For two years in a row, the film industry’s biggest award show, The Oscars, were criticized, and boycotted by some, because all 20 actors nominated for an award were white.
This year’s nominations, or lack thereof, particularly drew fire. The movie “Creed,” part of the “Rocky” franchise, was praised by critics. But the black star and the black director, Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler, were ignored, while Sylvester Stallone received the only nomination, for best supporting actor.
Of course the problem is deeper than Oscar nominations. How can a minority ever be nominated for an award when they have trouble getting a role … even when that role is for a minority. For example, in no particular order:
Paramount has cast Scarlett Johansson in an iconic Japanese role in the movie “Ghost In The Shell.” Critics, including “Mulan” star Ming Na-Wen, point out, among other things, that Hollywood does not lack for Asian actresses.
“Nina,” a biopic about Nina Simone due out soon, has been under attack since 2102, when it was announced that actress Zoe Saldana, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, would play the woman known as The High Priestess of Soul. Simone, a jazz singer and civil rights activist, was dark-skinned and much of her work centered on her marginalized treatment because of it, CNN reported. Fans say the casting a light-skinned actress is an affront to Simone’s legacy. Things were made worse when a sneak peek of the movie showed Saldana in dark makeup.
A new British TV comedy cast Joseph Fiennes as the late singer Michael Jackson in the movie, “Elizabeth, Michael &Marlon,” about a road trip the singer takes with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando.
Tina Fey’s movie released earlier this year, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” was criticized for casting white American and British actors as Afghans.
In 2015, approximately 20 Native Americans, hired to appear in Adam Sandler’s movie, “The Ridiculous Six,” walked off the set after the “satirical” Western’s script repeatedly insulted native women and elders and grossly misrepresented Apache culture. The majority of the actors who walked off were Navajo.
Marvel’s upcoming movie, “Doctor Strange” is being criticized for casting actress Tilda Swinton in the role of the Ancient One, a Tibetan male mystic. The character has been changed to an androgynous Celtic female, in part, according to the director, to avoid Asian stereotypes.
These are just examples from the past two years; Hollywood has failed to learned from decades and decades of “whitewashing.” It’s so past time for the Hollywood power brokers to get their act together.
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