Some roles I don’t see the need to be diverse – 007 should remain to the typecast (for me) – in the same way that Shaft shouldn’t be a white dude.
Don't confuse 007 the agent with James Bond the character, but the comparison with Shaft is an interesting one and it's making me think a bit, so thanks.
Don’t confuse 007 the agent with James Bond the character
Well, yes. I was going to say James, rather than 007 - but still in the context of the story, they are 'usually' one and the same. JB being replaced by a black woman as 007 was not a problem, they were bringing in JB's replacement, who could have come from any background - the whole furore over that was ridiculous
There is "diversity" => equal opportunities for all and there is "diversity" => positive discrimination. To conflate the two would be a mistake (assuming it's not done intentionally1).
As far as I'm aware, Whittaker was chosen because she auditioned as the best actor for the job rather than due to any woke agenda of "let's hire a woman this time". It's not like they needed to do that solely as a box-ticking exercise, they'd already ticked it with Missy.
The role of 007 doesn't "need to be diverse" but I'm seeing little reason why it can't be. Is being a suave psychopath and serial shagger the exclusive domain of middle-aged white blokes?
Shaft on the other hand, the whole point of the character is that he was black, was it not, it's central to the character? (I've never seen it.) You couldn't diversify that any more than you could cast Rupert Grint in a biopic of Nelson Mandella. It's not an equivalence (and indeed, "whitewashing" is problematic generally).
(and we're away...)
Apparently the studio (MGM) were trying to shoehorn a white actor into the original Shaft, thankfully that didn't happen. It wasn't originally written to be based around a badass cool black dude tbh
Its not about positive discrimination or equal opportunities for actors. It's about representation and putting a diverse range of role models on screen that so everyone can identify with them.
It's a GOOD THING.
Am I the only person to notice that he played a teenager in Sex Education but was in his late 20s!
There are lots of good reasons why they didn't cast teenagers in those roles, and the clue's in the name of the programme.
Shaft on the other hand, the whole point of the character is that he was black, was it not, it’s central to the character? (I’ve never seen it.) You couldn’t diversify that any more than you could cast Rupert Grint in a biopic of Nelson Mandella.
That's exactly the reasoning. In the MCU, Black Panther could only ever be played by a Black actor, because the character's race is so central to the role, and only white actors could play Hydra characters because of the links with the Nazis, but the race of other characters is irrelevant so could be anyone.
Shaft on the other hand, the whole point of the character is that he was black, was it not
Not really originally, it did however develop into what we know now
You might be wondering: Why on earth would you cast a milquetoast Bay Aryan to portray a character known for being A) an African American icon and B) smooth as shit? That's because neither of those things was true until the movie was well into production. Before that, the only thing Black about John Shaft was the color of his skin. Shaft's creator, pulp fiction author/"very WASPY person from Ohio" Ernest Tidyman, had no interest in or experience of inner-city African American life, only wanting to pen "a detective story, not a Black power tome." The singular reason he described John Shaft as "a big, black man in a grey lightweight wool suit moving quickly through the morning" on page two was that Tidyman's (also white) editor wanted to tap into the rising market of African Americans buying cheap crime thrillers.
007 should remain to the typecast (for me)
Do you mean Scottish?
The singular reason he described John Shaft as “a big, black man in a grey lightweight wool suit moving quickly through the morning” on page two was that Tidyman’s (also white) editor wanted to tap into the rising market of African Americans buying cheap crime thrillers.
That may well be true but despite what it might've said in a first draft, that is what was popularised in published works and Shaft became known for being "the first black action hero." It may have been little more than a cynical marketing gimmick to start with but it's one which is now firmly established.
Again, whitewashing is a problem. Idris Elba crops up time and again as a fan favourite to replace Daniel Craig. I can see little valid reason how anyone could find that casting objectionable. But the reverse just isn't the case, are we really going to see a reboot of "the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks [who would] risk his neck for his brother man" starring Ralf Little?
(mind you, that's a photoshop waiting to happen😂)
I can see little valid reason how anyone could find that casting objectionable
I object
I can't bear his acting
But the reverse just isn’t the case, are we really going to see a reboot of “the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks [who would] risk his neck for his brother man” starring Ralf Little?
I'd pay to watch that 🤣
