Vaguely Ethnic White (and Black) Girls

Think about the musical West Side Story for me. Not ringing a bell? Ever heard this song before? Or this one? Or this one (or at least seen Anger Management)? There it is.

Now, think of Maria, the beautiful Puerto Rican girl who falls for WASP Tony. Maria’s speech is rich with trilled Rs and bits of colloquial Spanish. Latin beats are resonant throughout Leonard Bernstein’s score, and are fully present in the songs that she sings. So naturally, Maria should be played by a Puerto Rican (or, at the very least, a Hispanic), right?

Enter actress Natalie Wood, born from Russian immigrants and blessed with Western European looks, a movie star who is arguably most famous for her portrayal as…Maria in the 1961 movie version of West Side Story.

Okay, okay. But that was 1961. It was pre-Civil Rights movement, and it’s a wonder that a musical (and movie) with such strong racial themes, and its lesson of tolerance, was even made.

Cut to 2014. Me, attending an audition for the musical In the Heights in Anaheim. If you’re not familiar with the musical, the show takes place in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, home to a diverse group of Hispanics from various Latin cultures. The musical deals with the struggle of identity, of what traditions you accept as your own and what traditions you start on your own.

So, in other words, race is a fairly important part of the show.

To my surprise and pure amusement, I walked into the lobby of the rehearsal studio seeing a whole lot of Aryan faces, a few looking vaguely ethnic enough to maybe pass as Latina, and maybe one or two real Latinas.

Cue a text to one of my friends, who I had texted earlier with worries that my presence (as a biracial African American-Caucasian) might come off as offensive: “Lolz, lolz, LOLZ to all these white girls here.”

I was simply baffled that these girls thought that they were right for a show that literally has no white characters – not to mention that, dressed in short cocktail dresses, teetering in high, high heels, and hair perfectly curled into gentle ringlets, these girls looked more suited for 90201 rather than el barrio of Washington Heights.

But I thought back to the conversation I had earlier with my friend.

Who was I, a mixed girl showing up to audition for characters whom are explicitly of a race that I am not a part of, to judge?

Because I am mixed, I am blessed with the gift that is “racial ambiguity.” Most people, upon first meeting me, do not know what race I am, and this means I am able to submit myself for a multitude of ethnic roles. I’ve been to Puerto Rico, and the natives thought I was a native. So I figured I would have no problem walking into that audition convincing the auditors that I was Hispanic.

And I didn’t.

But where is the line?  A girl with blonde hair and blue eyed would look completely out of place, but a girl with dark hair would not, necessarily. All of those girls that I scanned over with such contempt could have Latin blood running through their veins for all I know, and maybe those genes just aren’t visible ones.

On the flip side, however, it’s always disheartening to see roles that are meant for a certain race taken by those who aren’t of that race, particularly when it’s roles that are meant for people of color and are taken by those who are not. Of course, it is sometimes a matter of who comes out to the audition (and more importantly, who doesn’t), but the representation of POC is so small in the theatre. Ethnic ambiguity is a blessing for the actors who have it, but it can be another restriction of parts available for those who don’t.

It’s certainly not a black and white issue (pun completely intended) – who is really at liberty to limit an actor’s freedom of artistic practice (within reason, of course)? But at what (and who’s) cost comes that freedom?

Anyway, I hope that I get the opportunity to channel my inner Latina on the Los Angeles stage this summer. But, if I do, I will remember and honor the culture that I am representing, even though it is not my own.

UPDATE:

I got a callback for a part that requires lots of Spanish. ¡Ay, Dios Mio! 

Voice of the People (of color)

As I’ve clearly stated before, the issue of typecasting (across racial, gender, and other minority lines) is a hot-button topic, but there are very, very few blogs dedicated just to that. Having to find blogs that routinely talk about this issue (especially amateur ones) has been a trip and half, and I was beginning to think that I was only going to be able to cobble together some pieces from various different blogs.

And then I found this beauty.

Stop Whitewashing is self-described as a blog that is:

“a safe space for People of Color. We are here to inform, to educate, and to call out people who whitewash. We support and celebrate entertainment equality and will also speak out against racism not only in the entertainment industry but in canon works (books, graphic novels, etc.) and fandoms as well.”

The blog is mainly comprised of short posts either celebrating the accomplishments of POC in the entertainment industry, or condemning those who belittle it or are blatantly against it. I’ll admit this upfront – a good portion of the blog is re-blogging articles, videos, and GIF sets from various other blogs. But, particularly when it comes to answering the questions (or retorts) of their followers, we get to hear the voice of the people running this provocative blog.

For instance, one sadly misinformed commenter asked the following:

“I’m sorry but do you realize that black people are OVERREPRESENTED in US media and culture right? That effectively a group that is 12% of the population, gets more support than all others? So we shouldn’t be concerned if Lupita Nyongo wins, but why a Hispanic or Asian actress never wins. NHL is not diverse enough, but 85% of the NBA is black, few to no Asians, no Indians, no natives, few Hispanics at all. Music is black dominated, television, even movies now.”

Many people, including myself, might not have taken the time to actually respond to such nonsense, but one of the admins responded in a feisty, yet thoughtful and truthful way.

In the response, the admin uses a lot of short, clipped sentences to convey an authoritative, occasionally sarcastic tone. It does give off a “girl, you don’t know where the hell I come from” vibe, but in all honesty, the commenter probably has no idea where the hell the admin comes from. She balances her sassiness with nuggets of straightforward reality, hoping that the commenter not only understands the inflammatory nature of their comment, but also that they will have learned something through the admin’s response.

In another post, this one being re-blogged from Policy Mic, the cheekiness comes out in full swing with the video “Typecast,” a parody of Lorde’s song “Royals,” putting the woes of non-white actresses to a catchy beat.

http://stopwhitewashing.tumblr.com/post/80821202881/chescaleigh-ever-wonder-what-its-like-to-be-an

As an actress who has played many of these roles before, I definitely feel the pain of these women. Really any song could have used here, but what’s clever about the use of “Royals” is that the original song tears into the opulent façade that hip-hop music casts, and this parody does exactly that in the case of Hollywood.

Pointing out facts that the main (white) lead can’t have two black friends, the Asian actress disregarding the true history of her last name to make it “whatever you want it to be (generically Asian),” all three actresses willing to be typecast in order to get a job, and ultimately being passed over for a white actress because they combined all three roles are all played satirically here, but represent very true challenges for actors of color. This tone is down-to-earth and easily relatable to all (especially young people), but hopefully expands the view of the watcher of what modern entertainment really looks like (or doesn't look like).

Overall, if you want a straight-up view of ethnic representation in pop culture with a mixture of factual evidence and spunky personality, Stop Whitewashing is a good place to stop. 

Hello, World

Heading into the "real world" as a young adult is daunting, but none more daunting than for a young actor. With something like a 12% employment rate and the chance of stardom being about the same chance of winning the lottery, people wonder why anyone would possibly want to choose this profession. Now, try to imagine yourself as a young actor who also happens to be of color and a woman. You are ready to take on Hollywood, you want to be a leading lady, but you don't want to put in the same box as everyone else. All I can say is, good luck, kid.

Who am I to be spouting off about the treatment and identity of minority actors in the industry? First of all, it comes from personal experience. Unfortunately, that kid I said "good luck" to is me. I am a senior in college about to graduate with my Bachelor's in Theatre and enter the terrifying, shore-less ocean that is "the industry." I plan to focus on musical theatre, at  least in the first goings of my career, as it is what currently gives me fulfillment. But as Broadway becomes more and more commercial, and the different mediums of theatrical art blur, many of the same "rules" that apply in the Hollywood world also apply for theatre actors.

I know I am not the first to breach this subject, but as films like 12 Years a Slave, The Help, and Bridesmaids get made and gain national attention, I thought it would be both a personal and topical issue to address. Those films I mentioned wouldn't have been made ten years ago. Even with a great cast of actors, the "suits" (i.e. the men and women who have no ties to the project other than financial reasons) would have certainly said something along the lines of: "Nobody wants to see that," or "A comedy based solely around women that's not a romantic comedy? It will never work." It seems silly to hear those types of things. How could you possibly say that women would not come to see a "bad-behavior" comedy like Bridesmaids? How could you say that an actor of color could not carry an entire movie? Unfortunately, these assumptions are made off of a bad mix of old stereotypes and, as with all things stereotypical, a hint of truth.

For me, all it can take is a reminder that Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002, and that there has not been an African American woman to win that category since then (and the only nominations being Gabourey Sidibe, Viola Davis, and Quvenzhane Wallis) for me to feel like a successful career is impossible. Why, in this age of supposed equality, are actors and actresses of color not featured more in movies? And why, when they are featured in movies, does that movie usually feature the race of that actor or actress?

Instead of sitting in my room in a pit of despair, I thought I would make better use of my time and talk about it. Obviously, this is a fairly broad subject, so I'd like to cover a lot of smaller subtopics as I go. Minorities are not exclusive to my personal traits of being a woman and being African-American. What is it like to be an actor with a disability? I also want to do enough digging to see how this conception of what is profitable and what is not profitable (in terms of actors to cast) came about. Where did these standards that minority actors are coerced into following come from? Finally, I want to see how much our culture as a nation has influenced the movies that get made. Is the fact that we still have a problem in 2014 a reflection of how unequal our society still is?

I don't expect to answer every question by the end of this blog, but I hope to at least gain a better understanding of an industry that I am about to spend the rest of my life in.

Theron's "You're Hot As Shit" Comment Brings Up Issues Two-Fold

The 2012 Oscar season was a heavyweight championship fight. With incredible nominees like George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Kenneth Branagh, any winner was going to be a deserving one. Among those included in an unprecedented “Best Actress in a Leading Role” category was Viola Davis.  Davis is a cherished treasure of stage and screen, earning Tony, Golden Globe, and Academy Award nominations for roles in “Fences” and “Doubt.” However, she had never been offered a starring turn in a major motion picture. Then, in 2010, came “The Help,” a film adaptation of the novel that followed the plight of the African-American maids in 1962 Mississippi. Davis’ performance was widely acclaimed, and in an interview with “The Daily Beast,” which included other Oscar nominated actors of that year, the interview noted with shock that this was Davis’ first leading role.

Davis explains that the roles available in Hollywood just do not cater to her.“I’m a 46-year-old black woman who really doesn’t look like Halle Berry, and Halle Berry’s having a hard time.” 

Davis is then swiftly interrupted by Charlize Theron, seemingly coming to her defense.

“Okay, I’m gonna have to just stop you there for a second…You have to stop saying that because you’re hot as shit. You look amazing.”

Theron’s well-intentioned comment caused a bit of a media firestorm, with critics saying that despite her good intentions, she came off sounding misguided and offensive.

In a follow-up article in The Daily Beast, author Allison Samuels recognizes the sheer struggle of being someone of Davis's skin color and age making a successful career in Hollywood.

“Davis’s work has been consistently stellar throughout her career, yet her most celebrated role to date may just be that of a maid to a white family during the ‘60s in the Deep South. Some viewed The Help as another stereotypical representation of black life, but Davis still found a way to shine in her work. Diverse and well-defined parts such as the ones Theron enjoys – a ruthless killer in one film, a dying woman in love in another – aren’t offered to Davis, nor are well-paid endorsement deals with Christian Dior.”

“In the world Davis lives in, you take a role like the one of Aibileen in The Help because you’ve long given up on the notion that more balanced, nuanced parts about women who look like you are on the horizon.”

What I took away from this interview was a mix of what has already been said, but perhaps more disturbing points as well. Theron’s comment not only brought into light the plight of black actresses, but the plight of actresses. It highlights the ugly truth that 99% of the faces gracing our movie theaters and television screens are beautiful ones, or rather, what our society has defined as conventional beauty. No doubt the point of Theron’s comment was to assure that Davis’ that she was beautiful. But it also carries the sentiment that Davis is beautiful enough to be a Hollywood actress. What if she didn’t have flawless skin? What if she didn’t have a killer smile? What if she wasn’t in great shape? Davis’s concerns also deal with the type of black actress gets work. Halle Berry is not only a beautiful African-American actress, but a beautiful African-American actress who is light-skinned. If you think of the successful black actresses of the past decade, who pops into your mind? Halle Berry. Zoe Saldana. Kerry Washington. Queen Latifah. Thandie Newton. See a trend here?

In the same interview, Clooney brings up the point that the executives who ultimately make the decision whether or not a movie is going to get made or not (lovingly called “the suits” in the business), have an outdated perception that does not actually reflect the full demographic of the movie industry.

“In general…the people who make these decisions always sort of aim for the lowest common denominator and think ‘well, the audience won’t get it. I get it, but the audience won’t get it, ‘cause they’re dumb.’…and the same thing has happened with film, which is—there becomes this idea, this narrative that says ‘well, you know, it’s gonna be, you know, 13 to 30-year-old white men,’ which is the target…well, there’s actually…an audience for all of this, we’ve just forgotten it.”

It’s impossible to hear these things, especially in the year 2012, and not be daunted by it. That someone of Viola Davis’ talent hasn’t been able to go blow for blow with Meryl Streep every year because she has struggled to find roles is mind boggling. That Viola Davis probably hasn’t hit the same success as Halle Berry because she is not light-skinned and as “beautiful” as she is makes me want to punch a wall. How can these things that have slowly, but surely improved in our society still be such a factor in the entertainment industry?

One poignant thought that Davis ends the interview with is, unfortunately, something every actress has to remind herself of: “Everybody has a story…and that’s what we go to the theatre for. We want to see a human event. That’s it.”