| Revision as of 03:49, 22 January 2019 editEvergreenFir (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators129,556 edits Reverted 1 edit by Walterblue222 (talk): Not from the Caucuses... . (TW)Tag: Undo← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:04, 22 January 2019 edit undoWalterblue222 (talk | contribs)132 edits Clarified a few things and added applicable examples.Tag: Visual editNext edit → | ||
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| | 1989 || ] was cast as ] in the 1989 film. In subsequent films, the character was played by |
| 1989 || ] was cast as ] in the 1989 film. In subsequent films, the character was played by Caucasian-American actors ] and ]. | ||
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| | 2003 || Black actor ] played Wilson Fisk (AKA ]), who was portrayed in earlier comics versions as a European American. | | 2003 || Black actor ] played Wilson Fisk (AKA ]), who was portrayed in earlier comics versions as a European American. | ||
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| |Black actor ] portrayed Bosley, who was previously portrayed as white and was played by Irish-American ] in ]. | |||
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| | 2008 || Several non-white actors play roles traditionally described in the historic ] as |
| 2008 || Several non-white actors play roles traditionally described in the historic ] as European, most notably ] and ]. | ||
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| | 2008 || ] plays the role of Internal Affairs agent Jim Bravura, who is portrayed as white in the video game. | | 2008 || ] plays the role of Internal Affairs agent Jim Bravura, who is portrayed as white in the video game. | ||
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| |Black American actor ] played ], who was previously depicted as white in a variety of mediums. | |||
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| | 2013 || Laurence Fishburne co-starred as FBI agent ]. In the previous ] of this franchise, this character had been played by white actors. | | 2013 || Laurence Fishburne co-starred as FBI agent ]. In the previous ] of this franchise, this character had been played by white actors. | ||
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| |The role of the Asgardian sentry ], based on the Marvel Comics character commonly depicted as white, was played by Black British actor ]. | |||
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| | 2017 || Based on the characters and setting of the long-running ] series, multiple characters traditionally depicted as white in the comics are portrayed by non-white actors in the show. Most notably, ] is portrayed by ], who is of ] descent: indeed, the entire Lodge family has been depicted as being of Latin-American descent in the series. ] is portrayed by Asian-American actors ] in season 1, and ] from season 2 onwards, ] is portrayed by black actor ] and ], a band originally consisting of one black member and two white members in the comics, are converted into an all-black group: Josie and Melody, both previously white, are portrayed by ] and ], respectively. | | 2017 || Based on the characters and setting of the long-running ] series, multiple characters traditionally depicted as white in the comics are portrayed by non-white actors in the show. Most notably, ] is portrayed by ], who is of ] descent: indeed, the entire Lodge family has been depicted as being of Latin-American descent in the series. ] is portrayed by Asian-American actors ] in season 1, and ] from season 2 onwards, ] is portrayed by black actor ] and ], a band originally consisting of one black member and two white members in the comics, are converted into an all-black group: Josie and Melody, both previously white, are portrayed by ] and ], respectively. | ||
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| |], an Ashkenazi Jew, portrays ]/]/], an Italian-American character previously portrayed by European-American ] and Irish ]. | |||
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| | 2017 || The role of the bounty hunter ], based on the Marvel Comics character commonly depicted as white, is played by African American actress ]. | | 2017 || The role of the bounty hunter ], based on the Marvel Comics character commonly depicted as white, is played by African American actress ]. The role of the Asgardian sentry ], based on the Marvel Comics character depicted as white, was played by Black British actor ]. | ||
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| | 2018 || The character ], drawn in comic books as |
| 2018 || The character ], drawn in comic books as an albino Caucasian with a dark patch of skin in a diamond surrounding her left eye, is portrayed by African American German actress ];<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lukethompson/2018/05/17/interview-deadpools-rob-liefeld-talks-sequel-x-force-and-taking-things-slow-or-not/#688a22d2a6c5|title=Interview: Deadpool's Rob Liefeld Talks Sequel, X-Force, And Taking Things Slow (Or Not!)|last=Thompson|first=Luke Y.|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/zazie-beetz-atlanta-going-deadpool-184041553.html|title=Zazie Beetz from “Atlanta” is going to be in “Deadpool 2,” and we definitely approve this decision|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en-US}}</ref> the anomalous skin patch was instead lighter than the rest of her complexion. The film also features ] actor ] as ], a white<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nerdist.com/deadpool-2-julian-dennison-mutant-kid-explainer/|title=Who Is Julian Dennison’s Mutant Kid Character in DEADPOOL 2? (SPOILERS) {{!}} Nerdist|date=2018-05-18|work=Nerdist|access-date=2018-05-24|language=en}}</ref> ] native in the comics and biracial actor ] (of partial ] descent) as ], an extraterrestrial who in the comics has the appearance of a white human.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/life/celebrities/bazaar-spotlight-lewis-tan-asian-action-star-deadpool-2-interview/|title=BAZAAR Spotlight: Meet Lewis Tan, Hollywood's Kickass Asian Action Star|date=2018-05-10|work=Harper's Bazaar Singapore|access-date=2018-05-24|language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
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| | 2014 || Black actress ] plays character of ]. The originating comic book series featured the character as Iris West Allen, who is of ] descent. | | 2014 || Black actress ] plays character of ]. The originating comic book series featured the character as Iris West Allen, who is of ] descent. ] and ] were also race-swapped. | ||
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Revision as of 19:04, 22 January 2019
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Color-blind casting" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Nontraditional casting, integrated casting, or blind casting (short for color-blind/gender-blind casting) is the practice of casting without considering the actor's ethnicity, skin color, body shape, sex and/or gender. A representative of the Actors' Equity Association has disputed the use of the term "color blind", preferring the definition "nontraditional casting". Nontraditional casting "is defined as the casting of ethnic minority actors in roles where race, ethnicity, or gender is not germane".
Examples
| Production | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Zhivago | 1965 | Yuri Zhivago was played by Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. |
| Batman | 1967 | Eartha Kitt was cast as Catwoman on several episodes. |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | 1973 | African-American actor Carl Anderson was cast in the lead role of Judas Iscariot, successive to Ben Vereen playing the role in the original 1971 Broadway production. |
| I, Claudius | 1976 | Darien Angadi and Sam Dastor played key roles with Renu Setna and Roy Stewart in smaller speaking roles. |
| Sadat | 1983 | Louis Gossett Jr. as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, although Sadat's mother was from Sudan. |
| Never Say Never Again | 1983 | Black actor Bernie Casey was cast in the role of Felix Leiter. Most other depictions of Leiter, a recurring character in the James Bond franchise, have been white. Jeffrey Wright played the role in Casino Royale in 2006. |
| The Mahabharata | 1989 | Men from distinctly different ethnic groups were cast to play Indian brothers in the epic story of the nation's mythical founding. |
| Batman | 1989 | Billy Dee Williams was cast as Harvey Dent in the 1989 film. In subsequent films, the character was played by Caucasian-American actors Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart. |
| After the Fall | 1990 | Josette Simon played Maggie at the London National Theatre in 1990. The role is widely supposed to have been based on Arthur Miller's former wife Marilyn Monroe. |
| The Bonfire of the Vanities | 1990 | Morgan Freeman plays Judge Leonard White, who was described as Ashkenazi Jewish in the original novel on which the film is based. |
| Les Misérables | 1993 | Filipino singer and actress Lea Salonga plays Éponine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. |
| The Shawshank Redemption | 1994 | An adaptation of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The character Red, described as Irish in the novella, is played by Morgan Freeman. |
| Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella | 1997 | The movie contained a racially diverse cast, with Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, Bernadette Peters as her stepmother (with Veanne Cox and Natalie Desselle as Cinderella's stepsisters), Victor Garber as King Maximillian, Whoopi Goldberg as Queen Constantina, Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother and Paolo Montalban as their son, Prince Christopher. |
| Annie | 1999 | Audra McDonald plays Grace, the secretary of Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks played by Victor Garber. At the end of the film, Grace and Warbucks become engaged. No reference is made that McDonald is African-American and Garber is white. |
| Wild Wild West | 1999 | African-American actor Will Smith plays Captain James West, a character originated by Caucasian actor Robert Conrad. |
| This England: The Histories | 2000 | British Nigerian actor David Oyelowo played Henry VI of England. Oyelowo was the first black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare |
| Smallville | 2001 | The television series cast African-American actor Sam Jones III as Clark Kent's childhood friend Pete Ross. In the decades-old comic books, this character was white. Kristin Kreuk, of Dutch and Chinese descent, was cast for the originally red-headed character Lana Lang; and Allison Mack was cast as Chloe Sullivan, written to have a non-white ethnic background. |
| Daredevil | 2003 | Black actor Michael Clarke Duncan played Wilson Fisk (AKA Kingpin), who was portrayed in earlier comics versions as a European American. |
| Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | 2003 | Black actor Bernie Mac portrayed Bosley, who was previously portrayed as white and was played by Irish-American Bill Murray in Charlie's Angels (2000 film). |
| Catwoman | 2004 | Halle Berry portrayed the titular character in the 2004 film. |
| Alexander | 2004 | Persian King Darius III is portrayed by Israeli actor Raz Degan. Indian King Porus was portrayed by Thai actor Bin Bunluerit. |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | 2005 | Mos Def was cast as Ford Prefect. Although Ford's ethnicity was not explicitly stated in the books, he was described as having ginger hair. |
| Batman Begins | 2005 | Colin McFarlane was cast as Gillian B. Loeb in Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight. |
| Grey's Anatomy | 2005 | During the creation of the television series, none of the characters was assigned a race. Color-blind casting was used to choose the best actors for the roles, resulting in a racially diverse cast. |
| Casino Royale | 2006 | Jeffrey Wright was cast as Felix Leiter in Casino Royale and its 2008 sequel, Quantum of Solace. |
| Robin Hood | 2006 | Kwame Kwei-Armah was cast as De Fourtnoy (Master-at-Arms) in "Who Shot the Sheriff?", the third episode. |
| The Nativity Story'’ | 2006 | Joseph is portrayed by Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac. Magi Balthasar was portrayed by Cameroonian-French actor Eriq Ebouaney. Elizabeth and Joachim were portrayed by Iranian actors Shohreh Aghdashloo and Shaun Toub, with the latter being Jewish. |
| Merlin | 2008 | Several non-white actors play roles traditionally described in the historic Arthurian legends as European, most notably Guinevere and Elyan the White. |
| Max Payne | 2008 | Ludacris plays the role of Internal Affairs agent Jim Bravura, who is portrayed as white in the video game. |
| Iron Man (2008 film) | 2008 | Black American actor Samuel L. Jackson played Nick Fury, who was previously depicted as white in a variety of mediums. |
| King Lear | 2010 | Black British actor Pippa Bennett-Warner played Cordelia in the 2010 Donmar Warehouse production of King Lear, starring Derek Jacobi in the title role. |
| Thor | 2011 | The role of the sentry Heimdall, based on the Marvel Comics character commonly depicted as white, was played by Black British actor Idris Elba. |
| Skyfall | 2012 | The role of Miss Moneypenny, which had previously been cast as white, went to Naomie Harris. She reprised the role in the next James Bond film, Spectre. |
| The Great Gatsby | 2013 | Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan played Meyer Wolfsheim, a character described as Ashkenazi Jewish in the original novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. |
| Man of Steel | 2013 | The role of Perry White, previously portrayed by white actors, is played by Black American actor Laurence Fishburne. |
| The Sound of Music Live! | 2013 | Audra McDonald plays the Mother Abbess, a role traditionally played by a white actress. |
| Hannibal | 2013 | Laurence Fishburne co-starred as FBI agent Jack Crawford. In the previous films of this franchise, this character had been played by white actors. |
| Thor: The Dark World | 2013 | The role of the Asgardian sentry Heimdall, based on the Marvel Comics character commonly depicted as white, was played by Black British actor Idris Elba. |
| Mary Kom | 2014 | Priyanka Chopra, who is of Punjabi heritage, portrays Mary Kom, who is of Kuki descent. |
| Annie | 2014 | Black actors Quvenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx played the characters of Annie and Will (Warbucks) who have been portrayed as white in the previous productions. |
| Fantastic Four | 2015 | Black actor Michael B. Jordan played the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), a character traditionally portrayed as white. |
| Hamilton | 2015 | Broadway musical. Historical figures including the Founding Fathers, who were all white in real life, are played by people of multiple different races. |
| Quantico | 2015 | Indian actress Priyanka Chopra portrays Alex Parrish, who was originally written as white. Eventually, the character become half Indian. |
| Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | 2016 | Black actress Noma Dumezweni played Hermione Granger, a character portrayed by white actress Emma Watson in the Harry Potter films. |
| Suicide Squad | 2016 | African-American actor Will Smith played the supervillain Deadshot, a character traditionally portrayed as half-Hispanic. |
| The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again | 2016 | This remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show stars black actress Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a role originated by white male actor Tim Curry. Victoria Justice, who is of Puerto Rican descent, portrays Janet Weiss, a role originated by Susan Sarandon. The film also features black actress Christina Milian as Magenta, a role originated by white actress Patricia Quinn. |
| Doctor Strange | 2016 | British-Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor played Karl Mordo, who is a Transylvanian baron in the comics the film is based on, and British actress Tilda Swinton played the Ancient One, traditionally represented as an old Himalayan man. |
| Riverdale | 2017 | Based on the characters and setting of the long-running Archie Comics series, multiple characters traditionally depicted as white in the comics are portrayed by non-white actors in the show. Most notably, Veronica Lodge is portrayed by Camila Mendes, who is of Brazilian descent: indeed, the entire Lodge family has been depicted as being of Latin-American descent in the series. Reggie Mantle is portrayed by Asian-American actors Ross Butler in season 1, and Charles Melton from season 2 onwards, Pop Tate is portrayed by black actor Alvin Sanders and Josie and the Pussycats, a band originally consisting of one black member and two white members in the comics, are converted into an all-black group: Josie and Melody, both previously white, are portrayed by Ashleigh Murray and Hayley Law, respectively. |
| The Punisher (TV series) | Jon Bernthal, an Ashkenazi Jew, portrays Frank Catiglione/Frank Castle/The Punisher, an Italian-American character previously portrayed by European-American Thomas Jane and Irish Ray Stevenson. | |
| Beauty and the Beast | 2017 | Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Plumette, a castle maid who was represented in the animated movie as a white woman. Similarly, Audra McDonald plays Madame De Garderobe, an opera singer who was also white in the animated movie. |
| The Dark Tower | 2017 | Black actor Idris Elba plays Roland Deschain, a character who is described in the Dark Tower series as white and is said to have been inspired by white actor Clint Eastwood. |
| Frozen the Musical | 2017 | Black actor Jelani Alladin plays the character of Kristoff, a Scandinavian ice harvester. |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | The role of the bounty hunter Valkyrie, based on the Marvel Comics character commonly depicted as white, is played by African American actress Tessa Thompson. The role of the Asgardian sentry Heimdall, based on the Marvel Comics character depicted as white, was played by Black British actor Idris Elba. |
| Deadpool 2 | 2018 | The character Domino, drawn in comic books as an albino Caucasian with a dark patch of skin in a diamond surrounding her left eye, is portrayed by African American German actress Zazie Beetz; the anomalous skin patch was instead lighter than the rest of her complexion. The film also features Māori actor Julian Dennison as Rusty Collins / Firefist, a white Oklahoma native in the comics and biracial actor Lewis Tan (of partial Chinese descent) as Shatterstar, an extraterrestrial who in the comics has the appearance of a white human. |
| Fahrenheit 451 | 2018 | The character of Guy Montag, who was portrayed by Caucasian actor Oskar Werner in the 1966 adaptation, is portrayed by African American actor Michael B. Jordan. Additionally, the character of Clarisse McClellan (portrayed by Julie Christie in the 1966 film) is played by Algerian actress Sofia Boutella. |
| The Girl with All the Gifts | 2016 | In British post-apocalyptic zombie horror drama film, based on a novel by M.R. Carey of the same name, black actress Sennia Nanua plays main character of Melanie, who is of Caucasian descent. |
| Steel Magnolias | 2012 | A contemporary retelling of the play Steel Magnolias and its 1989 film adaptation. The new film stars an all-Black American cast, including Queen Latifah as M'Lynn, Jill Scott as Truvy, Condola Rashād as Shelby, Adepero Oduye as Annelle, with Phylicia Rashād as Clairee and Alfre Woodard as Ouiser. |
| Death at a Funeral | 2010 | A 2010 American ensemble comedy film directed by Neil LaBute. The film is an American remake of the 2007 British film of the same name. Most of characters in the remake were black while in the original movie they were of caucasian descent. |
| The Flash | 2014 | Black actress Candice Patton plays character of Iris West. The originating comic book series featured the character as Iris West Allen, who is of Caucasian descent. Joe West (Arrowverse) and Wally West were also race-swapped. |
| Supergirl | 2015 | In American TV show, based on DC Comics character Supergirl, black actor Mehcad Brooks plays character of Jimmy Olsen and another black actor David Harewood plays character of Hank Henshaw. The originating comic book series featured the characters as James Bartholomew "Jimmy" Olsen and Hank Hendshaw, both as of Caucasian descent. |
| The Karate Kid | 2010 | In Chinese American martial arts action drama film, black actor Jaden Smith plays main character of Dre. The original 1984 film of the same name had a slightly different story and the main character's name was Daniel LaRusso and he was of Caucasian descent. |
| Colette | 2018 | Saudi actor Aiysha Hart plays character of Polaire. Polaire is a French woman. |
The Non-Traditional Casting Project
The Non-Traditional Casting Project was founded in 1986 to examine problems of racial discrimination in theatre, film and television. The Actors' Equity Association is a co-founder.
See also
References
- Eisenberg, Alan (23 October 1988). "NONTRADITIONAL CASTING; When Race and Sex Don't Matter". New York Times.
- Louise Jury, "Colour-blind casting finds new stars for Billy Elliott" Archived 3 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent.
- "Evening Standard Theatre Awards, 1990". Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "Top Ten Reasons We Can't Get Enough of The Shawshank Redemption". Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- Fiachra Gibbons, "RSC casts black actor as English king for first time", The Guardian, 19 September 2000.
- Hugh Quarshie, "Black kings are old hat", The Guardian, 20 September 2000.
- Kate Kellaway, "My kingdom for a part", The Observer, 8 July 2001.
- The latest British Theatre news for 04/01/01 Archived 4 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Matthew Fogel, "'Grey's Anatomy' Goes Colorblind", New York Times, 8 May 2005.
- "Robin Hood (2006) - 1x03 - Who Shot the Sheriff?", Episode World.
- Tim Walker, "Black actors are 'forced to leave Britain for America'", The Telegraph, 17 June 2011.
- "No-one objected to Moneypenny being black because public were not told, says Naomie Harris". Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- Maltby, Kate. "There's nothing confusing about a black actress playing Hermione Granger – Spectator Blogs". Spectator Blogs. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
JK Rowling tweeted this morning that she'd never specified Hermione's skin colour in the books
- J. K. Rowling (21 December 2015). "Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 January 2016 – via Twitter.
- Thompson, Luke Y. "Interview: Deadpool's Rob Liefeld Talks Sequel, X-Force, And Taking Things Slow (Or Not!)". Forbes. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- "Zazie Beetz from "Atlanta" is going to be in "Deadpool 2," and we definitely approve this decision". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- "Who Is Julian Dennison's Mutant Kid Character in DEADPOOL 2? (SPOILERS) | Nerdist". Nerdist. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- "BAZAAR Spotlight: Meet Lewis Tan, Hollywood's Kickass Asian Action Star". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- Real, Evan (19 May 2018). "Michael B. Jordan Talks Significance of Inclusivity in 'Fahrenheit 451'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- Jensen, Sharon. "The Non-Traditional Casting Project". National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "Actors' Equity Association Benefits: EEO & Diversity". Actors' Equity. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
Further reading
- "Berry is top candidate to play white Democrat", The Guardian, 10 October 2006.
- A. N. Wilson, "I'm ready for a black Miss Marple", The Telegraph, 21 April 2002.