Y. Chang]

It's lame, but the producers get to do what they want since it's their money.

[Cake Batter]

Okay, honestly, I'm really into this issue and I've actually looked into it extensively for my own personal knowledge. It seriously does suck and I do think it's a much larger problem than people think it is. I do believe that the entertainment industry plays a large part in how certain ethnicities are perceived and can ultimately damage self-esteem. I suppose this is why people are being so sensitive about Disney's "The Princess and The Frog" and why Disney themselves made sure to be as least offensive as possible (consulting Oprah, changing her name from Maddie to Tiana).

The bottom line it's not going to change until people get up and do something about it so it's really a shame that people continually let it slide by supporting films with questionable casting by buying a ticket.

[Scarlet Rhapsody]

With Avatar, I kinda can let things slide only because it is a fantasy world that has Asian elements. However, I did see Dante Basco at my school recently. He looks great! He could totally pull of Zuko in a live action movie. Despite that he's pushing 30s, he still looks like an angsty teen. (see "The Debut" for more reference)

However, if it were me in the director's chair / casting chair (or couch...hehe), I would try to go for a talented PanAsian cast. I attended a panel about Asians in Hollywood. The bottom line is they're looking for talent. Talent is the most important element here.

Yet, as with what Matt said, there are instances where it does matter. I'm still a bit weirded out with Ben Kingsley and Ghandi. For example, if you were going to cast a musical stage version of Hairspray, ethnicity does matter because it is essential to the story. The same can be said for Miss Saigon and Ragtime. I'd be weirded out if I saw a blackface Coalhouse Walker or Booker T. Washington.

And as someone who tried to break in as an actress in Hollywood, it's hard for Asians to get anything....even the "Me So Horny" hooker FOB type. I tried going for "Sweet Sixteen," but they told me they already filled out the minority quota for the show. Just one of the few examples...