I'm all for diversity, but if portraying an historical figure this is just not on in my book.

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-m...-release-date/

Same in Bridgerton .... having black British aristocracy characters in the early 1800s, including Queen Charlotte. In a historical drama skin colour of characters is an important part of the costume - imagine if a historical black character was played by a white actor, there would be absolute outrage.

Jeeez. If she's a good actress, does it really matter? It should take one about 5 seconds to accept the fact that she's black eventhough she is portraying a pasty-skinned Tudor woman.

Besides, we have had to put up with 2 millennia of white Jesus' portraying a brown Palestinian.

Haven't seen it because I have no time but the reviews were excellent.

Yeah, I was thinking what would everyone say if they cast a white actor to play Martin Luther King. But hey, skin colour doesn't matter, right?

Only in one direction

I haven't seen the series, so can't comment on how the story is portrayed in this instance. However, as a general comment on the idea:

My favorite musical is 'Hamilton', where the roles of the founding fathers are played by actors who are Black, hispanic, asian. As Lin Manuel Miranda said "It's the story of American then, told by American now'.

And it works, brilliantly.

Switching gender, race, time, place, etc. in the theatrical arts is not new - it's been going on forever, long before 'wokeness' became a thing. Directors love to do this with Shakespeare, Molière, Sophocles, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini - pretty much all the classics of theater and opera.

In fact, most productions I have seen at the Zürich Opera are set in some time and place other than the original, and often cast against character. And it often works. When it doesn't it's usually because the switch itself seems to have been put center stage, overshadowing the story.

In the arts, historical stories are often subject to artistic license in service of a differing interpretation. After all, it's art. The story part of history can transcend narrow definitions when the ideas are universal.

I'm rather looking forward to seeing this Anne Boleyn.

At least a woman is playing a woman role. In the good old times of theater a man would take the role, the stage is too risky for women!

Was Jesus white? Doubtful.

I'm outraged by the fact that she's not played by a man. ...oh hang on, men bad, except... ok I'm outraged that she's not played by a trans man/woman. The audacity.

I suppose we shouldn't see colour, nor gender so in theory anyone can play anyone else if they're a good enough actor (of all genders). If a non-native English speaker puts on a native accent is that racist? Is it racist when american actors put on ridiculous English accents in American sit-coms? Maybe the actors should all use their own regional accent, like the in the Heidi movie where no-one sounds the least bit Swiss/German/Austrian. Is "White Girls" racist?

For the groups who have experienced substantial oppression having someone play them from outside their group could be considered a propagation of that oppression whereas playing a character outside of that group is free opportunity.

Unless skin colour is a particular part of the story or narrative, this female actor - this actor - is simply playing a role. Should she not be allowed to play that role because of the colour of her skin? If you think so, you're racist by definition.

I heard that the Simpsons had to find a different voice actor for Karl, because he was black and the actor wasn't. This I find ridiculous. Can then black actors not voice white characters?

"I'm not a racist but..."

Probably not but he had really blue eyes.

I guess I don’t see the point in spending a fortune on accurate costume and set then ignoring something as obvious as a historical characters skin colour.

It’s the double standard isn’t it. White person plays black person = equals racist and anyone who says otherwise is racist. Black person plays white person = fine and anyone who says otherwise is racist.

I think it is safe to say that for people who are not white to have truly equal rights as actors and actresses (in addition to everything else in life), they must be allowed to get parts in historical or period dramas where they are not playing slaves or servants or other racial stereotypes. This is a concept that, while possibly not immediately having entered your mind, you also shouldn't have too much of a hard time getting your head around.

Yes, we all know that the Ann Boleyn wasn't black, but we have to look past the skin colour and accept that a black actress is playing a white woman and that she should be treated as though she is visually a white woman for the part she is playing.

Other ethnicities playing white people is a new (and welcome) development in modern TV and Cinema (especially in serious period/historical dramas as opposed to comedy) so yeah, it's going to take a little getting used to in order to fully suspend disbelief... but within a decade it will just be business as usual and 'most people' won't even think twice about it.

Maybe they can use CGI to make her look white.

Tom

Now that's a big groan from me.

I understand if someone has difficulty believing the portrayal of a historical character if the actor used is of a completely different colour or race. I've seen Bridgerton and found it interesting but I couldn't quite relate to the historical significance of the characters.

This current trend of casting actors to display diversity is fantastic but for some, it might take away the believability of historic figures. I certainly wouldn't paint anyone with a "you are racist" brush just because they have problems with the plausibility. That's jumping the gun.

__________________
Faith isn't about everything turning out okay. Faith is about being okay no matter how things turn out.

For me it's just there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. I've no doubt Hamilton may be a good or even great show, but I doubt I'd go to see it. Same as I dropped watching Dr Who when the sex change happened. I doubt even Time Lords (or should that be Ladies) chromosomes can change that much.

For me such things spoil the enjoyment. I remember a live action Cinderella from Disney many years ago where the father was white, the mother was black and their son Asian. I couldn't tell you how good or bad the whole thing might have been because that's all I remember of it; that's the sole impression it left with me - the mixed up family.

And just because I draw lines on what I'll watch or not doesn't make me racist Landers. I just like my historical programmes to be somewhat accurate. This one sadly isn't.

Of course, black men playing white women has been done:



Tom

Actually if you are saying that a black woman playing a white woman is a "line that should not be crossed", despite having presumably seen and enjoyed many classic movies during your time as a more venerable member of society, where white people played blacks/asians/arabs (Lawrence of Arabia etc spring to mind?), then it certainly does give you a certain bias against race as well as shows that you are somewhat wilfully ignorant of the times we live in.

What rubbish.

Tom