Jump to content

Opportunities to cast non-white actors


spikebrennan

Recommended Posts

But Melisandre's hair is hardly a natural color at all. It's specifically described as having a color that "common red-haired men" don't have. Given her eye color, some have speculated that she may be dyeing her hair (and using some sort of art or magic for her eyes) to play up her being the "red woman", unnaturally, exotic, and powerful. In which case, really, just about anyone could work for her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering how many complaints I've read of Dany's and Cersei's wigs (some of which I feel is justified), I REALLY hope they cast a natural red head or just drop the red hair aspect of the character.

Or they could just simply forget about wigs and actually dye their hair.

I mean, take Bridget Regan for example. She’s a natural redhead with curly hair, but for Legend of the Seeker she had it dyed dark brown and chemically straightened, and you wouldn’t know it from looking at her.

I get that the wigs might be more convenient for the actresses but sometimes people need to make sacrifices for a role, and it would widen the casting pool a lot more. In Emilia Clarke's case I can understand it since it's such an unusual and unnatural color, but I don’t get why Lena Headey didn’t just dye it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't get why Lena Headey didn't just dye it.

As you said yourself, "more convenient for the actresses". And somebody said that Cersei (the character) is supposed to be wearing a wig in some of those scenes. A fashion thing. Not that most people notice these things.

it would widen the casting pool a lot more.

Since they use wigs, dyeing will have no affect on the casting pool. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since they use wigs, dyeing will have no affect on the casting pool. :)

What I meant was that the casting people wouldn’t have to restrict themselves to Actors with the same hair color as the character and Actors who look good with the wig. An actor who may look atrocious with a wig might be more believable with hair dye. Thus, a wider casting pool.

I’m of the opinion that when it comes to altering the appearance of an actor, hair dyes trump wigs most of the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm of the opinion that when it comes to altering the appearance of an actor, hair dyes trump wigs most of the time.

Probably right.

I'm thinking that it mightn't be that bad though. Professionals should be able to produce good wigs. The problem with Dany is that her hair is so weird anyhow, it screams "fake" whatever you do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or they could just simply forget about wigs and actually dye their hair. I mean, take Bridget Regan for example. She’s a natural redhead with curly hair, but for Legend of the Seeker she had it dyed dark brown and chemically straightened, and you wouldn’t know it from looking at her.I get that the wigs might be more convenient for the actresses but sometimes people need to make sacrifices for a role, and it would widen the casting pool a lot more. In Emilia Clarke's case I can understand it since it's such an unusual and unnatural color, but I don’t get why Lena Headey didn’t just dye it.

I think it's much easier for someone with lighter hair to dye it a darker color than it is for someone with darker hair to dye it a lighter color. It's more damaging and hard on the hair if I recall right. Anyway, I agree; dyeing is certainly an option for the Melisandre character.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wouldn't be totally illogical if they made Ygritte and her gangs wilding Eskimos. Could be a opportunity to cast some non-white actors.

Are there even 10,000 eskimo's (...available to appear in the series)?

If they were to do this, it would seem almost cliche, especially if they dressed in true Yupuik-Inuit garb. In that case, they could use any group of people that looked alike.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the wildlings were interesting in that they weren't a different 'race' or ethnic group, but just the last group of Westerosi people to live beyond the reach of King's Landing. They follow the Old Gods, right?

Arguably, they could be the whitest of the white, always being bundled up, and inside and the like. Although too, the ice does reflect a lot of sun.... hmmm? In following the Terran formula of the lighter skin the further from the equator.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

New here on this forum. Long time follower. I just don't understand about everyones idea on what the people of Dorne look like, I think its obvious they are supposed to look like southern Italians or Spanairds. Second note: I have a theory that any fantasy show or movie that casts Africans that do not have an origin within the world is not very good. Legend of the Seeker is a good example of that or the Dungeons and Dragson film with the Wayons guy. Having an African placed within a crowd of people from the Riverlands is not realistic because they do not live there. However Conan is a great movie that has people of African orgin within the world, they just don't magically appear within a crowd of European people. In LOTR there is not a black elf because he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. However Martin is pretty clear on where people of African appearnce are from, the Summer Isles. So why try and add some diversity into a story that is so realistic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody cares if an actor is brown, white, or green as long as he can carry the role well.

But being able to fit the role can and does often require race guidelines.

In the same way that Dinklage wasn't casted as Gregor, HBO cannot cast Samuel L. Jackson as Robert Baratheon, because it is not what a character looks like. Besides, it wouldmake viewers say, "Oh so, why is he different?" and lead to identifying him as an outisder in a largely white community like Westeros.

Diversifying the cast simply for the sake of diversifying it is ridiculous--as one poster said, HBO doesn't need to and shouldn't adhere to PC sitcom rules.

HBO should try to make a faithful yet accessible verson of the book series. And of course of this includes people of varied races. But it's senseless to just force diversity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Casting should make logical sense, but beyond that there's plenty of leeway. TV Robert isn't the giant that book Robert was, and most of the actors are older than the characters described. And then there's the whole purple eyes thing.

I think it's important that some people get past this idea that casting e.g. a black actor as a noblewoman is inherently illogical or unrealistic. Real medieval Europe wasn't as homogenous as modern people often imagine it to be, and besides that, Westeros isn't medieval Europe anyway. Its rules aren't set in stone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Diversifying the cast simply for the sake of diversifying it is ridiculous--as one poster said, HBO doesn't need to and shouldn't adhere to PC sitcom rules.

I think we all agree on that. But some people have pointed out that some characters can be non-white without detracting from the story. In other words, lets not be strait-jacketed to specific details. Nothing wrong with showing some (but not too much) flexibility.

For example, Davos could easily be a foreign (or partly foreign) smuggler that was given a title because he smuggled in goods during the siege at Storms End. If they find a really good black actor (say) to play him then why would it detract from the story? Its no big deal but I don't see why the production can't keep an open mind about some decisions.

OTOH, given the Martells intermarried with the Targaryens, it wouldn't work if they were black rather than Spanish (say) looking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...