There’s a drama series about Anne Boleyn to air soon on C5.

Lets get it out of the way, the actress is black.

Now I fully understand that drama, acting etc is all willing suspension and the colour of skin here is irrelevant.

But. And it’s a biggie - this is actually a massive kick in the balls for the Black Lives Matter movement and indeed any anti-racism campaign.

Rather than tackling issues about racism, this is simply a cynical attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator and appease wokists.

it’s been normal for centuries to use actors of all backgrounds to play fictional characters, and that’s accepted and perfectly normal.

But, can you imagine the reaction if Sean Bean was cast in the role of Martin Luther King?

Stuff like this only adds fuel to the fire and its cynical as fuck.

Edited May 25, 20215 yr by Spider

Yeah I've never understood these endless remakes of things for diversity's sake, why not do something original featuring BAME characters or historical fiction from BAME authors

Edited May 25, 20215 yr by jmjhb

Basically, no one, least of all non-white people, would have batted an eyelid if the actress had been white.

Its virtue signalling of the worst kind and actually sets the whole narrative backwards several steps.

Unneccessary.

She should do the noble thing and white up 

Just now, Rudy said:

She should do the noble thing and white up 

😁

Dead right.

Even I’m getting tired of organisations trying to out-virtue others by actually using their platforms to crack on that they’re the most concerned.

What really annoys me here isn’t the actress or what they’ve done, it’s the knowledge that they’ll just create needless bollocks in order to gain publicity for viewers.

the daft cunts.

6 minutes ago, Spider said:

There’s a drama series about Anne Boleyn to air soon on C5.

Lets get it out of the way, the actress is black.

Now I fully understand that drama, acting etc is all willing suspension and the colour of skin here is irrelevant.

But. And it’s a biggie - this is actually a massive kick in the balls for the Black Lives Matter movement and indeed any anti-racism campaign.

Rather than tackling issues about racism, this is simply a cynical attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator and appease wokists.

it’s been normal for centuries to use actors of all backgrounds to play fictional characters, and that’s accepted and perfectly normal.

But, can you imagine the reaction if Sean Bean was cast in the role of Martin Luther King?

Stuff like this only adds fuel to the fire and its cynical as fuck.

To be fair I’m very surprised she isn’t in a wheelchair or missing a limb as well?

Just now, Escobarp said:

To be fair I’m very surprised she isn’t in a wheelchair or missing a limb as well?

I’ve not watched it. Chances are she’s got a massive cock and identifies as a partridge in this

To be consistent they should have had Henry viii as a China man and Thomas Cromwell as a native American. Why is it just black folk who are getting a look in?

Just now, Spider said:

I’ve not watched it. Chances are she’s got a massive cock and identifies as a partridge in this

😬 @royal whitelikes this

4 minutes ago, Spider said:

I’ve not watched it. Chances are she’s got a massive cock and identifies as a partridge in this

a ha!! 😁

Michael LeVell is set to play Bill Cosby and I’m all for it now 

Alex Haley’s Roots with a cast of honkeys

24 minutes ago, Escobarp said:

😬 @royal whitelikes this

I got a twinge 😉

28 minutes ago, Burnden Pies said:

To be consistent they should have had Henry viii as a China man and Thomas Cromwell as a native American. Why is it just black folk who are getting a look in?

A fucking China man.

Made me chuckle that did.

Edited May 25, 20215 yr by Francis Fogarty

Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature, Asian-British, please...

33 minutes ago, Youri McAnespie said:

Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature, Asian-British, please...

or left arm wrist spinner?

7 hours ago, Rudy said:

Michael LeVell is set to play Bill Cosby and I’m all for it now 

Method acting?

8 hours ago, Spider said:

There’s a drama series about Anne Boleyn to air soon on C5.

Lets get it out of the way, the actress is black.

Now I fully understand that drama, acting etc is all willing suspension and the colour of skin here is irrelevant.

But. And it’s a biggie - this is actually a massive kick in the balls for the Black Lives Matter movement and indeed any anti-racism campaign.

Rather than tackling issues about racism, this is simply a cynical attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator and appease wokists.

it’s been normal for centuries to use actors of all backgrounds to play fictional characters, and that’s accepted and perfectly normal.

But, can you imagine the reaction if Sean Bean was cast in the role of Martin Luther King?

Stuff like this only adds fuel to the fire and its cynical as fuck.

did we not have a hot summer 

and she got a good TAN 

8 hours ago, Escobarp said:

To be fair I’m very surprised she isn’t in a wheelchair or missing a limb as well?

Strictly speaking, they should be adding one. She allegedly had six fingers on one hand. There’s also a scene where where she kisses Jane Seymour. (Not the actress who has different coloured eyes) Pretty much everything covered now.

To be honest, this has been happening for a very long time, from all types of backgrounds. Its about a broader issue, its got bog all to do with her being black. Its about having casting not just based on certain types - its simply widening the casting net to get the best actor. I hope in 10-15 years time it won't be a something that is even commented on. But it is an interesting point, and 'colourblind' casting has its critics within the black creative community, but for very different reasons as outlined above. Its a long read but this seminal speech by August Wilson; https://www.americantheatre.org/2016/06/20/the-ground-on-which-i-stand/ says that there shouldn't be an acceptance of just filling in White roles, because they are not Black roles - its a way of rubbing away history and another form of cultural dominance. 

Colorblind casting is an aberrant idea that has never had any validity other than as a tool of the Cultural Imperialists who view their American culture, rooted in the icons of European culture, as beyond reproach in its perfection. It is inconceivable to them that life could be lived and enriched without knowing Shakespeare or Mozart. Their gods, their manners, their being, are the only true and correct representations of humankind. They refuse to recognize black conduct and manners as part of a system that is fueled by its own philosophy, mythology, history, creative motif, social organization, and ethos. The idea that blacks have their own way of responding to the world, their own values, style, linguistics, their own religion and aesthetics, is unacceptable to them.

The Ground on Which I Stand speech has been debated for a long time now and its just a valid a discussion then as it is now, especially as we move away from traditional casting such as Women playing men's roles does add a different interpretation to text, and that's interesting. I don't believe these things are set in aspic, and they only continue to have more resonance and reach more people because we adapt them, change them and make them relevant. But there is the problem as is outlined above.

Interestingly The best version of Death of a Salesman I've seen was the Young Vic's production starring Wendell Pierce and that was referenced in the speech above, as the director said at the time; “I mean, it’s essential that we have new stories that are written from [a black] perspective, that we don’t only rehash old plays and try to do them from that perspective because then that’s just a further erasure of the narrative. However, I would say if you flip the narrative and say only the only people who are ever allowed to speak this text are old white men, for me, then that seems incredibly reductive”

So, this debate has been raging for a very long time - to place it as some sort of modern 'woke' phenomenon is to give whatever is termed 'wokism' is far to much power and credence. Its much more important than that.

Who's arsed, really?

Jesus has been depicted as a white bloke for centuries.

8 minutes ago, DazBob said:

Who's arsed, really?

Jesus has been depicted as a white bloke for centuries.

11 minutes ago, DazBob said:

Who's arsed, really?

Jesus has been depicted as a white bloke for centuries.

He was a Jew. Never really noticed a colour difference with the Jews I’ve seen. No idea about 2000 years ago though.

11 hours ago, Youri McAnespie said:

Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature,

one of my favourite films that. I often think of you as a "Dude" type character drinking white Russians (using Brasso instead of milk obvs) 🙂

 

I bet you have a rug that really ties the room together n'all

20 minutes ago, DazBob said:

Who's arsed, really?

 

nobody, apart from those who like to be outraged by such matters because they have little of any real importance going on in their lives