If you are looking for a place to find diversity, California is the where to be. From authentic mexican food, Chinatown, and people from every part of the globe, you’d think that everything here would be pretty open to anyone and everyone. But alas, there is one place that has become officially known for it’s white washed practices, and it’s not a place any of us would expect- Hollywood, CA.
The place where directors, actors, and the like all converge to make the television shows and movies, you would think that the movie capital would be chalked full of people of every ethnicity. Instead, the majority of main roles in movies have been monopolized by caucasian actors, altering their appearances to play roles of characters from other ethnicities. Here are eight movies in which ethnic roles were given non-ethnic people.
1. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Based on a video game, the majority of the actors cast for this movie were Caucasian, including the famous Jake Gyllenhaal. This would be completely fine if all the characters hadn’t been Middle Eastern. Awkward.
2. The Lone Ranger (2013)
Everyone loves a good Johnny Depp movie, just not when he’s trying to pass as a Native American. Though his intentions were to “restore some dignity to the role”, the movie tanked in office boxes and is forever known as the time Depp insulted everyone of Native American descent.
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2010)
Taken from a beloved cartoon series, which was created from a comic book, this movie completely mutilated everyone’s childhood. Not only was the plot a horrible mess, the main characters were played by lighter skinned actors while the antagonist was significantly darker than the heroes. The implications of that are not subtle.
4. Gods of Egypt (2014)
Okay, so we all know where Egypt is, right? It’s Africa, with the majority of the people there known as Arabs. So why the heck are actors like Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau playing ancient gods when they’re Scottish and Danish? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
5. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
This movie has the same problems as #4, but I feel like this one is much worse. Just like its predecessor The Ten Commandments (1956), with Charlton Heston as Moses, the major characters are completely white washed. Moses is played by Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton playing Ramases, despite the fact that neither of them are Egyptian.
6. Argo ( 2012)
The movie Argo, winning Best Picture at the Oscars, tells the true story of Tony Mendes, a CIA agent who created a fake sci-fi movie in order to save American prisoners from Tehran. It was a great movie, critics loved it. The only thing that stood out was the fact that Mendes, a man of Mexican descent, was played by Irish Ben Affleck. I guess even history is changeable in movies.
7. Harry Potter (2001-2011)
If you’re a Harry Potter fan of any sort, you’ve probably heard about this one. Lavender Brown, a small role in both the movies and the films, was first casted as a black girl when she was only in the background. Then suddenly, when Lavander Brown takes on a more prominent role in the films, beginning with Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince, she’s twirled around and magically turned white. I suppose us muggles weren’t suppose to catch on to the oversight.
8. Weekend at Tiffany’s (1961)
