Minorities should stop stealing white superheros!

[budsbundy]

Before you get all fired up, that's the title of an article currently running on MSN.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/celebrity/michelle-rodriguez-minorities-should-stop-stealing-white-superheroes/ar-BBi5Is6

 

Thoughts?

 

"Michelle Rodriguez has sparked controversy by slamming Hollywood for casting minority actors in superhero roles that were originally conceived as white characters. It all started when a paparazzo asked the actress about a rumor that she’d been considered to play the Green Lantern. Rodriguez gave a very blunt response.

 

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” said the star of the "Green Lantern" rumor. (Historically, the Green Lantern has been a white man.) Rodriguez then declared, “I think it’s so stupid… because of this whole, like, ‘minorities in Hollywood’ thing… it’s so stupid, it’s, like, stop stealing all the white people’s superheroes. Make up your own, you know what I’m saying? What’s up with that?”

 

Indeed, some non-white performers have recently portrayed white superheroes. The black actor Michael B. Jordan will play the Human Torch in the upcoming "Fantastic Four," a casting decision that led to some debate when it was first announced. Nick Fury was a white character in the original Marvel comics, but is portrayed onscreen by Samuel L. Jackson. And while James Bond isn’t a superhero, per se, Rush Limbaugh recently created controversy when he declared that Idris Elba, who’s black, should not be considered as a future Bond because Ian Fleming conceived of Bond as a white man."

 

[Tempus Fugit]

I find it ironic they use GL as an example

 

[Doc Joe]

Elba is going to be an awesome James Bond!

 

I guess my take would be that what is enjoyable about the recent years of superhero movies is seeing the characters you love come to life. Part of that is that the match 'the look' of the person.

 

Robert Downy Junior IS Tony Stark...he looks like him and he made that role amazing

 

I think Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury was probably a sell tickets choice...as I am sure many of these things might be. I was not happy about it initially but am over it now.

 

Changing the race or a character to me is annoying, but only because it's a departure from what one is hoping to see.

 

I think that's why some uproar over batman as Boston dweeb boy ... He ain't batman, it's like clooney all over again. Just seems like a ticket selling choice but it's lame and I'll be rooting for joker or whoever to kill him in th ripening scenes.

 

what if they made Luke cage white? It would be ridiculous, what if they made dazzler a man? Or Howard a turkey? Just keeping the characters true to for,m I think it what's appealing....

 

 

[Bosco685]

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” said the star of the "Green Lantern" rumor. (Historically, the Green Lantern has been a white man.) Rodriguez then declared, “I think it’s so stupid… because of this whole, like, ‘minorities in Hollywood’ thing… it’s so stupid, it’s, like, stop stealing all the white people’s superheroes. Make up your own, you know what I’m saying? What’s up with that?”

 

This came up in the TV-Movie sub-forum last night, and she followed up with a Facebook post to clarify where she was coming from.

 

Michelle Rodriguez Addresses "Rumors" She'll Play JUSTICE LEAGUE's 'Green Lantern'

 

 

The actress has now released a video statement via Facebook to clarify her comments, making it clear that she had no intention to offend, and expressing her desire for Hollywood to stop taking white characters and forcing them to fit another culture. Instead, she would prefer to see characters of another race have their own mythologies built around them.

 

About that whole superhero thing...

 

"What I really meant was that ultimately at the end of the day there is a language. And the language you speak in Hollywood is 'Successful Franchise'. Instead of trying to turn a girl character into a guy, or a white character into a black character or Latin character, stop being lazy. People should make an effort in Hollywood to come up with their own mythology!"

 

I'm impressed!

[Mr. Hog]

This should really be in the movies sub-forum but my commentary here: I HATE Hugh Jackman as wolverine. He ruines every X-men movie for me... HATE IT. no different with race swap and gender swap. Racism is an easy claim but when I'm already dispelling reality in one of these movies, it takes me twice as long to do so when the characters look nothing like my preconceived notions of my beloved characters. I would have no problem with Spider-Man being black... Because is WAS black in the comic. I had no problem with Nick Fury being black, because he WAS black in the comic (I know, both not the original iterations - there's another whole discussion around race swaps on behalf of comic companies). There are great black characters in the comics, just like there are great short hairy white characters, don't make them skinny, 6'4" Australians!

[DougC]

I never understood the "why did they cast him in the roll" complaints, usually preempted by "I'm not a racist but..". Which you probably are not, but that doesn't preclude people from being ignorant and trying to convince others they are not.

 

The best part about Daredevil was Micheal Clarke Duncan, I loved him as the King Pin. Looking at comments before the movie, most hated it cause "they" were ruining the character. It doesn't even have to be a race change it could just be an actor... Mr Mom as Batman, gay cowboy as joker or human torch as captain america. The outcry was everywhere.

 

These are not our characters, most of us don't even like the superheroes we think we do. What we really like is a short period of story/art/rose colored glasses time frame of a particular character and not the 50+ year history of them. So when a movie or even a new version of a character in a comic is made well,... that's not my superhero, they are ruining it for everyone (when it is just you whining).

 

[Bosco685]

I HATE Hugh Jackman as wolverine. He ruines every X-men movie for me... HATE IT.

 

 

[Comicopolis]

I never understood the "why did they cast him in the roll" complaints, usually preempted by "I'm not a racist but..". Which you probably are not, but that doesn't preclude people from being ignorant and trying to convince others they are not.

 

The best part about Daredevil was Micheal Clarke Duncan, I loved him as the King Pin. Looking at comments before the movie, most hated it cause "they" were ruining the character. It doesn't even have to be a race change it could just be an actor... Mr Mom as Batman, gay cowboy as joker or human torch as captain america. The outcry was everywhere.

 

These are not our characters, most of us don't even like the superheroes we think we do. What we really like is a short period of story/art/rose colored glasses time frame of a particular character and not the 50+ year history of them. So when a movie or even a new version of a character in a comic is made well,... that's not my superhero, they are ruining it for everyone (when it is just you whining).

 

 

[Buzzetta]

I will take any actor who can "act" over an actor who cannot but gets the role because they are the correct color of skin.

 

Samuel Jackson as Fury is quite possibly the best thing they could have ever changed in the Marvel Universe. Nick Fury is supposed to be a machiavellian BMF. You know who they got to play the role for the big film? The guy that has built a career around being perceived as a BMF. I had zero interest in the character until the Ultimate Universe made that change.

 

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine? Hate it all you want. The guy IS Wolverine. He doesn't seem to be just in it to get a paycheck. He actually enjoys the character, wants to see what the fans see and I cannot think of one appearance where it looks like he phoned it in. People want to bash X-Men origins? Blame the -script, because Jackman brought his A-Game and Schreiber was surprisingly good as Sabertooth. I liked the look of Sabertooth more in "Origins" than the 1st X-Men movie.

 

As far as Idris Elba as Bond? If it comes to be, so be it. I will go watch it since I enjoy watching Bond movies. They made a bold choice when they rebooted the entire franchise with Daniel Craig and I remember when people went psycho with that. Throw the keys to the Astin Martin to Elba. If it works then it will be amazing. If it doesn't then they pay out his contract and make a new movie with another actor.

 

What I hate is when Hollywood panders to an audience. Don't throw in diversity because you want to jump on a soapbox and say "Look at us, we cast minorities." Cast actors who have the chops to go toe to toe and 'become' the character. Use the prior example of Jackson as Fury. When I watch the Avengers, I do NOT think, "That is the African American version of Nick Fury". I am thinking, "That is Nick Fury."

[Bronx]

Great casting of great actors for the right role is what makes great movies (along with a great -script). I love Sam Jackson as Nick Fury. He brings an inner fire to the role. I disliked Jessica Alba as Sue Storm because she played the role poorly. I hated Ben Afleck as Daredevil. His acting was horrific. Race does not matter. Acting matters.

[Dano]

I never understood the "why did they cast him in the roll" complaints, usually preempted by "I'm not a racist but..". Which you probably are not, but that doesn't preclude people from being ignorant and trying to convince others they are not.

 

The best part about Daredevil was Micheal Clarke Duncan, I loved him as the King Pin. Looking at comments before the movie, most hated it cause "they" were ruining the character. It doesn't even have to be a race change it could just be an actor... Mr Mom as Batman, gay cowboy as joker or human torch as captain america. The outcry was everywhere.

 

These are not our characters, most of us don't even like the superheroes we think we do. What we really like is a short period of story/art/rose colored glasses time frame of a particular character and not the 50+ year history of them. So when a movie or even a new version of a character in a comic is made well,... that's not my superhero, they are ruining it for everyone (when it is just you whining).

 

 

 

Dan

[rjpb]

No love for the Hasselhoff Fury?

[Mr. Hog]

I HATE Hugh Jackman as wolverine. He ruines every X-men movie for me... HATE IT.

 

 

 

And I wish I could move beyond this, but he's just not my Wolverine. I know: beating a dead horse.

 

As for having to state 'this is not racism' - you can't seem to move past this concept without stating it - actually it doesn't seem to matter. It's the counterpoint to every 'but he just doesn't embody the character to me' comment... Same as Wolverine, some love him, to me, he's a jazz hands Ausie to me... The real Wolverine is still rolling in his Adamantium tomb.

 

 

[Bosco685]

Hugh Jackman has really gone all out to make his version of Logan believable. I have to give it to him on that.

 

 

 

He even reached out to Dwayne Johnson for bulking tips to further achieve a stocky looking Wolverine.

 

I'll take an actor throwing himself at a role like that every time.

[Mr. Hog]

He really looks much more the part than he did... I give him that. Honestly not his fault. He's working with everything he's got to make it fit. He even tries to look angry. It was just a bad cast.

[jsilverjanet]

Sam Jackson in one movie is great, but by the 3rd 4th different movie I've seen him in, I start thinking he's playing the same role with different curse words :shrug:

 

 

[Bosco685]

And I wish I could move beyond this, but he's just not my Wolverine. I know: beating a dead horse.

 

As for having to state 'this is not racism' - you can't seem to move past this concept without stating it - actually it doesn't seem to matter. It's the counterpoint to every 'but he just doesn't embody the character to me' comment... Same as Wolverine, some love him, to me, he's a jazz hands Ausie to me... The real Wolverine is still rolling in his Adamantium tomb.

 

Hey, if it is your desire that an actor matches a comic book character's look and feel at a given point in its history, there is nothing wrong with that. Then that is not a movie or actor you are going to appreciate.

 

But I wouldn't call a movie completely dead because of that. Like someone pointed out, the 2003 Daredevil Kingpin was very well delivered by Michael Clarke Duncan. I read somewhere Duncan wanted to be so convincing in the role how massive he was, he was curling 90 pound dumbbells before each scene to convey his bulk. He definitely stood out from a crowd in that movie, and would be intimidating.

[Bosco685]

He really looks much more the part than he did... I give him that. Honestly not his fault. He's working with everything he's got to make it fit. He even tries to look angry. It was just a bad cast.

 

I forget which site I pulled this from a few years back. But someone had edited one of the photos of Jackman how Logan would look if an actor was closely matched to the comic books. They dropped down the height, massively bulked up the shoulders and arms, and gave him more of an animal look.

 

 

I think this is what you are looking for.

[Mr. Hog]

It's not just a point in time... It's the character in general... Take Aquaman, he looks more the part of the 90s Aquaman to me... Michael Clark Duncan is less of a stretch as he's bald, imposing and its a lesser known character, but still not my vision of Kingpin.

[Bosco685]

I found it!