Slumdog star says Hollywood is racist

[sachinky 465]

This guy can't act. Come on. He can't complain about not getting decent roles when he can't act.

While he may have a point to a certain extent, movies are, at the end of the day, catered to a particular audience. Will Bollywood work in America? I'm not sure too many people like the whole 'singing around trees' jig although my husband claims those movies have sort of grown on him.

What about white actors in Bollywood? They are usually relegated to playing the evil limey Brit or the snooty, ignorant American. The women are skimpily clad in bikinis and gyrate around the lead actor. There's not much complexity there either.

As for Slumdog, I thought it was an average Bollywood B-movie. There are many more Hindi movies that I think are far far better than SM. I still don't get the hype.

Dev Patel needs to look inward and ask what he could really expect. He isn't really handsome enough to play a romantic lead, doesn't have the build or demeanor for an action hero, and certainly isn't comedic. He's left playing in dramas when a role comes that fits.

And this too. It is what it is. Hollywood won't make those movies until America wants to see them. I'm fairly certain that a lot of money is spent on researching what America wants to see.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

So are you guys saying we should PC up Hollywood and "trick ourselves" into thinking that Indian dude is a black guy from Detroit or a hillbilly from West Virginia?

Aside from Robert Downey Jr.'s Oscar-worthy performance in Tropic Thunder (which couldn't be anything short of racist "what do you mean, you people?") it's not often a character both looks the part and speaks the part and we're able to believe in our minds that this person, this actor, is the real character in the movie.

I realize he's saying the institution as a whole is racist, but I don't see how he can say that since it's an industry built on looking a certain way for a certain role and nailing that perception of how people imagine that character. By saying Hollywood is racist, he's really saying "Hollywood makes racist movies for racist America." What he should really be saying is "America is racist."

Then he should remember India - which makes more movies than any other country in the world - doesn't have a lot of ethnic flair either. Nor does the UK for that matter.

Slim. You are SO inconsiderate. Obviously we should run our country and conduct our lives, make movies, theme parks and shopping malls...all designed not to offend ANYONE at ANY time for ANY thing.

Actually someone should just blackball this guy and not give him anymore jobs playing terrorists...then tell him to STFU and die.

[thongd4me 69]

The question surely is whether Asian actors are more marginalized and typecast in terms of acting roles than actors from other ethnic or social groups.

Agreed.

I wonder if we should import Swedish actors to be workers in

convenience stores in Harlem in the interest of being totally free of "stereotypes."

[sachinky 465]

While Hollywood does engage in stereotyping, I'm not sure I would use the phrase 'institutionalized racism.'

Edited August 10, 2010 by sachinky

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Who writes the scripts that define the roles?

[slim 1,525]

Obviously we should run our country and conduct our lives, make movies, theme parks and shopping malls...all designed not to offend ANYONE at ANY time for ANY thing.

This is what they want us to do. They want private business to conform to certain ideals simply because it makes someone happy. It's like requiring Home Depot to sell milk and bread so those on public assistance don't have to walk all the way to the grocery store.

I wonder if we should import Swedish actors to be workers in

convenience stores in Harlem in the interest of being totally free of "stereotypes."

Perhaps someday this will be a requirement. "OK, we need two more white guys, three blacks, and an Asian to meet our quota. Somebody find me an Asian guy, dammit."

Who writes the scripts that define the roles?

Everyone writes scripts and the majority of script writers do so with a certain person or actor in mind already. If not that actor, someone similar. Similar typically means "the same race, same age, same gender. As close as possible to the original actor."

Do you think Tyler Perry writes stuff hoping if Blair Underwood isn't available Jason Bateman could step in and take his place?

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

Who writes the scripts that define the roles?

probably outsourced to india.

[_Simpson_ 250]

You don't often see non-white actors in lead roles. One that comes to mind is Harold and Kumar - those were "regular" roles with two Asians cast as the leads.

Not true, their is quite a few. Jet Li, Jackie Chan,Danny Glover, Danzel Washington, Vin Diesel, Cheech Marin and the list goes on and on and on. I think unfortunately that way to often people see what they want to see and not the reality of what it is.

It is what it is. Hollywood won't make those movies until America wants to see them. I'm fairly certain that a lot of money is spent on researching what America wants to see.

I would argue that certain races are over represented because of all the PC nonsense that takes place here in America.

Edited August 10, 2010 by _Simpson_

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yes there are scripts that are written for specific actors or require the actors who play certain roles to be of a particular ethnicity. In the 50s they used to do that by blacking up Hurt Lancaster so he could play Geronimo (non white actors had virtually no presence in Hollywood back then).

Now its a bit more complicated.

However even without addressing why, for example, nearly all DC or marvel comic book characters are white its arguable why a white actor needed to play the lead characters in Inception, The Matrix, Mission Impossible or even Star Wars. There is nothing about these films that could not be fulfilled by a non white actor. At the very least you have to ask why.

[slim 1,525]

I would argue that certain races are over represented because of all the PC nonsense that takes place here in America.

Tyler Perry, anyone?

[thongd4me 69]

...Do you think Tyler Perry writes stuff hoping if Blair Underwood isn't available Jason Bateman could step in and take his place?

Funny, Slim & quick on the draw too.

Tyler Perry should get together with Spike Lee and do a remake of "Gunga Din."

[slim 1,525]

There is nothing about these films that could not be fulfilled by a non white actor. At the very least you have to ask why.

Nothing except the target audience.

Funny, Slim & quick on the draw too.

Tyler Perry should get together with Spike Lee and do a remake of "Gunga Din."

They should. But let's make it interesting... no black actors, no "token white guy" and just to keep it in the spirit of this thread, no Indian actors. Mexicans only!

[_Simpson_ 250]

Tyler Perry, anyone?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

That's one show. The guy is talking about Hollywood as a whole. Why should people be pigeonholed in the acting profession because they aren't white?

They shouldn't, I agree. There have been some actors like Sydney Poitier who were able to take on lead roles that traditionally went to white males. Female actors have complained about being passed up because of their sex. There's sexism, ageism, and racial prejudice when it comes casting parts in movies, no doubt. However, I don't think Dev Patel is being passed up for lead roles, simply because of his ethnicity.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Who says that the target audience of a given film is White? If that were true why was Will Smith put in I A Legend? The film was made twice before with White actors in the lead role, did Richard Mathesons story suddenly become more popular with Blacks?

They shouldn't, I agree. There have been some actors like Sydney Poitier who were able to take on lead roles that traditionally went to white males. Female actors have complained about being passed up because of their sex. There's sexism, ageism, and racial prejudice when it comes casting parts in movies, no doubt. However, I don't think Dev Patel is being passed up for lead roles, simply because of his ethnicity.

I don't either.