Racism is racism. You can excuse it or justify it if you want, but it's still racism.
By the way, I realize the "great white steamroller" takes roles away from intended minorities, but nobody seems to yell when a Native American is played by a latino or asian, etc. If you look at many of the Sharks in the film West Side Story, you'll find Filipino actors, Chinese, etc., in nice supporting Puerto Rican roles like Chino and Francisca. Greek actor George Chakiris plays the principal role of Bernardo, and white/Russian actress Natalie Wood plays Maria. You'll find Rita Moreno playing the Burmese character of Tup Tim in The King and I and the white starlet Zelda Zanders in Singin' in the Rain.
I watched Lawrence of Arabia recently, with a variety of ethnic minorities playing the Arab characters in the film.
It's usually a "whites vs. all other minorities" battle when it comes to casting though, not really an issue of whether a role is cast "correctly" with an ethnic origin.
Nobody freaks out about two-time Oscar winner Peter Ustinov with a black/Ethiopian grandmother. Nobody ever puts him on the list of black Oscar winners or actors of African ancestry. Nobody ever is outraged over half East Indian star Merle Oberon or Latina star Rita Hayworth taking roles away from white leading ladies in an era when mixed-race romances were taboo.
Because in Hollywood, it's always been about how you look, never about who you are.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Updated On: 3/14/14 at 06:24 AM