what if ?

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

Robert Gray

Well-Known Member
all i'll say about that is the color of their skin has no bearing on their character. is jimmy olsen still a photographer? is perry white still an editor? do josie and the pussycats still sing? they do? then there isn't a problem, other than the possible impression you're giving by focusing solely on that as a negative. but that's your choice. people didn't love them because they were white, or if they did, they were loving them for all the wrong reasons. attitude. character. personality. i guess it's time to trot out the cliche "it's what's on the inside that counts" . . . but it's a cliche because it's true.

Well.... I have to disagree. The color of skin does matter. Are you saying that Blackthorn's adventures in Japan are not informed by his skin color and Western culture (Shogun). How about King's The Green Mile? What about How to Kill a Mockingbird? Obviously I've just laid out a few where race is a KEY issue in the conflict, but that isn't the only place where it matters. Skin color is a character defining feature. Whether we like it or not, ethnicity is a factor in sub-culture in this country (and most others). It informs. It is part of the experience. Can Jimmy Olsen be black? Sure. I've seen that in the Supergirl television series. In that case, his ethnicity has no bearing. There are characters in fiction for whom ethnicity and gender are irrelevant. You will never hear me make a peep in that case. There are, however, characters whose story is deeply affected by such choices. I am always going to be against casting choices which remove entire planks of defining interactions and characteristics.
 

recitador

Speed Reader
Sep 3, 2016
1,750
8,264
41
Well.... I have to disagree. The color of skin does matter. Are you saying that Blackthorn's adventures in Japan are not informed by his skin color and Western culture (Shogun). How about King's The Green Mile? What about How to Kill a Mockingbird? Obviously I've just laid out a few where race is a KEY issue in the conflict, but that isn't the only place where it matters. Skin color is a character defining feature. Whether we like it or not, ethnicity is a factor in sub-culture in this country (and most others). It informs. It is part of the experience. Can Jimmy Olsen be black? Sure. I've seen that in the Supergirl television series. In that case, his ethnicity has no bearing. There are characters in fiction for whom ethnicity and gender are irrelevant. You will never hear me make a peep in that case. There are, however, characters whose story is deeply affected by such choices. I am always going to be against casting choices which remove entire planks of defining interactions and characteristics.

yes, there are some characters who it can matter for, if that's part of their story. but it doesn't have bearing all the time by any means, and none of the ones brought up apply to that, so it's a case of focusing on their skin color as a negative. the argument you just made isn't even the argument he was making really, which is why i didn't address those sorts of things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

Robert Gray

Well-Known Member
yes, there are some characters who it can matter for, if that's part of their story. but it doesn't have bearing all the time by any means, and none of the ones brought up apply to that, so it's a case of focusing on their skin color as a negative. the argument you just made isn't even the argument he was making really, which is why i didn't address those sorts of things.

I agree; that isn't the argument he was making. That is why I disagreed with him and explained why. I also disagree that ethnicity doesn't matter. I think it does, and even when it isn't about negative stereotypes. I think it matters in minor ways too. Hence, why I responded to you as well. Stories are about characters. Change the character too much, you change the story.
 
Last edited:

Edward John

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2019
4,004
18,785
23
okay "Idris Elba" been cast has the gunslinger kicked off has many topics conversations on this, i was thinking what if ? .......... George Clooney was cast has Nelson Mandela, im sure the world would have been turned upside down on this even though he might have done a good job ... okay one is fiction the other is real,but they both mean so much to many people.

Idris is the best in the buisiness, a great Roland.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

Wayoftheredpanda

Flaming Wonder Telepath
May 15, 2018
4,907
22,094
20
Unless the character's race affects the story (i.e. To Kill a Mockingbird) or if it's based on true events, an actor portraying a character that's another race in the book is perfectly fine as long as they portray them well. I know I like ranting on movie/book inconsistencies, and I'm trying to let go of that mindset as I've realized it's pretty pretentious when they're both very different forms of storytelling, even if it does still sit in the back of my mind and definitely pokes out sometimes (I'd still probably be very disappointed to watch a movie that was too drastically different from a source material I like). Idris Elba is a great actor and I don't think it was his portrayal of Roland that made the movie bad, more so of the fault of the scriptwriters/producers/whoever, trying to merge together so many different plots from an 8 book series is a terrible idea. I don't even remember a lot of that happened in this movie, just that it was boring and terrible.
 

Edward John

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2019
4,004
18,785
23
Unless the character's race affects the story (i.e. To Kill a Mockingbird) or if it's based on true events, an actor portraying a character that's another race in the book is perfectly fine as long as they portray them well. I know I like ranting on movie/book inconsistencies, and I'm trying to let go of that mindset as I've realized it's pretty pretentious when they're both very different forms of storytelling, even if it does still sit in the back of my mind and definitely pokes out sometimes (I'd still probably be very disappointed to watch a movie that was too drastically different from a source material I like). Idris Elba is a great actor and I don't think it was his portrayal of Roland that made the movie bad, more so of the fault of the scriptwriters/producers/whoever, trying to merge together so many different plots from an 8 book series is a terrible idea. I don't even remember a lot of that happened in this movie, just that it was boring and terrible.

Agreed.