"You can fly! You can fly..." only if you're white? The casting of the new movie "Pan" has had its share of controversy because of the way the movie was cast.
Throughout the history of cinema, there have always been issues regarding appropriate casting for specific roles. However, in the year 2015, it seems ridiculous that we can not properly cast actors and actresses to fit the roles that they are suited to fit.
In the upcoming movie, "Pan," the term "whitewashing" rings true. "Whitewashing" describes when a movie or television show chooses a white male or female to portray a character who is originally of an ethnic background. "Whitewashing" is seen in a number of movies, including "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Cleopatra," and in "The Last Airbender." In the 2015 remake of the lovable story "Peter Pan," the character Tiger Lily is played by Rooney Mara, a young, Caucasian, female actress. Tiger Lily, one of J.M. Barrie's original characters from his novel by the same name, was written to be a Native American young girl.
The question that arises from this controversy is: "Why?" Why does anyone feel the need to create a film that is predominately white and not have the diversity that every feature film should have? Children everywhere should have other role models to look up to when they are watching movies and television shows. There are women and men of all races that are heroes, leaders, and survivors. This is hard to see when we are constantly being exposed to media that is "whitewashing" our entertainment and even our history.
In the 2015 movie "Stonewall," it is evident that the producers of the movie made a mistake in their casting. According to our history, these rioters were not mostly white men. In fact, they were not only led by men of color, but they were led by women as well. It is discouraging to see our history being manipulated through the media in this way. It is important to remember our true history, our culture, and the cultures of others.
In fact, in the "Stonewall" trailer, it is observed that the first brick (which started the infamous stonewall riots) was thrown by a white man. However, many believe that Marsha P. Johnson, a famous transgender and gay rights activist, was one of the first to start these riots.
It is important to remember our history for what it truly is, instead of learning from the media. It is my hope that one day producers and directors will properly cast their characters and no one will have to worry about certain character being accurately portrayed. It is clear that this problem in our media is not fixed yet, but I have hope for the future and I believe that as a society, we will move past this.
