” When I first set out to write this article, I was under the impression that the film industry was stressing the importance of diversity in its films and its career options. Diversity means different races and cultures co-existing in positive ways. The reality is that Hollywood has yet to completely show the importance of this diversity.
Diversity within the film industry is important in order to provide people of different cultures with positive role models. This is important to me because of my aspirations of someday becoming a film director. Seeing Latino producers, directors, and actors makes me feel more secure that I will have a future within the industry. Also, movies tell stories and introduce us to many worlds. Audiences learn from films that promote different cultures.
The most common pattern that I see in movies these days is what I like to call the “Black and White” theory. In the majority of films I see, the cast of main characters is always just black and white. There’s nothing wrong with doing this except for one thing: there are more races of people than just black and white, like me, a Mexican-American. It seems to me that by casting only black and white characters they think they solve the diversity issue.
For example, “Deep Impact,” a movie about a meteor hitting Earth, portrays a modern U.S. president as black, which is a major accomplishment, yet it still managed to lack other cultures. For an event that would involve the whole world, I only saw black and white main characters.
One scene that made me feel just plain uncomfortable was a scene in which actor Elijah Wood’s character is watching the news on a small TV outside of a beat up old van with a large group of men. These men are all dressed poorly and appear to be somewhat dirty. Now here’s the kicker: they’re all Latino. Why would anyone put a scene like that in a film? What are they trying to say? What I saw was what looked like a group of illegal immigrants trying to sneak into the country. So not only are they dirty, they’re also breaking the law! It was the only scene in the whole movie in which I saw someone of my own race and they were portrayed as dirty law breaking poor people! That is certainly not a view I see of myself or of my race!
In order to avoid negative portrayals of any race, what if actors were cast solely based upon their performance? Some in Hollywood think this is possible although their actions don’t prove that point. At first glance you may agree that it is color-blind casting, but upon closer inspection you may realize that it’s far from it.
Is color-blind casting possible?
Recently, a made-for-television film was released boasting that it had a color-blind cast and that it was a film promoting multiculturism, according to a Disney press release. It was Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” released on ABC’s “The Wonderful World of Disney.” In theory, the idea seemed like a good way to promote diversity, but unfortunately it failed.
The film retells the story of Cinderella and her dreams of falling in love someday. The black cast includes Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother, and Whoopi Goldberg as the queen. The white cast includes Bernadette Peters as the evil stepmother, Jason Alexander as Lionel the servant, and Victor Garber as the king. The Asian cast is only Paolo Montalban as the prince.
Again, I saw the “Black and White” theory at work. The entire cast, except for the prince who is Filipino, was either black or white. True multiculturism would have been having more than one Asian character and considering some Hispanic roles as well. The film does show interracial relationships are possible, but that is not enough.
“Cinderella” gives an impossible view of diversity because relationships between the characters didn’t seem very realistic. For example, the queen is black and the king is white, that much is realistic, but for them to have a son who is Filipino is a little hard to believe, unless he’s adopted. If the queen is black and the king white, then a biracial son is realistic. Another aspect in the story that I found totally hard to believe is when the prince searches for Cinderella using the glass slipper. Women of every race are trying on the shoe and yet it does not occur to the prince that Cinderella is black.
Why do whites play other races?
Is it acceptable for an actor to play a role that is not of their race? For many years many actors have done just that. A white actor can play an English role, a Chinese actor can play a Korean role, a Puerto Rican actor can play a Mexican role. In every case the two cultures share physical characteristics. Perhaps that’s why it is so acceptable.
I found myself wondering why Anthony Hopkins was playing a Mexican role when I went to see “The Mask of Zorro.” Here’s a film that has Mexican characters, a perfect opportunity for Latino actors to be showcased, yet the film had no Mexican actors. The film was great. But having British actor Anthony Hopkins playing a Mexican? It’s obvious that they slapped on some tan paint, dyed his hair black, and gave him some language instruction (which didn’t help much). Why go through all that trouble when they could just have given the role to a real Mexican actor? Hollywood has many major Latino actors that could have done the role just as well and even better than Hopkins. In my opinion, the role should have been offered to actor Edward James Olmos, a Latino actor that could have given the role a better sense of realism.
If an actor can portray a character of another race without it being obvious than I can accept that. Antonio Banderas is a Spanish actor which isn’t far off, and Catherine Zeta Jones is a British actress who convincingly played her role. I actually thought she was Mexican. Unfortunately, Hopkins was not as convincing.
With all these examples of what’s wrong in Hollywood when it comes to diversity it’s hard to believe that there are some positive things being done. Films have been made focusing on a particular culture and introducing it to audiences throughout the world. These films include “The Joy Luck Club,” a story of four Asian American daughters and their Asian mothers; “Mi Familia,” a story of a Mexican American family spanning three generations; and “Selena,” the true life story of the famous Latina singer and her tragic death.
Interracial relationships on film are also important because they promote diversity and allow underrepresented people to be heard. “Fools Rush In,” a romantic comedy starring Matthew Perry as Alex Whitman, a white businessman, and Salma Hayek as Isabel Fuentes, a Latina photographer, explores what happens when two very different cultures collide. They face several obstacles, such as arguing over what religion their child would be raised on—he being a Protestant and she being a Catholic. In the end they reach a compromise based on a shared belief in fate. These films make me think more positively over falling in love, regardless of race.
The best way that I can show how diversity can be portrayed accurately is by giving my own example of it. To do this I decided to choose a film and cast the characters according to my standards. The film I chose was “Armageddon,” another movie about Earth being hit by an asteroid. First of all, I would leave Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper. He’s a good actor and is “Box Office” material, meaning that his name attracts audiences. Instead of Liv Tyler playing his daughter, Grace Stamper, it would be African-American actress Tyra Banks portraying the role. She is light-skinned, so she can portray Harry’s biracial daughter. Instead of casting Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost, I would give the part to Asian American actor Russell Wong. He would make a good hero and love interest, and the cast would be even more diverse. As NASA Executive Director Dan Truman, I would choose Andy Garcia for the role instead of Billy Bob Thornton. It is a position of power, so having a Latino in the role is a positive role model.
By doing this I create a cast of very diverse people who all co-exist together. This is the message that Hollywood should express when it comes to diversity. Besides entertaining, movies educate people. For that reason Hollywood must portray diversity in an accurate and positive way.”