Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

The original movie is one of my guilty pleasures. Yes, there are major problematic elements (the sexualization of teen girls) bur it is also a movie explicitly about cultural appropriation.

I generally hate that film, and think Kirsten Dunst is utterly terrible in it, but I like the Clovers and that they are vindicated.

So, while I have no particular affection for the movie, I agree this teen slasher film take on it seems a poor choice.  I do think it could be done with sly humor, but there's no evidence of that in the promo.  Just make some other, random film about cheerleaders.

[methodwriter85]

On 9/29/2022 at 8:27 PM, xaxat said:

I just watched a trailer for the next iteration of the Bring it On! franchise and it is blatantly a teen slasher film, which makes me sad.

The original movie is one of my guilty pleasures. Yes, there are major problematic elements (the sexualization of teen girls) bur it is also a movie explicitly about cultural appropriation. I'm sure there were earlier ones, but this is the one I remember. 

In addition, the original actually presage the upcoming world of social media. Where white influencers become famous for duplicating the work of the original Black creative. 

Bring It On is like American Pie to me- it's been done in so many different ways with all these direct to video "sequels" that the franchise title has been rendered meaningless to me. Hell, 15 years ago Hayden Paniettierre did a Bring It On that was a blatant ripoff of Save the Last Dance.

[Hiyo]

Quote

The original movie is one of my guilty pleasures.

Same here. Good, dumb fun from start to finish.

[andromeda331]

On 9/29/2022 at 6:27 PM, xaxat said:

I just watched a trailer for the next iteration of the Bring it On! franchise and it is blatantly a teen slasher film, which makes me sad.

The original movie is one of my guilty pleasures. Yes, there are major problematic elements (the sexualization of teen girls) bur it is also a movie explicitly about cultural appropriation. I'm sure there were earlier ones, but this is the one I remember. 

In addition, the original actually presage the upcoming world of social media. Where white influencers become famous for duplicating the work of the original Black creative. 

It's one of mine too. I like Torrence and Missy. Isis is awesome and so cool. I also love the one who asked Isis if they were going to beat these Buffys because she's on cuefew. I wish she had more lines. She was cool.

[Hiyo]

Quote

if they were going to beat these Buffys

A funny line, given that both Eliza Dushku and Clare Kramer were on that show...

[xaxat]

The good news. Marvel Shakes Up ‘Armor Wars’: Don Cheadle Series Now Being Developed As a Movie (Exclusive). Marvel doesn't make that move unless they think a movie starring Cheadle can make hundreds of millions of dollars.

And the bad. ‘Tarzan’ to Swing Again as Sony Picks Up Movie Rights (Exclusive)/ I don't care how much they "reinvent" the character, the basic concept is trash. 

[methodwriter85]

I haven't even read this book but I am in love...great job marketing, guys.

[starri]

Shudder is running a wonderful documentary series called Queer for Fear, which details exactly what it sounds like, the history of queer topics and coding in horror films.

I highly recommend it.

[methodwriter85]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:03 PM, xaxat said:

And the bad. ‘Tarzan’ to Swing Again as Sony Picks Up Movie Rights (Exclusive)/ I don't care how much they "reinvent" the character, the basic concept is trash

Personally, I'd love for them to decide that Tarzan is now black or Indigenous instead of a blue-eyed blond, and for them to be completely blind to the racial implications of having a POC swinging around on a vine in just a loincloth.

[Danny Franks]

17 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Personally, I'd love for them to decide that Tarzan is now black or Indigenous instead of a blue-eyed blond, and for them to be completely blind to the racial implications of having a POC swinging around on a vine in just a loincloth.

Meanwhile, the usual suspects on line are outraged at the changes being made to this character that they've always loved and was a big part of their childhoods (while they actually can't even tell you who wrote the original Tarzan stories or who has played the character on screen before).

I'm tired of the extremely online right wing movement to attack any diversity of casting, whether it's in new projects or adaptations or remakes. The same arguments, over and over again, with thinly veiled rationales that usually quickly drop that veil and become outright bigoted.

I just got done thoroughly enjoying She-Hulk, which attracted all the usual attacks on women in lead roles, but accurately predicted all those attacks and lampooned them in the show, with neckbeard assholes saying the exact same things about the character that were being said online.

[methodwriter85]

A Broadway sign language interpreter was fired from a Lion King production because he is white and it was deemed inappropriate in "the current social climate" for a white person to do ASL signing for characters being played by African-Americans. I figured this was inevitable after the uproar over a white Dutch person translating Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" poem as well as the general insistence that POC voice actors need to voice POC cartoon characters. This is a really tough issue, but they really should have paid him what he was owed for the show. 

[Kel Varnsen]

That seems kind of odd when you consider that while the Lion King actors may be Black they are in costume playing animals. The ASL interpreter is translating the words a giraffe or something is saying not the words a Black character is saying. 

[Spartan Girl]

I love the movie Enchanted, but I was just watching it on TV just now, and one part doesn’t age well: when Giselle approaches the divorcing Black couple at Robert’s office, she touches the woman’s hair. 

In fairness, Gisele does it innocently enough and clearly means no harm or condescension. But still, we all know now that’s a big no-no. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

That seems kind of odd when you consider that while the Lion King actors may be Black they are in costume playing animals. The ASL interpreter is translating the words a giraffe or something is saying not the words a Black character is saying. 

I think they're trying to head off criticism but I think they really needed to pay him for the performance and then tell him they weren't going to continue with him. There was a right way to do this, and clearly they didn't do it.

I imagine his lawyers are going to make similar arguments. If he really was indeed told that he was being fired because he's white in an email, I think he's got one hell of a discrimination case lawsuit. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by methodwriter85

[Scarlett45]

On 11/14/2022 at 3:55 PM, methodwriter85 said:

A Broadway sign language interpreter was fired from a Lion King production because he is white and it was deemed inappropriate in "the current social climate" for a white person to do ASL signing for characters being played by African-Americans. I figured this was inevitable after the uproar over a white Dutch person translating Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" poem as well as the general insistence that POC voice actors need to voice POC cartoon characters. This is a really tough issue, but they really should have paid him what he was owed for the show. 

I don't agree with this decision. He is a SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER, not an actor. He is there to make the show more accessible to Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing patrons. As a black woman with a performing arts background, I understand how precious and important diverse roles are, I DO, POC actors being hired to voice POC characters is one thing (and I support that), but he is not actor nor is he portraying a character, he is assisting in providing an accessibility service to ALL the patrons of the show who may need an interpreter.

Are ushers supposed to be black at performances of The Lion King as well? I am now concerned that Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing persons will have fewer chances to see the show because they fired this guy.

On 11/14/2022 at 7:45 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

That seems kind of odd when you consider that while the Lion King actors may be Black they are in costume playing animals. The ASL interpreter is translating the words a giraffe or something is saying not the words a Black character is saying. 

I agree, I dont think they were right to do this to him. Nothing wrong with hiring more interpreters of all backgrounds (quite easy to find in NYC) but I dont think his participation in the program is a problem.

On 11/14/2022 at 8:58 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I love the movie Enchanted, but I was just watching it on TV just now, and one part doesn’t age well: when Giselle approaches the divorcing Black couple at Robert’s office, she touches the woman’s hair. 

In fairness, Gisele does it innocently enough and clearly means no harm or condescension. But still, we all know now that’s a big no-no. 

The Enchanted scene didnt bother me because we know Giselle is supposed to be clueless from another land. And the character is allowed to go "what the hell" (I believe she makes a face). As a black woman who's had her hair petted more times than she can count, if a CHILD does it, I have never been offended. Giselle is supposed to be socially unaware and child-like.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

The Enchanted scene didnt bother me because we know Giselle is supposed to be clueless from another land. And the character is allowed to go "what the hell" (I believe she makes a face). As a black woman who's had her hair petted more times than she can count, if a CHILD does it, I have never been offended. Giselle is supposed to be socially unaware and child-like

Yes, exactly. I just forgot that bit was in the movie, so it just took me by surprise, now knowing it’s something you shouldn’t do.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I ended up loving "Bros" by the way.  One of my favourite movies of the year.

Since 2020,  gay Hallmark movies are becoming more normalized and Candace Cameron is leaving Hallmark to go to her own Christian network or whatever because of it.  

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/entertainment/candace-cameron-bure-christmas/index.html

[possibilities]

21 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I ended up loving "Bros" by the way.  One of my favourite movies of the year.

I watched Bros today. LOVED it. The funniest movie I have seen in ages. I don't know how much of it will resonate for straight audiences, but the in-jokes were soooooo plentiful and sooooooooooo well done.

PeacockTV has it, for anyone looking to stream it. 

[Scarlett45]

On 12/3/2022 at 5:29 PM, possibilities said:

I watched Bros today. LOVED it. The funniest movie I have seen in ages. I don't know how much of it will resonate for straight audiences, but the in-jokes were soooooo plentiful and sooooooooooo well done.

PeacockTV has it, for anyone looking to stream it. 

Amazon video gave me a credit, but I didn't realize it was free on Peacock! thanks for the heads up.

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Amazon video gave me a credit, but I didn't realize it was free on Peacock! thanks for the heads up.

I don't even think I got ads during the movie either which was nice.

[Scarlett45]

17 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't even think I got ads during the movie either which was nice.

No I didn’t! One long ad in the beginning and that was it. I put some thoughts in the Bros thread but I’ll add more about what I think of the movie from an inclusive point of view once I have had a chance to reflect. 

Coming back to give my thoughts on Bros, I discussed specifically in that thread the things I liked, the rom com beats, funny supporting characters, a realistic time period of falling for each other, but I didnt like it as much as Fire Island. This may be because I am just a Pride & Prejudice fan girl, or I think the characters in Fire Island avoided the "lets see masculine presenting gay white men represent the movement" trope (which Bobby the character, and Billy the writer did acknowledge and poke fun at a little bit).

Bros felt very GROUNDED to me, a happy ending but not a fantasy, and I like that in my rom coms. As someone who is heterosexual and black, I did grow up seeing a few rom coms where I was represented, Deliver Us from Eva is my favorite, I can imagine this movie means a lot to LGBTQ+ people who often only get to see themselves in media if they are sad, suffering or watching straight people get their happy ending. Especially if you were older I would think. One thing I really appreciated about Bros, is that yes, it was a specifically a gay male rom com, but humans ARE humans and some things (some not all) translate no matter who you are. Bobby wrote Aaron a SONG, in the genre that he liked- that was ROMANTIC AF.

[possibilities]

16 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

the Bros thread

I didn't know we had a Bros thread! 

[Scarlett45]

21 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I didn't know we had a Bros thread! 

It's here!

[starri]

While I won't pretend that much of it was as High Art as Call Me By Your Name, Moonlight, or Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2022 turned out to be a really good year for queer filmmaking.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:13 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Since 2020,  gay Hallmark movies are becoming more normalized and Candace Cameron is leaving Hallmark to go to her own Christian network or whatever because of it.  

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/entertainment/candace-cameron-bure-christmas/index.html

I find it interesting that she believes in "traditional marriage" but at the same time does the whole last name hyphen thing. So she believes in her own very specific definition of tradition that doesn't cause any inconvenience to her but would affect a lot of other people in a negative way.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Kel Varnsen

[methodwriter85]

God, I get whiplash. I remember people complaining about the Strong Black Woman trope being just a few steps away from the Mammy.

I do think people insisting that black people should be portrayed as positive Golden Gals and Boys who never do anything wrong feels a little bit too much like saying you only want to see black people on-screen if they're non-threatening, docile, uplift the protagonist's story, and specifically don't make you feel uncomfortable.

Edited December 29, 2022 by methodwriter85

[Trini]

'Hollywood Studies Show Few Gains For Women, People Of Color Directing Films In 2022'

(excerpts:)

Quote

A pair of studies released Monday from San Diego State’s annual The Celluloid Ceiling report and USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative showed few gains for women and people of color working in the film industry in 2022.

In the SDSU study (read it here), which has tracked women’s employment on the 250 top-grossing films for the past 25 years, this year’s findings reveal that 11% of directors of 2022’s 100 top-grossing domestic films were women, down 1% year-over-year. Among the top 250 films, that number rose to 18%, up 1%.

Quote

The USC study (read it here), entitled “Inclusion in the Directors Chair,” looked at the number of women and underrepresented directors in the top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022. In 2022, it counted 9% of the 100 top-grossing film directors were women, down from 12.7% in 2021. Among women of color, only 2.7% of top-grossing directors were women; that percentage falls to 1.3% over the past 16 years.

 

[kiddo82]

Scream V spoilers out in the open.  Very mild Scream VI spoiler tagged.

 

Scream VI deals with some toxic internet culture and our recent obsessions with true crime.  We learn early on in the movie that the internet knows all about the "true crime" events of Scream 5 and has turned against Samantha, who didn't murder anyone, in favor of her now dead boyfriend Richie, who definitely murdered a bunch of people in the prior film.  In the current movie there is an internet theory that Sam was the real killer and she murdered the innocent Richie to frame him.  I'm not sure if this subtext was intentional or I'm just projecting but there is something that--excuse me--cuts deep about the internet turning on a woman in favor of her puppy dog faced "nice guy" boyfriend even though he was literally a serial killer who tried to murder her and her family.  It feels very true to real life form.  Add in the fact that although the character's race/ethnicity is never specified Melissa Barrera who plays Sam is Mexican and Jack Quaid who played Richie is not, possibly adding another layer.  Sam spends part of the movie being pissed off and hurt about being hated by total strangers and rightfully so.  She was the one who was attacked while that asshole gets canonized.

Spoiler

There is a part at the end where she goes off about what a whiny little creep he really was and I was so happy for her to get to that moment of release that I may have had a slight out of body experience.  

   

Edited March 12, 2023 by kiddo82

[Spartan Girl]

JFC the backlash against this is ridiculous. Don't read the replies in this tweet, but to give you an idea, someone actually says "I'm not racist, but white culture is being erased." And I am so fucking over people being immature idiots and disliking the trailer for spite or worse, leaving their backhanded meme comments like "I loved the part when Ariel said 'It's Morbin time, gave me chills..." or some bullshit like that.

Don't want to watch the movie? THEN DON'T SEE IT. Don't ruin it for the ones that do want to see it and keep your hateful bile to yourself!

[Danny Franks]

This is how those chuds will react to anything promoting a protagonist who isn't a straight, white guy. It doesn't work, but it makes them feel better in their mediocre little lives. 

YouTubers, streamers and other online 'content creators' make a living off propagating right wing hatred and they're not going to stop while platforms allow them to.

[Spartan Girl]

I honestly feel like I’m reliving the Ghostbusters mess. I hope this one has a better outcome at the box office. We didn’t need a new Little Mermaid, but that’s not the point. I just want the “get woke go broke crowd” to lose.

[Anduin]

I have no interest in seeing the Little Mermaid. Not because of anything to do with race, just not my sort of thing. But I'm not a review bomb sort of person. It's easier to ignore stuff than go out of my way to complain about it.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I honestly feel like I’m reliving the Ghostbusters mess. I hope this one has a better outcome at the box office. We didn’t need a new Little Mermaid, but that’s not the point. I just want the “get woke go broke crowd” to lose.

Same. Fortunately, I do think this has a much better shot at doing well than Ghostbusters due to the built in audience from kids. Those videos of little girls reacting are so heartwarming.

Little Mermaid is the princess movie that came out when I was in that prime princess age so there is enough nostalgia that I want to go. All the racist crap surrounding it will cause me to go opening weekend and invite my three nieces along rather than waiting a few weeks for a discount day. 

[Jaded]

I finally saw that Ghostbusters movie last year. I liked the cast just not the storyline . I was disappointed because it could have been so much better.

[JustHereForFood]

On 3/17/2023 at 5:25 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Don't want to watch the movie? THEN DON'T SEE IT. Don't ruin it for the ones that do want to see it and keep your hateful bile to yourself!

I would bet that most people complaining wouldn't even watch it if it had a white actress. They just want to complain about this stuff and don't care how many people who are actual fans they hurt. (OK, that is a generous statement, some of them DO care and that is why they do it.)

[Kel Varnsen]

6 hours ago, Jaded said:

I finally saw that Ghostbusters movie last year. I liked the cast just not the storyline . I was disappointed because it could have been so much better.

Yea the issues with that movie seem to have more to do with the writing and story instead of the cast. I have always said it was an ok Ghostbusters movie but it is definitely the worst Paul Feig directed movie starring Melissa McCarthy.

[Danny Franks]

9 hours ago, Jaded said:

I finally saw that Ghostbusters movie last year. I liked the cast just not the storyline . I was disappointed because it could have been so much better.

I enjoyed Ghostbusters, but didn't find it very memorable. It's a fairly standard, action/comedy movie with a good cast. Which, of course, is exactly what the original Ghostbusters movie was as well.

Acting as though it was heresy to make a Ghostbusters movie with women really set the post-Gamergate battlefield for all those losers. They've been perpetually outraged ever since, by popular media and (which is particularly galling to these people) 'nerd culture' becoming more diverse and recognising that women and brown people, and sometimes even gay people, exist and are of value.

No matter how much they rage, they aren't winning. I pointed out the other day that most of the good parts of MCU Phase 4 have revolved around female characters - WandaVision, Hawkeye with Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, Kamala Khan, She-Hulk. Many would add Wakanda Forever, but I didn't care for it.

Supposedly, the casting process for the Fantastic Four is, 'get Sue right and then cast everyone based on her'. Which certainly wasn't the case in previous incarnations of the group.

Bo Katan and Ahsoka Tano are female characters who seem set for their own Star Wars shows, and it was really Disney's lack of planning that ruined the sequel trilogy being built around Rey and Finn.

There's still a way to go, particularly when it comes to non-white and queer representation, but the chuds will lose those fights too.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

No matter how much they rage, they aren't winning.

Absolutely. The think that annoys me the most about discussion about movies generally and specifically with diversity issues is that not enough consideration is given to the entertainment factor. The movies that are held up as evidence the audiences are rejecting “woke” projects failed because they just weren’t entertaining enough. Generally audiences prove repeatedly they care way less about race, gender or sexual orientation than the discourse around it would indicate.

Movies are still really behind on it but tv in particular is showing that most of the audience has no issue with diversity. How anyone can look at the success of The Last of Us, Schitt’s Creek, Black Panther or Captain Marvel and still argue diversity is a losing proposition is beyond me. 

[Annber03]

There's also the fact that the word "woke" has been tossed around so much nowadays to where it's losing, if it hasn't already lost, any actual meaning it once had. Just having two characters of the same sex holding hands in the background is enough for people to call something "woke" and whine and moan nowadays, because apparently something that innocuous is worth of an online meltdown and review bombing campaign, or something. 

So for people to insist that a movie bombed for being "too woke", well, okay, you're going to have to explain what exactly made it "too woke" for that to even possibly fly as a reason/explanation, and the people who make that claim never seem to be able to do that. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, Dani said:

Movies are still really behind on it but tv in particular is showing that most of the audience has no issue with diversity. How anyone can look at the success of The Last of Us, Schitt’s Creek, Black Panther or Captain Marvel and still argue diversity is a losing proposition is beyond me. 

TV and science fiction in particular were always ahead of the game.  Star Trek, and then shows like LOST much later on.  These are very successful shows within their landscapes.  Reality shows are pretty diverse, I always bring up something like Project Runway which unfortunately barely exists today.  The show seems to cast not even bothering to care whether somebody is from America or has English as their first language, and I always loved that.

For a long time there were people arguing that a white face was needed to sell an American movie, but that has been proven again and again to be not the case, so I don't even know what people's argument is anymore.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Annber03 said:

 

So for people to insist that a movie bombed for being "too woke", well, okay, you're going to have to explain what exactly made it "too woke" for that to even possibly fly as a reason/explanation, and the people who make that claim never seem to be able to do that. 

I’m nearly certain when it’s used a criticism it is usually by a person who could not ever define it. At this point all it does is help me to determine who I am unlikely to ever agree with.

 

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

For a long time there were people arguing that a white face was needed to sell an American movie, but that has been proven again and again to be not the case, so I don't even know what people's argument is anymore.

They are still making the same argument. Desperately searching for anything and everything to deny the obvious. A movie like the Top Gun sequel is held up as proof that the majority are rejected “woke” principles while lying to themselves when something they deem “woke” is successful. They have no problem hoisting those goal posts and hauling them as far as they need to go. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

6 minutes ago, Dani said:

I’m nearly certain when it’s used a criticism it is usually by a person who could not ever define it. At this point all it does is help me to determine who I am unlikely to ever agree with.

Back in the day, these people used the phrase "politically correct" or "affirmative action" to mean anything where it wasn't all white faces in the media.  Now it's turned to "woke" and "diversity hiring".  It's all the same thing.  It's all just racist dog whistles.

7 minutes ago, Dani said:

They are still making the same argument. Desperately searching for anything and everything to deny the obvious. A movie like the Top Gun sequel is held up as proof that the majority are rejected “woke” principles while lying to themselves when something they deem “woke” is successful. They have no problem hoisting those goal posts and hauling them as far as they need to go. 

You're absolutely right.

[SoMuchTV]

Is there a thread for the movie "She Said"?  I heard about it when it first came out and finally realized I had it available on Peacock.  I've heard it compared to "All the President's Men" and "Spotlight" and I don't disagree.  Did I miss the discussion when it first came out?

[Trini]

(Posted this elsewhere, but it's relevant here as well)

'Marlee Matlin, Paul Feig, Ramy Youssef & 34 More Sign Open Letter Advocating for Disabled Writers in Hollywood'

Quote

The Thursday, March 23 open letter, signed by stars such as Ali Stroker, Chris Cooper and Marianne Leone, Daniel Durant, Jason Katims, Krista Vernoff, Lauren Ridloff, Marlee Matlin, Paul Feig, Ramy Youssef, and Siân Heder, was created with the Inevitable Foundation to encourage the TV and film industry to hire disabled creatives in writing, producing, directing, and more positions, not just disability consultants.

The Inevitable Foundation is a non-profit “working to close the disability representation gap in film and television. Currently, disabled people make up over 20 percent of the U.S. population but represent only two percent of characters on screen and less than one percent of film and TV writers,” the org said in the Thursday press release. “By funding and mentoring mid-career disabled screenwriters, Inevitable Foundation is creating a world where disabled people are valued off-screen and accurately represented on-screen.”

 

[Trini]

Article: 'Can Indiana Jones overcome its Orientalist past? '

[aradia22]

Quote

[Why did this topic go quiet?]

Personally I'm wary of being "political" so I tend to post elsewhere. Anyway, I couldn't find the Movies thread so feel free to move this if we still have one...

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/disney-lilo-stitch-live-action-nani-lilos-sister-1235373828/

Quote

Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch has found its Nani, Lilo’s older sister and legal guardian, in Sydney Elizabeth Agudong, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Disney declined to comment.

Newcomer Maia Kealoha is playing Lilo, while Zach Galifianakis joined the cast in February. Stitch, naturally, will be a CG confection. Dean Fleischer Camp, the filmmaker behind indie darling and best animated feature Oscar nominee Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, is directing the remake that is intended to be a major release on Disney+.

On the one hand, Hollywood is not a welcoming place to people who don't fit Eurocentric beauty standards (aside from the few exceptions they let in the door, largely because of overwhelming talent) so you have a limited pool of people to choose from. On the other hand, I'm not convinced that Disney (or other studios) genuinely look through all the working actors even on projects like this where they're not really looking for name talent.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Personally I'm wary of being "political" so I tend to post elsewhere. Anyway, I couldn't find the Movies thread so feel free to move this if we still have one...

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/disney-lilo-stitch-live-action-nani-lilos-sister-1235373828/

On the one hand, Hollywood is not a welcoming place to people who don't fit Eurocentric beauty standards (aside from the few exceptions they let in the door, largely because of overwhelming talent) so you have a limited pool of people to choose from. On the other hand, I'm not convinced that Disney (or other studios) genuinely look through all the working actors even on projects like this where they're not really looking for name talent.

 

They did a pretty good job with Lilo which makes this even more frustrating. 

I also can’t deal with seeing any more “how is this any different than Ariel” comments online. 

[Spartan Girl]

10 hours ago, Dani said:

I also can’t deal with seeing any more “how is this any different than Ariel” comments online. 

Seriously. I’m white and every time I see some douche hole post about how “changing Ariel’s ethnicity is actually bad” I’m ready to scream. White people have tons of representation in Disney cartoons. Black and brown people, not so much. That’s the difference.

I wonder if maybe there’s still time to change the actress for Nani. Nothing on the actress, it’s not her fault, but yeah, they need to fix this. Of course if that happens I’m sure there’s will be tons of assholes accusing them of pandering to “woke terrorists”. 😤🙄🤦‍♀️

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Seriously. I’m white and every time I see some douche hole post about how “changing Ariel’s ethnicity is actually bad” I’m ready to scream. White people have tons of representation in Disney cartoons. Black and brown people, not so much. That’s the difference.

Exactly. I love this explanation. 

Quote

Imagine two bowls of jellybeans sitting on a table, one running over with jellybeans and the other with what looks like a handful. The bowl that’s running over represents the overabundance or roles for white actors and actresses in Hollywood, and the bowl with only a handful represents the roles for actors of color in Hollywood. If you take a few handfuls of jellybeans from the bowl with an overabundance and put them in the other bowl with less, then nothing is harmed. The bowl with more jellybeans has a few less but it still has more than enough. However if you take even a single handful of jellybeans from the other bowl and place it into the overflowing bowl, then you’ve diminished and almost emptied it.

When people complain about Ariel not being white in the new movie it’s the person with an overflowing bowl hoarding just because they can. When people complain about colorism and featurism with Nani it is the person with a nearly empty bowl watching their minuscule amount being dimensioned. 

36 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I wonder if maybe there’s still time to change the actress for Nani. Nothing on the actress, it’s not her fault, but yeah, they need to fix this. Of course if that happens I’m sure there’s will be tons of assholes accusing them of pandering to “woke terrorists”. 😤🙄🤦‍♀️

I agree. I do feel bad for the actress because while she fits the Hollywood mold more than an actress with more distinctive native Hawaiian features she still going to face racism. I can’t blame her for going out for a Hawaiian lead role when they are few and far between. 

[supposebly]

59 minutes ago, Dani said:

Imagine two bowls of jellybeans sitting on a table, one running over with jellybeans and the other with what looks like a handful. The bowl that’s running over represents the overabundance or roles for white actors and actresses in Hollywood, and the bowl with only a handful represents the roles for actors of color in Hollywood. If you take a few handfuls of jellybeans from the bowl with an overabundance and put them in the other bowl with less, then nothing is harmed. The bowl with more jellybeans has a few less but it still has more than enough. However if you take even a single handful of jellybeans from the other bowl and place it into the overflowing bowl, then you’ve diminished and almost emptied it.

I weep that it needs to be spelled out on the level of kindergarten age for people to possibly understand, let alone accept what the difference is.