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Avatar movie casting
Dec. 12th, 2008 05:51 amI'm breaking more than a year's worth of radio silence because I am PISSED OFF.
Casting for the movie version of Avatar: The Last Airbender was announced recently. Wanna guess how many of the lead roles went to non-white actors? Oh, yeah, NONE.
Leaving aside my liberal distaste at the sidelining of ethnic actors in the Hollywood system (INCOHERENT RAGE) and my doubts about the acting abilities of Jesse McCartney (yeesh), this is just a HORRIBLY STUPID choice as a filmmaker. It is a betrayal of the show's rich world-building, which is heavily inspired by Asian and Inuit cultures, both visually and philosophically. It makes a betrayal of the show's themes of diversity. It makes a mockery of a story where a group of kids from vastly different cultures and backgrounds become close friends and change the world -- not just because they are talented, but because they learn from each other, change each other, and work together to achieve their goals.
It PISSES ME OFF.
I fucking loved this show, and I am writing an angry letter. A polite one, but angry nonetheless. Anyone want to join me?
ETA: additional places to write to here.
Casting for the movie version of Avatar: The Last Airbender was announced recently. Wanna guess how many of the lead roles went to non-white actors? Oh, yeah, NONE.
Leaving aside my liberal distaste at the sidelining of ethnic actors in the Hollywood system (INCOHERENT RAGE) and my doubts about the acting abilities of Jesse McCartney (yeesh), this is just a HORRIBLY STUPID choice as a filmmaker. It is a betrayal of the show's rich world-building, which is heavily inspired by Asian and Inuit cultures, both visually and philosophically. It makes a betrayal of the show's themes of diversity. It makes a mockery of a story where a group of kids from vastly different cultures and backgrounds become close friends and change the world -- not just because they are talented, but because they learn from each other, change each other, and work together to achieve their goals.
It PISSES ME OFF.
I fucking loved this show, and I am writing an angry letter. A polite one, but angry nonetheless. Anyone want to join me?
ETA: additional places to write to here.
