The Race and Ethnicity of Actors

Does the racial or ethnic background of an actor really matter?

I remember watching a production of Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' on PBS when I was a kid. The actors weren't Italians, and they didn't speak Latin. They were Brits speaking the Queen's Enslish. (I'll have to do some research, but I'm fairly certain that Julius Caesar wasn't British.)

When Shakespeare's own theater company put on its first production of 'Antony and Cleopatra', they probably didn't cast an Egyptian woman as Cleopatra. They probably didn't cast a woman at all - a young Englishman played the role. 

Acting is pretending. Theater is a well-crafted illusion. 

If a Chinese theater company wants to stage a production of Hamlet, should they feel compelled to fly in actors from Denmark? I'm certain that they Chinese can handle it. (Imagine hearing those soliloquies performed in Mandarin!)

Kurosawa's critically acclaimed film 'Ran' was effectively 'King Lear' set in feudal Japan. Kurosawa had previously influenced the West when his 'Seven Samurai' (1954) was adapted by Hollywood as 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960).

Granted, casting has suffered its share of abuses over the years. Blackface was a disgusting charicature of people of African descent. Depictions of Asians by White actors were often tasteless and disturbing. But I hesitate to call that acting. It was exploitive buffoonery, and we would do well to purge the lot of it from our collective cultural memory.

When real actors exercise their craft, the performance transcends the physical body and cultural identity of the performer. A Jew played presumably Italian-Catholic Arthur Fonzarelli on television's 'Happy Days'; no one seemed to mind. Henry Winkler played the role with verve and conviction; the character became a cultural icon.

Think of the creative possibilities of open minded casting - an African American actor playing Lincoln, for instance, or a Japanese actor playing McArthur. How about a remake of 'The Dirty Dozen' starring twelve women, or a gay men's version of 'Sense and Sensibilities'?

Creativity shouldn't have to adhere to boundaries. Art about breaking through boundaries and exploring new territory.

So, the next time you see a casting role that doesn't sit well with you, don't blame Hollywood. Don't whine about who isn't going to the Academy Awards. Instead, take a long, hard look in the mirror, accept that you may have some unresolved issues. Because that's what art does; it challenges you to grow as a person.

"And that's all I've got to say about that."

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

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