"Recently, Hollywood has begun a colorblind casting system for period pieces, as seen in Enola Holmes and Bridgerton. While some audiences devoured these stories, many have taken issue with these casting choices as people feel they are not historically accurate and romanticize times of discrimination towards people of color." -- Zoe Mastropasqua, 11th grade
Recently, Hollywood has begun a colorblind casting system for period pieces, as seen in Enola Holmes and Bridgerton. While some audiences devoured these stories, many have taken issue with these casting choices as people feel they are not historically accurate and romanticize times of discrimination towards people of color. In her article, “Casting Black actors in period pieces isn’t diversity. It’s history.” Helena Andrews-Dyer states, “Historical accuracy is usually the explanation offered when fans point out the glaring lack of diversity [In period pieces], as if women and people of color didn’t exist before 1960.” This is saying that in the past, people of color had to be placed in roles of oppression or not shown at all because that’s historically where they belong.
People of color have been prominent throughout history, and it is insulting and inaccurate to present them only as subjugated figures. They were powerful rulers, writers, artists, nobility, and advisors, traditionally depicted as white in Hollywood and, therefore, in the public imagination. This has led to people of color, especially in history, being perceived as white, like General Alexandre Dumas, a half-African, half-French General who, alongside Napoleon, Jesus, and even Santa Claus. The real Santa Claus, for example, was of southern Greek and Turkish descent and, as stated in the article, Researchers find the real face of Father Christmas Santa Claus would probably have had “olive skin, dark brown eyes, and a wide chin and brow.” (The Guardian)
This is similar to Jesus Christ, who was Middle Eastern and Jewish and would have had very few “white” features. Even other people in Jesus's story, such as the wise men, were often depicted as people of color, so why do we now deny their existence?
Ms. Tavia Percia, the head of the OSA Theater department stated, “I think that when people try to cast anything before the 19th century they either go towards the idea of slavery or they go towards the idea of black people existed but they weren’t socialites or Latin folks existed but they weren’t in power, which is just not true.”
She went on to say that when discussing these stories, “we have to consider oppression because it is a real thing,” but she also wanted to see more depictions of people of color than oppressed. She wanted to see “people of color depicted in power because that existed. I would like to see more people of color depicted in love, I would like to see more people of color not oppressed because there were people that were not, and there are groups of people that believe that their existence in America began with slavery and that's a very false statement.”
The thought that people of color have no place in period pieces is absurd and untrue. Ms. Tavia stated, “We are part of a country that was built off the backs of people of color, so [I would like to see us] really authentically using this platform to tell those stories, from a place of truth and honesty, and not always oppression. Obviously, we have been oppressed but there’s so much more to the stories of black, brown, and Asian folks in the world.” The erasure of people of color from period pieces would mean the erasure of the history of many individuals who lived, loved, and suffered during these times. Instead of erasing that, we should be telling those stories.
Although we should include people of color in films about specific eras, the conversation on diversity becomes a little more complicated when talking about remakes of films from the 1900s to the 1980s. With these, we shouldn’t necessarily be looking for color-blind casting. We should look for color-conscious casting. Actors and stars of color existed back then. Ignoring that actors and stars of color have always existed erases history. Instead of recasting a white role with a person of color, why not write roles for people of color?
In Tambay Obenson’s article The Little Mermaid’: A Milestone in Colorblind Casting, But Black Fairy Tales Need Representation Too, Obenson says, “the emphasis on colorblind casting over-investment in original black characters and stories only assists in the continuous sidelining of significant creative expressions of black history and culture, which risk being entirely forgotten…Likewise, instead of a black James Bond, why not create a black action hero franchise of equal caliber?”
Instead of continuing to whitewash history and actors, we are in an age where we have access to more information than ever, and we should be evolved enough to see history as it was. Saying that people of color don’t belong in older pieces is like saying that these actors and directors never existed and that all their work and sacrifices were for nothing. Of course, many roles for people of color in the 1900s were racist and stereotypical, but many weren’t. It's just as important to learn about the nonracist empowering roles, as it is to learn about the ones that slandered people of color.
People of color have been calling out the strange way colorblind casting is handled in Hollywood, and it still hasn’t changed. It's about time that Hollywood learned that people of color have been around since the beginning of humanity and have lived as people, not just poor, pitiful, individuals, but leaders, princesses, actors, kings, queens, and stars. It's time that they get over the fact that whether they like it or not, much of the world was built on the backs of people of color, and they belong everywhere.
Sources:
https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/little-mermaid-colorblind-casting-black-fairy-tales-1202155988/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/11/07/harder-they-fall-diversity-period-pieces/
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/dec/13/highereducation.uk#:~:text=The%20real%20Saint%20Nicholas%20is,for%204th%20century%20religious%20leaders.
People of color have been prominent throughout history, and it is insulting and inaccurate to present them only as subjugated figures. They were powerful rulers, writers, artists, nobility, and advisors, traditionally depicted as white in Hollywood and, therefore, in the public imagination. This has led to people of color, especially in history, being perceived as white, like General Alexandre Dumas, a half-African, half-French General who, alongside Napoleon, Jesus, and even Santa Claus. The real Santa Claus, for example, was of southern Greek and Turkish descent and, as stated in the article, Researchers find the real face of Father Christmas Santa Claus would probably have had “olive skin, dark brown eyes, and a wide chin and brow.” (The Guardian)
This is similar to Jesus Christ, who was Middle Eastern and Jewish and would have had very few “white” features. Even other people in Jesus's story, such as the wise men, were often depicted as people of color, so why do we now deny their existence?
Ms. Tavia Percia, the head of the OSA Theater department stated, “I think that when people try to cast anything before the 19th century they either go towards the idea of slavery or they go towards the idea of black people existed but they weren’t socialites or Latin folks existed but they weren’t in power, which is just not true.”
She went on to say that when discussing these stories, “we have to consider oppression because it is a real thing,” but she also wanted to see more depictions of people of color than oppressed. She wanted to see “people of color depicted in power because that existed. I would like to see more people of color depicted in love, I would like to see more people of color not oppressed because there were people that were not, and there are groups of people that believe that their existence in America began with slavery and that's a very false statement.”
The thought that people of color have no place in period pieces is absurd and untrue. Ms. Tavia stated, “We are part of a country that was built off the backs of people of color, so [I would like to see us] really authentically using this platform to tell those stories, from a place of truth and honesty, and not always oppression. Obviously, we have been oppressed but there’s so much more to the stories of black, brown, and Asian folks in the world.” The erasure of people of color from period pieces would mean the erasure of the history of many individuals who lived, loved, and suffered during these times. Instead of erasing that, we should be telling those stories.
Although we should include people of color in films about specific eras, the conversation on diversity becomes a little more complicated when talking about remakes of films from the 1900s to the 1980s. With these, we shouldn’t necessarily be looking for color-blind casting. We should look for color-conscious casting. Actors and stars of color existed back then. Ignoring that actors and stars of color have always existed erases history. Instead of recasting a white role with a person of color, why not write roles for people of color?
In Tambay Obenson’s article The Little Mermaid’: A Milestone in Colorblind Casting, But Black Fairy Tales Need Representation Too, Obenson says, “the emphasis on colorblind casting over-investment in original black characters and stories only assists in the continuous sidelining of significant creative expressions of black history and culture, which risk being entirely forgotten…Likewise, instead of a black James Bond, why not create a black action hero franchise of equal caliber?”
Instead of continuing to whitewash history and actors, we are in an age where we have access to more information than ever, and we should be evolved enough to see history as it was. Saying that people of color don’t belong in older pieces is like saying that these actors and directors never existed and that all their work and sacrifices were for nothing. Of course, many roles for people of color in the 1900s were racist and stereotypical, but many weren’t. It's just as important to learn about the nonracist empowering roles, as it is to learn about the ones that slandered people of color.
People of color have been calling out the strange way colorblind casting is handled in Hollywood, and it still hasn’t changed. It's about time that Hollywood learned that people of color have been around since the beginning of humanity and have lived as people, not just poor, pitiful, individuals, but leaders, princesses, actors, kings, queens, and stars. It's time that they get over the fact that whether they like it or not, much of the world was built on the backs of people of color, and they belong everywhere.
Sources:
https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/little-mermaid-colorblind-casting-black-fairy-tales-1202155988/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/11/07/harder-they-fall-diversity-period-pieces/
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/dec/13/highereducation.uk#:~:text=The%20real%20Saint%20Nicholas%20is,for%204th%20century%20religious%20leaders.
