New TV Show Is Under Heavy Fire For "Whitewashing" After Having Super White Guy Joseph Fiennes Play Michael Jackson
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Daily Mail – As Michael Jackson fans express their dismay over actor Joseph Fiennes playing the King of Pop in an upcoming TV special, the show’s director has defended choosing the white actor to play the role of the black star.
The casting of 46-year-old Fiennes in the upcoming Urban Myths special on Britain’s Sky Arts was first criticized when it was announced last year, but there was a resurgence of backlash on Tuesday after a preview for the show with scenes featuring Michael Jackson was released.
Fiennes as Jackson was shown riding in the front passenger seat of a vehicle driven by Stockard Channing, 72, portraying the late Elizabeth Taylor. Brian Cox, 70, was shown in the backseat as late actor Marlon Brando.
Social media users went wild over the clip, suggesting it was ‘whitewashing’ and stressing that Michael Jackson once told Oprah Winfrey that the idea of a white actor playing him on screen would be ‘horrifying’.
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Okay somebody tell me more about this movie before I make a judgement. Like is it portraying Michael Jackson at one specific time in his life? Is Joseph Fiennes playing MJ from birth to death, or is it just one certain time frame? Very important distinction, at least in my eyes, because, ummm…
Sorry folks but that’s a white guy. If the part we’re casting here is end-of-life Michael Jackson, then this white dude Joseph Fiennes is the perfect fit. You’d put a fat suit on a skinny person to depict someone who is obese, so unless you want to literally paint a black dude’s face white, you gotta go white guy to play this MJ. Like the dude was whiter than me, pigmentation-wise. That’s not a racially insensitive comment that’s just me using my eyes and the color wheel. If you need an actor to depict that character ^^^^^^^ visually for the screen you gotta just scroll through your phone and go with the whitest dude you know.
Here’s where the director fucks up though.
Ben Palmer, who directs four episodes of the upcoming satirical comedy series Urban Myths, has said that the decision to cast British actor Fiennes was based on performance rather than physical appearance.
“We were casting Michael Jackson in 2001 and that obviously is a challenge in terms of the physical resemblance,’ he told The Guardian. ‘We were really looking for the performance that could unlock the spirit, and we really think Joe Fiennes has done that. He’s given a really sweet, nuanced, characterful performance.’
He added that people should not jump to conclusions before watching the episode.
Take notes out there, PR people – this was the EXACT wrong answer for this. Saying you chose a white guy to play a black part because you thought his performance was better than any black people who tried out. That is quite literally what the whole Hollywood whitewashing thing is about. Next time go with my strategy outlined above instead of playing right into their hands dumbass, how hard is it.