DIVERSITY IN ENTERTAINMENT. IT’S ABOUT THE PRODUCT!

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When filmmakers or TV producers consider casting their next project it would be wise to keep in mind that they are not the ultimate consumers of their product. As such, they should avoid the attitude of, “Give me the usual”, and instead spend some serious time perusing the menu. The options among available, diverse actors chomping at the bit for employment could not be greater. And neither could the possibilities for producing a better product.

There was a great outcry at last year’s Oscars about the lack of “minority” films chosen. Blame was placed upon the Academy for its perceived bias toward lack of diversity. This seems to be an odd accusation against members of an industry so publicly supportive of minority participation. Let’s take a look at what is going on.

SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists) has been relentless in pushing film producers to cast more culturally, racially and ethnically diverse actors for a long time. The push has also included demands for more female roles (particularly older females). Those with disabilities aren’t being ignored either. All of this is long overdue. But there are things to consider when casting a role which could potentially deny a part to someone fitting into these mentioned categories. There are also considerations regarding a particular film’s overall appeal.

Casting Morgan Freeman as “God” in “Evan Almighty” was a wonderful choice; certainly as wise as casting George Burns in “Oh God!”.  Both films benefited from those casting choices because the actors were/are extremely talented, well trained professionals who had the qualifications to fit the roles perfectly. Race was irrelevant to the story. The quality of the product was paramount.

Sometimes diversity is absolutely essential. James Bond movies come to mind. There are so many other examples, I wouldn’t know where to begin.

There are movies wherein diversity would pose a problem. A docudrama about Nazi Germany would lose believability if the roles of either Adolph Hitler or Eva Braun were played by Beyoncé, Cher or Billy Barti. While Cher might have pulled off Hitler, Barti would have been out of his element as Eva.

Films of the thirties, forties and TV in the fifties and early sixties tended to cast African Americans in roles of domestic help and tradespeople. That simply followed life as it was at the time. These media tend to mimic the culture of the time they were/are produced . “Citizen Kane” would have flopped if Bill “Bojangles” Robinson had played the lead role. On the flip side of the coin, “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) would have benefitted from a much more diverse cast. The “Munchkins” should have all been played by little people but weren’t. In fact, producers were unable to find a sufficient number of female little people that they were forced into casting young girls to play some parts. I wonder how hard the filmmakers looked into the ethnically diverse communities for available talent. In fact, the entire film was without any specific ethnic requirement. As one example, Bojangles would have made a terrific scarecrow. (Not to take anything away from Ray Bolger. He was epic. So, too, would Buddy Ebsen have been if he hadn’t nearly been killed by the makeup.) A good non-diverse choice for one of the flying monkeys would be Nancy Pelosi should they ever consider a remake. It would be nice to see a politician reverse the  trend by going Hollywood for once.

The point is, the quality of the film or TV show is the important thing. Above all, it must survive the test of “suspension of disbelief”. An artist’s talents and abilities must be the only considerations when casting a part and if his/her natural or learned talents do not lie within their abilities to successfully portray the character, they cannot be cast and it has nothing to do with racism or bias. An actor’s diversity or lack thereof is not a reason to demand special consideration or dispensation.

Finally: There are more and more ethnic specific movies and TV shows being produced and some bring to the screen images of lifestyles and subcultures unfamiliar to many. Again, they mimic the realities of today. What is normal in South Central Los Angeles may seem rather alien to those living along the coast of Maine. A movie about Alaskan salmon fishing in which the fishing techniques are the best ever displayed on screen may not find much of an audience in the Bronx. The ability of the audience to relate to the challenges faced by characters in a movie or TV show determine its relevance to them. Maybe Oscar wins tend to follow the majority of viewers’ own sensibilities and can’t be dictated.

A note to Kanye and Spike: When something or someone other than our personal favorite wins, we politely congratulate the winner, knowing we can try again tomorrow.. That’s how we respect one another. And to Bob Dylan: Your harmonica just quit and intends to sue you for its share of the Nobel prize.

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