Titans Anna Diop is Starfire

[RockSP]

Well then let's really discuss the elephant in the room.

Star-Fire looks like a white person with orange skin not a black person with orange skin.

Same way you can't give Victor Stone or John Stewart white skin in the comics/cartoons and they'll immediately look like a white person. They have black features other than just skin color that you would need to address too.

That's the same way Star-Fire in the comics and cartoons has white features even if she's an orange alien.

Don't @ me, I'm black myself.

Me too. And I disagree with you. Different artists draw every character differently. So some artists may draw her as an "orange skinned white girl", but...

^A colorless pic from her co-creator George Perez. That picture doesn't scream any particular ethnicity.

 

[random_havoc]

The awful costume from the trailer aside (sure let's assume that's just temporary and excused by the story),
what really throws it off for me is her hair. SF's hair is one of her most distinctive features in the comics.
Look at those pictures, in every iteration of the character her hair is really really long, with just some curling. The hair in the show is 100% different. It would be like if they made a Street Fighter movie and Guile showed up with emo hair. You can't just change one of the most distinctive features about a character. I don't care about the actress' race, just make her look like the character.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Me too. And I disagree with you. Different artists draw every character differently. So some artists may draw her as an "orange skinned white girl", but...

^A colorless pic from her co-creator George Perez. That picture doesn't scream any particular ethnicity.

This screams sentient evil clown doll.

 

[fan4stic]

The hair looks good? What pictures are you looking at because the ones I have seen look like a cheap wig. Her outfit sucks too, whether or not it is true to the comics I don't remember her ever having a coat like that and since we're diverging so far from the comics anyways, why not give her a more practical looking outfit? Maybe something not so reflective at least?

I said "if I thought".

Or is this about Anna's 'features" not being right for Starfire? whom was originally based on Naomi Cambell... a Black woman.

Me too. And I disagree with you. Different artists draw every character differently. So some artists may draw her as an "orange skinned white girl", but...

^A colorless pic from her co-creator George Perez. That picture doesn't scream any particular ethnicity.

I think that image has a soft featured face. She doesn't really look like Naomi Cambell either to me.

On some level, I do think that this is about what I find attractive to look at, not necessarily sexually. Same reason why I'd prefer Idris Elba as Batman over Adam Driver. I think Elba is more aesthetically pleasing to look at personally. Again, not sexually, just I'd prefer to look at someone as Batman I find handsome in a more traditional, grizzled sense.

This actress doesn't check the box for me in the images, but I like to think I'd accept that more, if I thought the costume and hair worked. I don't think it does.

 

[DeadPresident]

Well then let's really discuss the elephant in the room.

Star-Fire looks like a white person with orange skin not a black person with orange skin.

Same way you can't give Victor Stone or John Stewart white skin in the comics/cartoons and they'll immediately look like a white person. They have black features other than just skin color that you would need to address too.

That's the same way Star-Fire in the comics and cartoons has white features even if she's an orange alien.

Don't @ me, I'm black myself.

There are people who are going to fight that idea tooth and nail though. “She’s an orange alien so she can be played by someone of any race!” or “Her facial features are completely ambiguous!” are the hills many, many people want to die on in the debate.

 

[Teelie]

I think maybe if they actually made her skin color orange it would settle that question.*

Except for all the "but I'm not really" racists who insist otherwise of course.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

we don't even know the full context of that outfit, though.

for all we know, she could be wearing that outfit for a specific reason - like for a 70s themed party as others have mentioned here.

The problem with that though is why would WB advertise this costume at comic con after there was already a huge controversy from the set photos.

They could think its a spoiler to show it but if its a spoiler to know the character you are looking forward to seeing has a somewhat default costume thats a huge problem somewhere in there.
compared to say showing a Nightwing suit that would actually be a big deal imo.

I actually think Starfire herself looks fine after the trailer, them advertising that costume is what worries me.

 

[Primal Slayer]

There are people who are going to fight that idea tooth and nail though. “She’s an orange alien so she can be played by someone of any race!” or “Her facial features are completely ambiguous!” are the hills many, many people want to die on in the debate.

Because its a legit hill to die on. Facial features change with the artist, skin color does not. Those wanting a white actress to be painted orange because Starfire has "white" features are ridiculous.

Well then let's really discuss the elephant in the room.

Star-Fire looks like a white person with orange skin not a black person with orange skin.

Same way you can't give Victor Stone or John Stewart white skin in the comics/cartoons and they'll immediately look like a white person. They have black features other than just skin color that you would need to address too.

That's the same way Star-Fire in the comics and cartoons has white features even if she's an orange alien.

Don't @ me, I'm black myself.

Trying to compare 2 black characters who are also human to an Orange Alien character makes zero sense.

This could easily be a black actress.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

Instead of writing an essay on how moot your point is with that Injustice image I'll just say that those are not Anna Diops facial features. Her face is nowhere near as delicate.

You really think we'd be having this debate if they cast the girl who plays Iris West or someone like this https://www.instagram.com/cutiepiesensei/?hl=en to play Starfire?

Come on man, you sure you wanna die on that hill?

Personally I think Diop is very pretty, Starfire she is not.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Never said that that image was Anna's features. And we'd probably still have a debate regardless of the actress they cast if she were black because now some fanboys are using the "she has white features though!" To try to justify a white actress playing an orange alien.

 

[unholyrevenger]

I think maybe if they actually made her skin color orange it would settle that question.*

well is it settled?

 

[unholyrevenger]

Twhat really throws it off for me is her hair. SF's hair is one of her most distinctive features in the comics.
Look at those pictures, in every iteration of the character her hair is really really long, with just some curling. The hair in the show is 100% different. It would be like if they made a Street Fighter movie and Guile showed up with emo hair. You can't just change one of the most distinctive features about a character. I don't care about the actress' race, just make her look like the character.

I think the producers watched inhumans, saw Medusa's Hair and were like "Nope. They'll hate us for chopping it but they'll get over"

 

[fan4stic]

Never said that that image was Anna's features. And we'd probably still have a debate regardless of the actress they cast if she were black because now some fanboys are using the "she has white features though!" To try to justify a white actress playing an orange alien.

I've suggested a black actress who I think would've worked better and someone else suggested another. I suggested a spanish actress too.

well is it settled?

Her skin doesn't look orange there, but she does look better to me. Though I still don't like the hair.

 

[Limonade]

well is it settled?

She just needs to lose that fur coat and I'll be on board. It's screams bad 70s blaxploitation era films, for me.

 

[RockSP]

You really think we'd be having this debate if they cast the girl who plays Iris West or someone like this https://www.instagram.com/cutiepiesensei/?hl=en to play Starfire?

It reads like you think she's too dark for the role. Why not just say it? She's had a bunch of racist comments thrown her way, might as well mix it up with some colorism.

 

[Fincher]

She just needs to lose that fur coat and I'll be on board. It's screams bad 70s blaxploitation era films, for me.

The boots don't look as bad as the coat, but they make it look like clothes (which it may be) rather than a costume. Give them the color/design/texture of the dress, and that would look better.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Just that damn wig.

They really could’ve gave her a better one, or CGI it. But aside from that she’s a beautiful woman.

 

[Teelie]

The dress she is wearing isn't so bad there as it looked in the trailer. It still looks kind of plasticky but the wig is even worse looking than before and she's wearing that coat which does look straight up 70's. Don't have a problem with her boots. Also, she still isn't orange. A light reflecting on her poster doesn't count.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

It reads like you think she's too dark for the role. Why not just say it? She's had a bunch of racist comments thrown her way, might as well mix it up with some colorism.

Huh? Where did I ever mention skin tone? I'm talking facial structure.

Not that it has anything to do with it but I'm as dark as she is.

Find me an actress twice as dark as Diop is but with a face that looks like the version of Starfire that I like (so NOT the curly black and white clown drawing at the top of this page) and if she can act give her the part please.

 

[unholyrevenger]

Lots of color blind people in this forum she's the same damn shade of orange as Injustice Starfire

 

[RockSP]

Huh? Where did I ever mention skin tone? I'm talking facial structure.

You didn't write it out, which is why I said it read that way (to me). Saying no one would have issues with the women you linked to...one of which is definitely biracial and the other possibly so. I don't see how people who have a problem with her being black and/or not painted orange still wouldn't have a problem with those two. But if I was wrong about what you meant then believe me I'm glad to be wrong.

Not that it has anything to do with it but I'm as dark as she is.

You're right about it having nothing to do with it. I see dark black men dissing dark black women all the time (and vice versa).

Find me an actress twice as dark as Diop is but with a face that looks like the version of Starfire that I like (so NOT the curly black and white clown drawing at the top of this page) and if she can act give her the part please.

Gotta say...in all my years on the various comic book/comic related media forums...I've never seen anyone's complaint be about the face shape of a live action interpretation of a character vs. the animated one (I would say source material but obviously the comics were first and her face shape changes depending on the artist). So congrats on having an original beef.

 

[WhoMani]

well is it settled?

The dress and boots looks fine. But they really need to get id of the fur coat. Also the wig still looks ridiculous.

 

[DeadPresident]

Because its a legit hill to die on. Facial features change with the artist, skin color does not. Those wanting a white actress to be painted orange because Starfire has "white" features are ridiculous.

Except Diop doesn’t look like any animated version of Starfire I’ve seen - so it stays a tenuous point to argue at best.

Ultra is right - the woman whose Instagram account he posted actually looks like Starfire a lot more than Diop does. People really seem to be bending what Starfire has looked like in all her iterations to breaking point to justify her being cast.

It’s like if someone cast Jon Bernthal as Sinestro - “yeah but he’s a red colored alien so are we really going to nitpick how people look who play him?”, I would because Bernthal doesn’t look anything like Sinestro.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Animated? She's been animated all of 3 times!

https://assets.******************.com/content/uploads/2017/08/Anna-Diop-Starfire-1.png

Her face looks just as round here as it does Starfire.

 

[DeadPresident]

Cherry picking comic covers where it cooooouuuuullllddd work doesn’t mean for each one of those there aren’t like 20 where she looks Leighton Meester or Amber Heard, though.