Actors playing characters outside their race.

Do you think actors should be cast to play roles of characters who fall outside of their race and/or ethnic group? For instance, it's not uncommon to see Hispanic playing African-American, or Jewish actors playing Italian. What do you think, does it matter? Can it be seen as a mockery, does it make the role disingenuous?

It probably depends on the actor. Pacino was great as Tony Montana. But I don't like seeing people wearing make up to pull it off. I understand why they did it in the old days of Hollywood, like "The Ten Commandments" or the old westerns but there are certainly enough actors of all ethnicities now that it just isn't necessary anymore.

Typically, no. If the role calls for a black woman, then hire a black actress. If the role calls for a Latina, hire a Latina actress. I think that with white actors and actresses they can pull that off if they or the role is ambiguous enough but I really don't care to see a white woman/man play a black woman/man and vice versa. Esp if you have to 'make' them up. Doesn't make sense.

I don't think it's a bad idea for actors to play roles outside their race and I certainly don't think it makes a mockery of either the actor or the character. If the actor can pull it off, then go for it. And if you're a good enough actor, nobody will think about it.

On a new show, Chicago Code, it was shown that Jennifer Beals' character's father and sister are black. Jennifer Beals is bi-racial but she looks more "white" than Pres. Obama. People who don't know her heritage are probably saying, "Oh come on!" Actually, I think they'd be entitled to because the actress who played her sister would not "pass" for white. I'm glad that we don't have white actors playing Indians and Asians as Sam Jaffe, Paul Muni and Katherine Hepburn (for example) did at one time. LOL, James (Sonny Corleone) Caan once told that an American-Italian group once tried to give him an award for something because they didn't know he was Jewish.

Chris wrote:Do you think actors should be cast to play roles of characters who fall outside of their race and/or ethnic group? ...

You mean like this Asian actor who played the King of Siam?



Or Charlie Chan?



Warner Oland - Swede

Chris wrote:Do you think actors should be cast to play roles of characters who fall outside of their race and/or ethnic group? For instance, it's not uncommon to see Hispanic playing African-American, or Jewish actors playing Italian. What do you think, does it matter? Can it be seen as a mockery, does it make the role disingenuous?

I think if the actor looks close enough to the race or ethnicity he/she is playing and the performance comes off as believable, then I don't have a problem with it. Jenette Goldstien is a Jewish American actress who played Pvt. Vasquez (a Hispanic character) in the film Aliens and an Irish mother in the film Titanic. I didn't even realize it was the same actress until years later because she was able to play both roles completely convincingly. I swore that the actress playing "Vasquez" was Puerto Rican for years. In the film Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jr. played an Australian character "playing" an African American character. Once again, he was totally convincing at his role (and his role withing the role) and it was hilarious. So I don't have a problem with actors doing this if they are convincing. On the other hand, if they could obviously never get away with portraying the character due to their appearance or acting skills, then of course not!

Examples where actors should never have attempted this: David Carradine, playing a Chinese monk in Kung Fu. WTF?

captainbryce wrote:Examples where actors should never have attempted this: David Carradine, playing a Chinese monk in Kung Fu. WTF?

Yeah but Kwai Chang Caine was bi-racial so I don't see that as such a stretch. I wonder what route the show would have taken had Bruce Lee been cast in the lead as was rumored to have been a possibility.

I don't mind actors playing out of their ethnicity....but outside their race is too extreme.

I brought this up with someone a while back, Al Pacino, an Italian, plays a Cuban, the Cuban who was Manny in Scarface played a Texas Ranger in a western, in Highlander you have a French/New York native playing a Socttish warrior, etc. Does it work? I don't know, I think so in some cases.

It all depends on the asthetic of the actor. If they're physically believable for the role, I see no problem.