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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is based in a fantastical version of 6th-Century Persia (Iran). The main characters are all Persian. However the actors playing those characters are Jake Gyllenhaal (Swedish/Jewish American), Gemma Arterton (English), Ben Kingsley (Indian/Jewish Englishman), and Alfred Molina (Spanish/Italian Englishman). Characters speak with English accents.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is based in a mythical, Chinese-inspired world of martial arts and elemental manipulation. The main characters are all Asian/Chinese. The actors that have been cast are white with the exception of the villain, who is played by British/Indian actor Dev Patel--and only because the original Caucasian choice had to drop out.
These two films illustrate a longstanding tradition of racial casting in Hollywood. Examples include Justin Chatwin (Asian, Dragonball: Evolution), David Carradine (Chinese, Kung Fu), Charlton Heston (Mexican, Touch of Evil), Mickey Rooney (Chinese, The Teahouse of August Moon), Josh Hartnett (changed from Inuit to white, 30 Days of Night), 21 cast (changed from Asian to white), Legend of Earthsea cast (changed from native to white), Al Pacino (Cuban, Scarface), David Henrie (Chinese, The Weapon), Yul Brynner (Egyptian, The Ten Commandments), Mickey Rourke (Mongolian, War of the Gods), Rodrigo Santoro (Persian, 300), etc., etc., etc..
Black actors have seemingly broken through the stereotype barrier in Hollywood (more or less) but other races are still struggling to find equal footing. Now that we're a decade into the 21st-Century is there any excuse for dressing up whites to play ethnic characters? Is it modern blackface?
A similar complaint is that almost every English-language film set in Europe is done with English accents rather than native ones--especially ancient Roman and Greek settings.
What do you think of "racebending"?
Avatar: The Last Airbender is based in a mythical, Chinese-inspired world of martial arts and elemental manipulation. The main characters are all Asian/Chinese. The actors that have been cast are white with the exception of the villain, who is played by British/Indian actor Dev Patel--and only because the original Caucasian choice had to drop out.
These two films illustrate a longstanding tradition of racial casting in Hollywood. Examples include Justin Chatwin (Asian, Dragonball: Evolution), David Carradine (Chinese, Kung Fu), Charlton Heston (Mexican, Touch of Evil), Mickey Rooney (Chinese, The Teahouse of August Moon), Josh Hartnett (changed from Inuit to white, 30 Days of Night), 21 cast (changed from Asian to white), Legend of Earthsea cast (changed from native to white), Al Pacino (Cuban, Scarface), David Henrie (Chinese, The Weapon), Yul Brynner (Egyptian, The Ten Commandments), Mickey Rourke (Mongolian, War of the Gods), Rodrigo Santoro (Persian, 300), etc., etc., etc..
Black actors have seemingly broken through the stereotype barrier in Hollywood (more or less) but other races are still struggling to find equal footing. Now that we're a decade into the 21st-Century is there any excuse for dressing up whites to play ethnic characters? Is it modern blackface?
A similar complaint is that almost every English-language film set in Europe is done with English accents rather than native ones--especially ancient Roman and Greek settings.
What do you think of "racebending"?
