Over the years, we’ve seen talented actors bring various historical characters to life on the big screen. Be it Idris Elba who played Nelson Mandela in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ or Ben Kingsley who played the title role in ‘Gandhi’, artists put in a lot of effort to stay true to the character they are essaying.
Recently, actress Jodie Turner-Smith was cast as the Tudor queen Anne Boleyn in a new period drama. Anne Boleyn was one of the most famous wives of the Tudor King, who caused him to controversially divorce his first wife, before being executed for treason, reports The Sun. However, the news has sparked a race row as a black actress will be playing a prominent white historical figure.
Black actor Turner-Smith to play English queen Anne Boleyn in new drama https://t.co/8LbfmeruAS pic.twitter.com/rkL7lPHBkY
— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) October 30, 2020
The drama which will be from Anne’s perspective has garnered mixed reactions online. From calling it ‘Cultural appropriation’ to applauding the bold move, people spoke about altercation of facts like race and color in movies that represent historical incidents.
I like my historical films to be as accurate as possible, if not in the script and plot, at least in the aesthetics. This would break the immersion a film should conjur.
— Adam Ford (@Fordis_) October 31, 2020
It’s odd that anyone is upset or challenged by this. Remember Patrick Stewart or Laurence Olivier as Othello? Vanessa Redgrave as King Lear? Actors act. Art explores boundaries. If you can’t grasp this, maybe art and culture just aren’t your thing?
— Bob Jones (@BobJones_Herts) October 31, 2020
The Queen of Sheba, in the Bible, was black, but in the movies it was Elizabeth Taylor who played the role. If whites can play black historical characters, then blacks can also play white historical characters.
— Moutains Beyond (@BeyondMoutains) October 30, 2020
What?????? Who thought it would be a good idea to totally change our history. The world has gone totally mad 😡
— Trisha Mills (@Trisha121153) October 30, 2020
Why use the word black ? Just use her name . What is black actor her name makes more sense for me. So if it was Kate Hudson to play a certain role is the headline going to be white actor? 🤦♂🤦♂
— AHEMD AGHEDO (@AAGHEDO) October 30, 2020
Isn’t that cultural appropriation ? Or maybe during black history month we are now finding it hard to find black figures of any interest to play.
— Raj Sharma (@Raj_5harma) October 31, 2020
If the only parts for Black actors are playing European queens then clearly not enough historical Black stories are being told. Why aren’t those stories being made into films? They should be.
— Wildraar 🦊🐯🐵 (@Wildraar) October 30, 2020
I feel about this as I do re: the casting of Hamilton: It’s fine! It’s dumb to deny ppl jobs on the basis of the color of their skin. BUT, the double standard re: “cultural appropriation” *ALSO* needs to stop! I do worry about ppl rewriting history tho and weirdly, they exist!
— AppliedHope (@AppliedHope) October 30, 2020
Why not create a new original series or movies with black men/women instead of piggybacking and gate-crashing on established movies, historical figures, etc., and then giving sermons about political correctness, multiculturalism, etc?
— Self Publish Your Book Worldwide (@thejendra) October 31, 2020
this is like asking Leonardo DiCaprio to play Nelson Mandela or MLK Jr.
woke craziness.
— 👎Tranquility👎 (@MadarasiMunda) October 31, 2020
theres a thing called historic accuracy you cant rewrite someone race that actually existed it’s like casting a white actor to play an important person of other race doesn’t make sense
— Filipe Santos 🇵🇹🗡️ (@dre_santos22) October 31, 2020
Well Ben Kingsley played Gandhi.
— Nishigandh Deole ( निशिगंध देवळे) (@nishideole) October 30, 2020
No, it’s a one way street. Anyone can portray a white historical person but not the other way around.
— Aloo Akhbar-potatoes are greatest 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇮🇳🇮🇱 (@We_told_you_so_) October 30, 2020
Despite the race row caused by her casting, Jodie, who is married to Joshua Jackson, revealed that she is thrilled to play the famous Tudor queen. She was quoted saying, “I am so excited to join these exciting filmmakers in bringing the story of one of history’s most controversial queens to the screen. I look forward to bringing my heart and spirit into this daring retelling of the fall of this iconic woman.”
Well, does a person’s skin color really matter while playing a certain character? Or does altering facts not do justice to historical events? What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.