racism in hollywood - and how far it has come.

[MrsKent26]

Jeez MrsK, you're disappointing me. I expected something along the lines of "I'd cut a b****."

Sorry!

I'll cut ya!

Cavill forever!

 

[Black Narcissus]

A vast majority of the audience does not want to see a minority in a leading role. It's not racism. Just reality.

No, the reality is the most major studios don't make quality movies with minorities as the leads. A good movie is a good movie regardless. There are a bunch of foreign actors asian, hispanic, S.American, who would run acting circles around many hollywood actors.

 

[KevanG]

I prefer to see more minorities in leading roles if for no other reason than they'd look all the same otherwise. I'm tired of watching action movies where everyone but one or two people are white males with generic plots then try to remember the title of one I liked or even some details when all I've got is a dozen of the same running around in my head from other movies.

That's why I liked the Arnie movies. He may just have looked like another musclebound white guy but when he spoke you paid attention, if only to have to focus on what he's saying.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

A vast majority of the audience does not want to see a minority in a leading role. It's not racism. Just reality.

even if that is true. then the reality is racist. what other reason would people have to not want to watch an ordinary movie with a non white or non black lead, without having the lead actor's role be racial?

 

[Thundercrack85]

I personally question that.

The people running Hollywood certainly seem convinced of that though.

 

[The Question]

It's not true, but it's how studio executives think.

 

[craigdbfan]

If it's any form of concession I feel as if commercials these days have a ton of non-White American ethnic minorities. A lot of black people in them in fact along with mixed and interracial coupling.

T.V definitely seems more actively progressive when it comes to having minorities at the forefront in comparison to major film studios I would say.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

If it's any form of concession I feel as if commercials these days have a ton of non-White American ethnic minorities. A lot of black people in them in fact along with mixed and interracial coupling.

T.V definitely seems more actively progressive when it comes to having minorities at the forefront in comparison to major film studios I would say.

this thread was made to highlight the notion that black actors have come close to being on the same level of mainstream success as white actors in hollywood, and all OTHER races are still for the most part being kept in the dark unless their role is racial.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

even if that is true. then the reality is racist. what other reason would people have to not want to watch an ordinary movie with a non white or non black lead, without having the lead actor's role be racial?

People like seeing things that comfort them and reflects what they know.

Why is it a problem to have Johnny Storm be black? He's not even the lead of the movie. Fans want what they've seen for 50 plus years.

What's the difference between Miles and Peter? Nothing yet after three movies many fans would rather have the Peter Parker story told again until they get the version in their head on screen.

So i'm guessing we'll probably get a third Peter Parker after Garfield is done.

 

[The Question]

People like seeing things that comfort them and reflects what they know.

Why is it a problem to have Johnny Storm be black? He's not even the lead of the movie. Fans want what they've seen for 50 plus years.

The fact that they see that as a big enough change to be discomforted by is a problem.

 

[Octoberist]

I do think the 'outrage' of the Fantastic Four casting is funny because most of the outrage is from people who probably don't give a poo about Fantasic Four. Seriously, I like and respect Fantastic Four as a series, but it's far from a childhood fave, and I wouldn't be surprise if most people felt the same way. It's almost like Marvel's most niche franchises they have, without admitting to it.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

The fact that they see that as a big enough change to be discomforted by is a problem.

i dunno too much about FF but the invisi woman and storm are supposed to be siblings aren't they?

THAT would bother me. they made heimdell black and sif stayed white in thor. hell they could've somehow established one of em was adopted and that would've been fine too, but they just ignored it completely.

and a white chick is cast for susan

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

Considering black men are only 6% of US population, they are technically well over represented in movies.

 

[The Question]

i dunno too much about FF but the invisi woman and storm are supposed to be siblings aren't they?

THAT would bother me. they made heimdell black and sif stayed white in thor. hell they could've somehow established one of em was adopted and that would've been fine too, but they just ignored it completely.

and a white chick is cast for susan

Interracial families exist. It's not weird.

Considering black men are only 6% of US population, they are technically well over represented in movies.

That's forgetting black women, and they're underrepresented in this particular genre.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Considering black men are only 6% of US population, they are technically well over represented in movies.

But white males are only 36% of the US population.

How many movies per month have a white male protagonist?

Now how many movies per month have a black male protagonist?

 

[The Question]

But white males are only 36% of the US population.

How many movies per month have a white male protagonist?

Now how many movies per month have a black male protagonist?

How many movies per month have a black male protagonist who isn't played by Denzel Washington or Samuel L. Jackson?

How many movies per month have a black female protagonist?

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Interracial families exist. It's not weird.



That's forgetting black women, and they're underrepresented in this particular genre.

i know interracial families exist, and I know it's not weird. that's not at all what I was getting at, man.

regarding the FF case, they have to establish that they are siblings, adopted, stepsiblings, something, in order for me to be okay with it. if they made johnny black just for the sake of diversity and skipped over the siblings thing, that I have a problem with.

which is essentially what they did in thor, and I didn't like that. all they had to do was have heimdall call sif sister or the other way around, or just allude to it one way shape or form but they just ignored it. not cool.

 

[GunBlade]

The thing about non-racial casting in Hollywood is that the default for any character whose race is never specified is still "white." When studios put out casting calls, unspecified characters still call for white actors. The casting people have to ask for non-white actors, or a non-white actor's agent has to take a chance and send them to an audition for a white character, or a director/producer has to have a specific non-white actor in mind for the role.

Will Smith doesn't just stroll into auditions and get leading roles that might have gone to any white actor. People ask for Will Smith. His early acting roles were for characters specified as black. His big break as a leading man happened in Independence Day, but the director wanted Smith specifically, and he had to fight the studio for it (because everyone else involved didn't think a black leading man would work).

That "white default" mindset exists in the minds of regular people as well. I remember when The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was made into a movie. Mos Def was cast as Ford Prefect, one of the main characters. Now, Mos Def is a good actor. That wasn't a problem. Mos Def is an American in an adaptation of a British novel, but that wasn't a problem either (nobody said a word about Zooey Deschanel, and her character is actually said to be from England). But there were a lot of people complaining that the people making the movie had "changed" Ford. They "made him black." Author Douglas Adams wasn't big on describing his characters' appearances unless there was something unusual about them (eg. Zaphod has 2 heads and 3 arms), and he managed to write 5 books in that series without ever describing Ford's skin color. Yet somehow, every fan got it into their heads that Ford (an alien from another planet who simply passed for human) was white.

 

[The Question]

i know interracial families exist, and I know it's not weird. that's not at all what I was getting at, man.

regarding the FF case, they have to establish that they are siblings, adopted, stepsiblings, something, in order for me to be okay with it. if they made johnny black just for the sake of diversity and skipped over the siblings thing, that I have a problem with.

which is essentially what they did in thor, and I didn't like that. all they had to do was have heimdall call sif sister or the other way around, or just allude to it one way shape or form but they just ignored it. not cool.

Why does it need to be explained? Either one or both of them are adopted, they are step siblings, or they are biological siblings with one black parent and one white parent. All of those things are things that happen in the real world every day, and the audience should be entirely able to fill in that blank on their own.

Or, are you suggesting that the film won't even acknowledge that Johnny and Sue are siblings? Because I see no reason to assume that would be how it goes down.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Why does it need to be explained? Either one or both of them are adopted, they are step siblings, or they are biological siblings with one black parent and one white parent. All of those things are things that happen in the real world every day, and the audience should be entirely able to fill in that blank on their own.

Or, are you suggesting that the film won't even acknowledge that Johnny and Sue are siblings? Because I see no reason to assume that would be how it goes down.

because for someone who is not familiar with the lore, they will watch the film and see no connection whatsoever, and that to me is not doing their relationship justice.

i don't know at all what's going on with FF; they have the same last name so it seems some sort of relationship will be established, but I was going off based on what I saw in thor. it was still a good movie though that was just one of the lowlights.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

Concerning his point, wouldn't it make sense that a default choice would be white. Talking in terms of proportion of population in the American movie segment, where the population is 70-80% white. Conversely, the BET channel markets to black Americans of course, so it would make sense that the majority watching that channel be more represented by the actors they see.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Concerning his point, wouldn't it make sense that a default choice would be white. Talking in terms of proportion of population in the American movie segment, where the population is 70-80% white. Conversely, the BET channel markets to black Americans of course, so it would make sense that the majority watching that channel be more represented by the actors they see.

You listen to alot of Limbaugh, don't you BvS?

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

You listen to alot of Limbaugh, don't you BvS?

Not at all. I just think people rarely consider population proportions for some of these things.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

I'm saying the US population is 70-80% white. So maybe that would have something to do with casting roles predominant to majority. Did I word/say something wrong???

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

I don't think representing the U.S population is a good enough reason to have most films with a white lead.

there are tons of ethnic minorities in america as well and you can have any one of them be the lead in a story. and have supporting characters be white. you don't need to have a main character be white in order to tell a good, entertaining story.

also, let's turn the tables a little here. Question, if johnny was originally black in the comics and they made him white in the film (similar to what I've been saying in this thread but it's constantly been ignored or going over people's heads), I feel like there would be a huge uproar about it. But if it really doesn't matter, like here we're talking about making a white character black, why should the opposite matter?

And if the argument then, is that there are way less black superheroes than white superheroes, my argument then, would be that there are even less brown, hispanic, and asian superheroes than black and white combined. changing a character's race just for the sake of diversity... isn't conventional, and it isn't ALWAYS practical either. but sometimes I do think it is interesting.