White guy acting as Martin Luther King Jr in a movie

[Elba]

Elba, all I'm going to say is this.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Nope, context is a thing.

[RyanEX]

People are equating gods like Zeus and other mythical characters to MLK.

As for Joan of Arc, for her character race doesn't really matter.

Also, white characters / people being portrayed by non white actors is different than the reverse as there are myriads of both positive portrayals of white people and acting opportunities for white actors already. A few recasts makes no numerical difference. The other way around has huge impacts.

If Joan of Arc's character race doesn't matter then neither does MLK. And thank you for making my point for me on the HUGE IMPACTS. We know exactly what that means.

[Castrum]

Personally, I want to see an MLK biopic where the whole cast is giraffes.

[RyanEX]

Nope, context is a thing.

Your context is black people were oppressed so they can do whatever they want, white people were oppressors so fuck them. To which I say fuck your context.

[Ret4resto]

Elba, all I'm going to say is this.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If it's okay to whiteface, then it's damn well okay to blackface. The only reason they do it because they know that white people are 1)more tolerant of bullshit and 2) you have most of them guilt tripped for things they never did. Whereas they know that if they offend black people (and call me racist if you want) they'll pitch a fit and probably burn down their cities like they nearly did when Trump was elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.was...o-wasnt-white/

http://www.indiewire.com/gallery/hol...ett-johansson/

https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/showb...les/index.html

Are the “black people be taking our roles” crowd going to continue scrolling over my links because it’s convenient?

[Elba]

If Joan of Arc's character race doesn't matter then neither does MLK. And thank you for making my point for me on the HUGE IMPACTS. We know exactly what that means.

Nope. Different historic context. And ya, the impact on representation and opportunity would indeed be huge.

Your context is black people were oppressed so they can do whatever they want, white people were oppressors so fuck them. To which I say fuck your context.

Yup, MLK was a leader of the civil rights movement. So having him portraying by a white person is inappropriate. Glad you understand.

[Morae]

They should get at least colors right.

Not that this is the first time some movie has that wrong that I can recall.

Here in Finland they tried to (or even did?) have a black dude act a finnish historical person who was white. :I


...

[tumppu]

MLK was a black man that fought against oppression against white people and was ultimately murdered by a white man for his deeds, and you want to tell his story using a white person to play him? How can you not see the irony and disrespect in that? Context IS a thing.

Well, you can have a black man murder him if colour is so important for you.

[Rooflesstoofless]

It could totally work. Jesus has been played by a white person more times than I can count.

[lockedout]

That would be stupid, and not remotely equivalent.

What about Hamilton?

[tumppu]

Nope. Different historic context. And ya, the impact on representation and opportunity would indeed be huge.

"Different historical context" my ass. Joan was a french woman fighting against the english at a time, when there were next to no black/colored people living in france. I say "next to none" since there MIGHT have been a smudging of arabic or other peoples there. If you think THAT is good enough to have her portrayed as mixed/african, then I'd say all the white people fighting for equality and end to racism in the us is enough to have MLK played by a white guy.

[RyanEX]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.was...o-wasnt-white/

http://www.indiewire.com/gallery/hol...ett-johansson/

https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/showb...les/index.html

Are the “black people be taking our roles” crowd going to continue scrolling over my links because it’s convenient?

Oh joy look at that. Old movies from a time when there weren't many actors of colour. Well colour me surprised that you'd bring that up. And people aren't scrolling over your links because it's convenient it's because they know exactly what to expect. Lots of black and white coloured movies.

[Ret4resto]

Oh joy look at that. Old movies from a time when there weren't many actors of colour. Well colour me surprised that you'd bring that up. And people aren't scrolling over your links because it's convenient it's because they know exactly what to expect. Lots of black and white coloured movies.

I know exactly what to expect from your crowd also, dismissal of the issue in order to keep yourself comfortable.

Many of those movies weren’t old, I can tell you didn’t read the articles lol.

[RyanEX]

MLK was a black man that fought against oppression against white people and was ultimately murdered by a white man for his deeds, and you want to tell his story using a white person to play him? How can you not see the irony and disrespect in that? Context IS a thing.

I like how you slipped in the bit about how he was killed by a white man, yet conveniently failed to mention how many whites marched with and supported him. And context is always a thing. But when you start re-writing history it goes all the way.

Just to be clear again. I would NOT support it. I wouldn't support the casting of a white man as MLK. But, with how companies are dead set to cast coloured people into roles where they wouldn't ,historically, be as far as I'm concerned it should be a free for all. White people playing black people. Asians playing whites. Blacks playing asians. Why stick with just blacks and mixed playing whites. Open the flood gates. No one is safe whether a historical figure or fictional.

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I know exactly what to expect from your crowd also, dismissal of the issue in order to keep yourself comfortable.

Many of those movies weren’t old, I can tell you didn’t read the articles lol.

Oh people from my crowd? And what crowd pray tell am I part? And fair enough I only read the first one, but I think you can see what crowd I stand with in my last post. But then agian with people from YOUR crowd it's usually "you're with us, or against us."

[Vathoren]

As for Joan of Arc, for her character race doesn't really matter.

I look forward to the Joan of Arc historical epic produced by you in which Joan is played by a quadriplegic, Down's Syndrome Eskimo. I'm sure it'll be great.

This whole argument is moot and only perpetuated by people who have no fucking clue how movies get made. I'll let y'all in on a secret:

Producers (the people who have the real say in casting these days) couldn't give one slippery shit about race.

They care about MONEY.

They want an actor/actress in the lead role that's going to give them the most return on their investment, and they'll go for the safe bet almost every time. Smaller budgeted movies much less so, but in general money is the bottom line.

The whole 'controversy' over say, Ghost in the Shell, was complete bullshit. Fact was there was no way a movie fronted by a Japanese woman was going to sell in China, might not have even got by their censorship board. So they went for a bankable, sure bet actress instead.

[Ret4resto]

I like how you slipped in the bit about how he was killed by a white man, yet conveniently failed to mention how many whites marched with and supported him. And context is always a thing. But when you start re-writing history it goes all the way.

Just to be clear again. I would NOT support it. I wouldn't support the casting of a white man as MLK. But, with how companies are dead set to cast coloured people into roles where they wouldn't ,historically, be as far as I'm concerned it should be a free for all. White people playing black people. Asians playing whites. Blacks playing asians. Why stick with just blacks and mixed playing whites. Open the flood gates. No one is safe whether a historical figure or fictional.

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Oh people from my crowd? And what crowd pray tell am I part?

the mmo brigade

[TriggeredKid]

Everyone knows that white males cant replace black characters from history, only black can replace white. STOP BEING RACIST

[Dovashy]

Yes, please, someone do this. I'd love to see US social media blow up over this. Or a dark fantasy movie. Marthin Luther King, Werewolf Hunter. "I have a dream. That couples can walk under the full moon without the fear of bein' bitten by a rotten werewolf!'

No no, get it right. Mr King would be fighting ghosts in the Deep South. Imagine the cinematic brilliance of M. Night Shamalla Llama when he reveals the ghosts were just racists the whole time.
"He has a dream...to be your worst nightmare."

[igualitarist]

It would not be ok, just like its not fine to portray white historical figures as black. But thats just my opnion. In contrast to what happens nowadays, where destroying the identity of those figures is considered acceptable due to political reasons.

[petej0]

No, but he was, and that's relevant.

I dont think it is relevant at all. A white person could be a black civil rights icon and do the same things. What a white person cant do is play a civil rights person such as Rosa Parks. That wouldnt work.

By the same vein, everyone would be ok with William H. Macy playing the role of Ghandi. Except that Christian Bale caught shit for playing Moses, so the world would descend into the 7th level of hell if William H. Macy played Ghandi.