(ThyBlackMan.com) Art has always been a matter of perception and interpretation. Movies are no exception to this rule. There will be movies whereby a viewer become not only a fan of a character, but they are a fan of a character played by a particular actor. For them there is something about that actor’s portrayal of the character that speaks to them in ways they don’t believe another actor can. This is the case regardless of race or gender. I for one could probably ever understand another actor portraying Malcolm X after Denzel Washington. For me he embodied the character in a way I don’t feel another could. This is my same thought on say…Harry Potter I wouldn’t understand another actor outside of Daniel Ratcliffe taking on that role. Other viewers and fans have the right to disagree as they might want to see how the character evolves or changes based on who plays the role.
There are movies and characters that some of us grew up with, and we are just partial seeing the character depicted a certain way. However, Hollywood and many white viewers must be honest about this area as race becomes a factor especially with fictional characters. So, people, even Rush Limbaugh, are still weighing in on not wanting to see a black man play James Bond. The problem is not they are partial to a particular actor the problem is they simply don’t want to see a black man in that roll.
The problem with this bias is simple…did they protest white people playing rolls of non-fictional characters that were not white. Do they keep the same energy when people of color aren’t allowed to play themselves? I can answer that for you; many of the same people are rather quiet. They would find it easier to get upset about a discussion of a female adaptation of a traditionally male character such as Thor from Marvel. To be quite honest I really don’t care who the next James Bond will be; I’ve seen many of the movies and they are okay just not my favorites. However, if I have to deal with white Jesus, white Egyptians, and white versions of Asian characters white people need to be silent. This might not be an easy concept to understand but white people can’t have everything, and everything doesn’t belong to them. Here we are fussing about a fictional character…James Bond is not real. Who knows, Idris Elba may very well be an awesome 007 if given a chance. Having black actors in plays such Hamilton didn’t sit well with some white people either. They want to keep everything they believes belongs to them while having control over the images and depictions of people that are not them. The privilege in this area is terrible.
If you don’t want to see a character played by someone else, it shouldn’t matter the race…you just love a certain depiction. Wolverine, for me, will always be Hugh Jackman. I truly believed he owned the role so well that I’d never want to see anyone no matter who they are playing it. At the same time, I don’t want to sit through a film whereby William Wallace, or Robert the Bruce is played by anyone other than a good white male actor…and preferably one from the UK. This is because those were real people, and they were white. Too bad white people can’t extend the same courtesy in film to other groups of people.
The hypocrisy is loud and clear in Hollywood where character depiction is concerned…white people can play whoever they want, and no one else has that right. We know its not about box office appeal because it’s been proven actors and actresses other than white ones can have record openings. This is about the hypocrisy of privilege, and though I don’t particularly care who plays 007 I hope Idris Elba gets the role and rocks it!
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
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