Slumdog star says Hollywood is racist

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

Dev Patel can go fu## himself. He's the reason total strangers felt the need to talk to me about some goddamn movie. I walked into an elevator once and some old lady congratulated me. #######?

[slim 1,514]

Who says that the target audience of a given film is White?

Hollywood. And America.

While there are specific movies made to appeal to a certain demographic, the majority of "blockbuster" movies are made to appeal to white people who spend money at theaters. Yes, they also appeal to a wider majority that includes minorities too, but for the most part, the "target audience" for blockbusters is mainstream "white" America.

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?

Will Smith as always appealed to white America. I'm sure he was casted as the role because his star power was more appealing than the star power of the other actors, not because the producers said, "hey, let's get a black guy in here so we can capture a black audience too." Although that probably was a biproduct since black actors can appeal to both white and black audiences.

It's one thing to look at someone's race and be discriminatory against it. Quite another to acknowledge that race exists and make use of it to target a specific demographic, hence Tyler Perry. Yet nobody says, "Tyler Perry is racist becuase he doesn't use whites as leads in his movies." Would Madea be as funny if Doris Roberts played that role?

Tyler Perry makes movies for a very specific (read: blatantly obvious) audience. He's also been on the scene for what 10-15 years?

What's his time on the scene have to do with it? (And actually, 10 years is a stretch... he was still doing stage plays 10 years ago.) The man makes blatantly typecast (racist!) movies yet nobody seems to mind. Reason? Because America IS racist. We don't mind allowing minorities to acknowledge race and cultural differences if they desire. However, what you're proposing is making it mandatory for the same thing to be required on .... wait for it..... blatantly racist white movies.

Hollywood (and TV) is an entire industry built on our racist, stereotypical perceptions. Why do we have a BET? Why do we have Jersey Shore? Why? Becuase some people like watching that. What would happen if the producers on Jersey Shore said, "hey Snooki, you have to have an Indian bff now because we're PC'ing up the program." Would people magically assume that's what it's really like?

Someone would have to blind not to recognize that many lead roles in films could have easily been filled by an ethnic minority without changing the story.

Then why doesn't Tyler Perry cast whites in lead roles? Is anyone really going to buy Ed O'Neil as Leroy Brown?

Could the Hughes Brothers have placed Bruce Willis in Denzel's spot on Book of Eli? Sure.

It works sometimes... but it doesn't work every time.

I think that looking at specific movies with white leads and asking why they didn't have non-white leads is counter-productive and even borderline racist.

Making something an issue because of race is racist. Purely and simply, if you're attempting to factor in the color of their skin instead of their abilities and who they are... it's racist.

Unfortunately, if I'm looking for a Haitian cab driver to play a part in my next movie, I'm not going to call Justin Long. Racist. Yes. A fact of life? Also, yes.

I can just as easily ask why the lead in I-robot couldn't be played by a white man. The fact is, the movie was only made once and they had to pick. You can ask in general why there aren't movies with non-white leads but that falls flat when you realize there are.

Leads in blockbuster movies are cast more on "star power" than race. Entire movies have been redone if a bigger star comes into play. (See above, I am Legend. Angelina Jolie played Salt when it was supposed to be a male lead. It happens.)

However, most roles in Hollywood are specific. Beverly Hills 90210 was not going to use the cast of Hangin with Mr. Cooper and nor would it have worked if switched around. We (the audience) have a perception of people. Is that racist? Sure. But that's not Hollywood doing it to us, that's us doing it to Hollywood.

[^_^ 5,021]

Hey look, a white dude. Congrats on the Hurt Locker.

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

[^_^ 5,021]

I don't feel like reading all that, slim, but do wanna give you mad props for taking the time to do all those quotes.

[_Simpson_ 250]

The question is whether there is a racial bias in Hollywood. I think there is.

No part of our society is totally free of racial bias. I think that the majority of Hollywood is concerned with putting a55s in seats and choosing 'A list' actors that can do it. Do you think that Danzel Washington gets paid more per film than Tom Selleck because hes black? Danzel is great actor that has proven himself and most directors would love to have him.

Edited August 10, 2010 by _Simpson_

[^_^ 5,021]

Denzel is awesome. I've watched Training Day a million times. King Kong ain't got ####### on me!

Edited August 10, 2010 by Legacy member

[slim 1,514]

I don't feel like reading all that, slim, but do wanna give you mad props for taking the time to do all those quotes.

That's what I'm known for. I didn't boost my post count by replying with a thumbs up smiley.

[SMR 368]

There are three questions in my post. "yes" is not the answer to any of them.

Actually, you asked, "Are they though?" Yes is a perfectly good answer to that question.

[^_^ 5,021]

That's what I'm known for.

A man's gotta have a brand.

[Ban Hammer 13,144]

Dev Patel can go fu## himself. He's the reason total strangers felt the need to talk to me about some goddamn movie. I walked into an elevator once and some old lady congratulated me. #######?

So yeah. Fu## slumdog and fu## Dev Patel.

he stole your movie part, didn't he?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"Hollywood and America". Thats unsatisfactorily vague. Studio Executives might make such arbitrary determinations, but how they qualify it is another matter.

If Tyler Perry is racist for making films about Blacks, then Philip Roth is racist for writing about Jews. It's a silly argument. Perry doesn't pretend to be anything more than he is, there's nothing wrong with telling stories with an ethnic dimension.

It's questionable however that stories which do not, which is true of a lot of big films, tend to feature White actors. There is no satisfactory reason for that.

[slim 1,514]

Denzel is awesome. I've watched Training Day a million times. King Kong ain't got ####### on me!

Eva Mendes was VERY GOOD in that movie. She's so talented!

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

Then why doesn't Tyler Perry cast whites in lead roles? Is anyone really going to buy Ed O'Neil as Leroy Brown?

Could the Hughes Brothers have placed Bruce Willis in Denzel's spot on Book of Eli? Sure.

I haven't really watched any of his films. Aren't they ethnocentric? Could you see two white dudes playing Cheech and Chong? Or a whitey playing George Jefferson in the Jeffersons? Nope.

[_Simpson_ 250]

a great actor, what is your point.