More news about Zendaya’s role in "Spiderman: Homecoming" was recently reported. The Wrap originally reported that she is playing the iconic character Mary-Jane Watson, Spiderman's most prolific love interest. I was not surprised, as I figured this was to be her role early one after she was cast. She is a high profile celebrity, and a small role would not be the best use of her talents or her star power.
This report was met with criticism, largely due to both Zendaya’s race and lack of red hair color.
That is not to say that other fans were not excited about the revelation. While I was originally shocked at the prospect of a black woman playing a traditionally white character, I let it go. If she was playing MJ, then that was it. The actors are there to tell the story, and while race can sometimes factor in, their ability to act is what actually matters.
Look at the success of “Hamilton: An American Musical”. Most of the actors are POC, but are portraying men who were famously white. How can we love this musical, but dislike Zendaya’s casting? We love “Hamilton” because of the story and the people who tell it. If it had been an all-white production, would the story be the same impact as it does now?
Besides, who will Zendaya’s portrayal of Mary-Jane hurt? Yes, it will be a departure from the character we are used to, but let us think about the era in which the character was originally created. I don’t have to explain to you the societal norms and expectations of the media during 1965 when she was first introduced. Black characters were not as common as they should have been, and if they were, then maybe we’d have more iconic black characters.
Besides, there is nothing in the history of the character that specifically calls for her to be white. Mary Jane has a fiery personality and that is equally important, and I believe that Zendaya has the potential to bring that to the silver screen. Yes, the red hair is iconic, but there is nothing that says it can’t be dyed. I can see the argument in that one, but that is easily solved. Kirsten Dunst is actually blonde, for the record.
James Gunn, director of "Guardians of the Galaxy," recently spoke out on Facebook about the backlash that came after The Wrap's report.
For me, if a character's primary attribute - the thing that makes them iconic - is the color of their skin, or their hair color, frankly, that character is shallow and sucks. For me, what makes MJ MJ is her alpha female playfulness, and if the actress captures that, then she'll work. And, for the record, I think Zendaya even matches what I think of as MJ's primary physical characteristics - she's a tall, thin model - much more so than actresses have in the past.
To also clarify, he stated that he had no idea whether Zendaya was actually cast in the role of Mary Jane, despite reading the script and meeting her.
Marvel makes calculated decisions and you can be sure that if they chose Zendaya for Mary Jane, then they had a very good reason for it. I know I am excited to see her in this film and will definitely see it this summer.
