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Member Name: James Edwards2
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Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 27 2023, 02:25:44 PM

henrikegerman said: "James Edwards2 said: "Oh okay, So you'd be okay with him playing a man of Asian descent or Latin or Black? If you would, then I can see why you'd have no issue here either. But if you wouldn't, then I think we can all just agree you're a hypocrite."



Or a person who recognizes that the imbalance issues of equity, diversion and inclusion that exist for Asian, Latino and Black actors simply do not exist for Jewish actors.

 

I can appreciate your perspective, but I'm not sure it's accurate.  I don't have time to actually crunch the numbers but there is a perspective from Jewish actors that this imbalance does exist for Jewish actors.  But here are some articles and videos that might be interesting to some.  I'm not sure I even agree with everything in them but it does illuminate a certain perspective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll6Ob4369vI

https://variety.com/2021/biz/features/jewish-hollywood-antisemitism-hyperbolic-caricatures-casting-jews-hate-crimes-1234997849/

https://pagesix.com/2021/10/04/sarah-silverman-says-hollywood-has-a-jewface-problem/

https://ew.com/movies/sarah-silverman-typecasting-jewish-actresses-howard-stern/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IESSx_yqslw&t=40s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3g3N-b2Hb4


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 27 2023, 03:52:53 AM

LePetiteFromage said: "James Edwards2 said: "And to answer your question, up until my 50's, I did try to hide my ethnicity because I felt unsafe and because I was ashamed. The faith aspect of being a Jew has nothing to do with this conversation. I have never been a practicing Jew. I've never even stepped foot in a synagogue. But this is not about religion…. We have to change our names and get nose jobs and lighten our skin in order to feel like maybe we actual


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 27 2023, 02:47:46 AM

A Director said: "James Edwards2 - I am Jewish. I am troubled by posts because of your attempt to stir the post, your lack knowledege and your ignorance. Are you Jewish? In some posts you say you are and in others you don't mention this. It's a simple YES or NO question. If you are, why do you hide it? Are you shamed oof being Jewish? Was/is your family Jewish, but you have renounced the faith?

In your first post, you declare that Sean Hayes should not have been cast because he doesn't have Semitic features or mannerisms. You have been asked to define what you mean, but you refuse to do this? I am troubled because you appear to implying that all Jews look and act the same way. Should directors, producers, playwrights and casting directors have a little check list for Jewish characters? How many boxes should be checked before an actor is considered for a role? By the way, does the actor who plays George Gershwin have Semitic features and mannerisms?.

Here a little history lesson for you. Do you know of or hear about the Immigration Act of 1924? "The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the Asian Exclusion Act and National Origins Act (enacted May 26, 1924), was a United States federal law that prevented immigration from Asia and set quotas on the number of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. It also authorized the creation of the country's first formal border control service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and established a "consular control system" that allowed entry only to those who first obtained a visa from a U.S. consulate abroad." This remained on the books until the mid 1960s. At the time, many Jews in the arts changed their name in order to fit in. At the time, many non-Jews said the Jews were NOT WHITE. Today, much of this has is all in the past. On the other hand, there are people on the Right believe in the Replacement Theory, the Jews are going to take over the United States/the World. Back in 2017, the young men who protested in Virginia chanted "Jews will not replace us."

Back to the theatre and your comments. The goal of non-traditional casting is to no longer to exclude performers from marginalized groups. This also includes producers, directors, designers and production crews.

Back to the Jews. The three best known Jews characters in dramatic literature are Shylock, Anne Frank and Tevye who are all from the past. I'll throw in Fagin. Their stories are unique, but they do not represent all Jews. There are many more Jewish stories to tell. On a side note, when the authors of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF first approached Hal Prince about their show, he didn't understand the story. or characters. Some would think Prince, a Jew, would not have a problem with show. They would be wrong. Prince's family were German Jews and he didn't grow-up with the original stories.

James Edwards 2 -You believe you are being good to callout the casting of Sean Hayes. From my point of view, you are not.
"

(Note: This is not all directed to A Director.  Upon reading your post again A Director, I believe the tone of it was not meant to be aggressive or insulting.  I realize you could read my post as aggressive and insulting too, though I am just trying to be clear and direct.)


I've said multiple times I am Jewish.  There's no confusion there.  I am Jewish.  100% by my DNA.  Ashkenazi Jew.  I also look Jewish.  I do not wish to describe what semitic features are because I find it offensive that I'm even being asked to do this.  I would never ask an Asian, Black or any other ethnicity to describe their features.  Though out of an inability to stand up for myself I did give examples of some things one might look for.  One of those things being the complexion of one's skin.  If Brad Pitt is playing a role, guess who isn't playing his father.  Judd Hirsch.  Why?  Because Judd Hirsch has semitic features and Brad Pitt does not.  Why are you even arguing with me about this?  It's not up for discussion.  It's like saying you don't see color.  And to answer your question, up until my 50's, I did try to hide my ethnicity because I felt unsafe and because I was ashamed.  The faith aspect of being a Jew has nothing to do with this conversation.  I have never been a practicing Jew.  I've never even stepped foot in a synagogue.  But this is not about religion.  This is about genetics and representation.  I am actually quite well-educated having graduated Dartmouth and then Cornell for medical school.  Words are not my thing.  But I do know about the history of the Jewish people.  And I know the reasons we all strive for representation on stage.  Which is why I bring up that MAYBE a Jewish actor should have played a Jewish character IF we're doing that for all other oppressed groups.  Are you not able to see that point?  Are you going to do Anne Frank with a white girl?  Probably not.  Do I personally see an issue with casting a white girl as Anne Frank?  I do not.  In fact, there have been productions of Anne Frank where Anne was Black.  I once saw a fully Asian productions of Fiddler and it was fantastic.  I have zero issue with this.  But like so many other posters here, I believe it has to go both ways.  If we're in the phase of casting Chinese to play Chinese, then we must also cast Jewish to play Jewish.  Jewish (not referring to the faith) people are not White (as you pointed out was the case in our not so recent history).  As you also pointed out, many Jewish people changed their names because they did not want it to be known they were Jewish.  For those who looked White enough to do that, it worked.  And for the others, it didn't work quite as well.  Say what you want, but there are plenty of people out there who still hide their Jewish roots.  And for good reason.  Because they are scared.  And putting White people in Jewish roles doesn't help people become less scared.  It makes us all think we cannot just be Jewish.  We have to change our names and get nose jobs and lighten our skin in order to feel like maybe we actually belong.  This has nothing to do with me being good.  It has to do with pointing out the utter hypocrisy at play.  Why not let Denzel to play Oscar Levant?  I bet he'd be great.  To me that is the same thing as casting Sean Hayes.  Neither of them are Ashkenazi Jews.  Oscar Levant was.  If that doesn't count as something to you, then there's nothing I can do to change that.


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 27 2023, 01:56:31 AM

PipingHotPiccolo said: "James Edwards2 said: "

You are right. Thank you again. I do not usually post on message boards and I am not nearly as articulate as you are."

It has nothing to do with being articulate. Theres a valid point to be made here but you keep haranguing and insulting people, you seem hysterical about the issue, and you end up making arguments that are the flipside of the anti semitic coin. I find your comments about "look


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 27 2023, 01:29:57 AM

Jonathan Cohen said: "James Edwards2 said: "This argument is precisely why there is a problem with representation. Mr. Hayes can get the play produced because he is famous. But Mr. Hayes most likely would not have had the television career he had if he were Jewish and had semitic features. Television sitcoms of the 80s and 90s and 00s rarely featured actors with semitic features. We do not have a lot of Jewish-facing stars. So in order to get the play done we have to cast so


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 27 2023, 12:29:05 AM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "That's not what happened but okay. I apologize for suggesting you might be someone who would also deny the Holocaust. That was my bad.

But it wasn't trolling as you suggest. It wasn't meant to upset you, which is what trolling is. It was meant to point out that the kinds of things you are denying in what I was saying are similar things to people who deny the Holocaust. If you don't want people to make those


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 08:21:36 PM

BWAY Baby2 said: "For me, I think there is an anti- white bias in a lot of what is going on these days- and I cannot say I do not understand why- because, any thoughtful person will agree that diversity has not been happening in so many walks of life for a very long time- and white people have basically controlled and locked out POC in so many areas of life- and that needs to be corrected and stopped. For me, that is undeniable. However, in the quest to be more equitable and fair to


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 07:50:36 PM

PipingHotPiccolo said: "I agree with this guy's underlying point re the double standard many of you are guilty of, frankly, but this over the top presentation does no one any favors here and accomplishes nothing.

I was, however, thinking today about the comment above--fairly made--that there ISNT a representation issue re Jewish actors. I think thats probably true from a #s perspective, but why don't we apply that logic to LGBTQ performers? Isn't there an argum


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 07:14:55 PM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "It's good to know you're not a Holocaust denier."



Without reason or proof, you called me a Holocaust Denier. That forced me to defend myself and my reputation. But instead of an apology, you post the above dismissive comment. That, by any definition, is TROLLING.


"

That's not what happened but okay.  I apologize for suggesting you might be someone who w


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 05:55:32 PM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "Highland Guy said: "Tell mewhat things I was saying that are anti-semitic."

THIS

Highland Guy said: "I don't believe there is truth to anything the OP has posted."

Maybe you weren't referring to any of the Jewish topics I mentioned. But you said there's no truth to anything I had said.
"



And I still don't think there


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 05:12:49 PM

Kad said: "It’s troubling that this has taken a turn from “Jews should be playing Jewish figures/characters” to “Jewswho look Jewish should be playing Jewish figures/characters.”


In terms of diversity, Judaism cannot be handled the same way as many other race/ethnic groups. There are Jews who are blonde and blue eyed and no less Jewish than those with “Semitic features.” People who have converted to Judaism are just


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 05:09:31 PM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "I'll do my best to answer this but I'm not sure I can. I can tell you that people frequently ask me if I'm Jewish. Perhaps it's the color of my skin which is referred to as olive. I'm not exactly sure how or why they might know or think to ask. I will say that there are Jewish people who do not look traditionally Jewish (Paul Rudd) and I wouldn't be a


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 04:37:48 PM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "I'll do my best to answer this but I'm not sure I can. I can tell you that people frequently ask me if I'm Jewish. Perhaps it's the color of my skin which is referred to as olive. I'm not exactly sure how or why they might know or think to ask. I will say that there are Jewish people who do not look traditionally Jewish (Paul Rudd) and I wouldn't be able to tell by how they look. But then there are those who I


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 04:03:02 PM

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I am not Jewish, but have Jewish family members and ancestors. I think we all know what James means by “semitic features.” HOWEVER…over the past few decades, due to interfaith marriage and religious conversions,“semitic features“ are becoming less and less of a thing. I mean, I just did a show with a Mexican Jew. Perhaps during Oscar Durant’s time, “semitic features” were a half-way decent signifier of o


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 03:51:05 PM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "This argument is precisely why there is a problem with representation. Mr. Hayes can get the play produced because he is famous. But Mr. Hayes most likely would not have had the television career he had if he were Jewish and had semitic features. Television sitcoms of the 80s and 90s and 00s rarely featured actors with semitic features. We do not have a lot of Jewish-facing stars. So in order to get the play done we have to cast some


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 26 2023, 03:05:04 PM

Zeppie2022 said: ""Oscar Levant passed away more than half a century ago. To my limited knowledge, no one (Jewish or not) has brought his story to Broadway until now. Sean Hayes didn't snatch the opportunity away from Jewish men to do so. I would rather see a play about the brilliant Oscar Levant starring someone who is not himself Jewish, than to have no such play at all. Good luck to all those involved with this production."

Well said, agree 100%.
"


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 25 2023, 10:43:13 PM


BUT in the meantime, yes, its very strange that some ppl simply insist on these New Rules and then promptly excuse Jews from them. Sutton Ross' persistent ignorance on this point is a prime example but that ugliness is just emblematic of a deeper problem, where some fool on a message board can so confidently dispute plain genetic science, with little pushback from the crowd."

Thank you for all of this.  I was very surprised by how little pushback there was,


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 25 2023, 02:45:21 AM

PipingHotPiccolo said: "While I think James Edwards here is doing a poor job conveying the underlying point, and Sutton Ross has made their bigoted views on Jewish people being a "CHOICE!" many times before and isnt worth engaging with here....

there IS a double standard in certain circles on this point that I think is worth highlighting.

To be clear I agree with Dollypop: an actor acts. I don't care if Sean Hayes is straight or Jewish, so long as


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 24 2023, 11:24:03 PM

Highland Guy said: "I don't believe there is truth to anything the OP has posted.

"

I see.  I never should have ventured onto these boards.  There are some dark people lurking here.  There is complete truth to what I have posted.  The only way you deny that truth is if you are anti-semitic in some way.  I hate to label you as that, but it is what it is.  This sadly makes me feel very unsafe here.  What part of what I


Sean Hayes / Oscar Levant - The Jewish Part
 Apr 24 2023, 11:10:09 PM

Highland Guy said: "James Edwards2 said: "Sutton was aggressive and wrong and her decision to not read my explanation of what it means to be Jewish can certainly be construed as anti-semitic."

Balderdash.
"

It's okay.  You don't get it either.  I'm guessing you're not Jewish.  Which is probably why you shouldn't play a Jew either.  You have no desire to actually walk in our shoes and understand our


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