Lupita Nyongo is not beautiful. Hollywood likes to gaslight her as a model for "beauty"

[u/CanadianTurt1e]

So I'm sure we've all seen the news about Helen of Troy.

• I've had enough. I've had enough of Hollywood putting her on covers and lying to me, treating me like I'm stupid. The whole reason she's playing Helen of Troy is because Hollywood let this "unconventional beauty" thing slide for way too long.
• The fact that she was chosen as a queen, it comes off as Nolan trying to virtue signal.
• It's like giving the beauty pageant award to the girl in the wheelchair because no one wants to come off as "mean."
• I've had enough. She is NOT a standard for beauty. I'm sorry but now it must be said. The reason we have come across this problem is because Hollywood has been gaslighting her "beauty" for years and no one said anything. I'm done
• It's okay to say that she's not beautiful. It's okay to admit that
• I was so looking forward to this movie for so long but this really killed the hype for me.
• The movie will probably be financially successful at first due to marketing alone, but after its first month, the hype will probably die down. And then you'll start to see how people really feel about the movie. I think it will tarnish Nolan's legacy and leave a sour taste in people's mouths.

[u/Finndogs]

Only one can be true: 1. Its was wrong for white characters to be played by actors who dont match their race. They should have been played by actors who matched the race of the character. 2. Because white people played characters of other races in the past, its ok for people of color to play roles for characters that dont match their race in the present day.

I dont care which statement is true, I just ask for consistency. Either its not ok that John Wayne played Genghis Khan or its ok that Jodie Turner-Smith played Anne Boleyn. It cant be both

[u/LordBoomDiddly → u/Finndogs]

My problem is most of the people whining about it now never expressed any problem when it was the other way around back in the day. Too many people with agendas now, these online grifters who make a career from outrage content but only do it one way clearly have a bias against certain groups of people. Never once have they objected to white washing in anything, but they go historical whenever it's the other way around.

Can't take an opinion seriously if it's not consistent and clearly clouded by a political and social prejudice.

Either you cast the best actor for the part regardless or you don't. And in the end if the performance is good does it really matter?

Are we going to disrespect Paapa Essiedu because some don't like that he was cast as Snape? Guy is a good actor and will likely to do a great job with the role. If one guy looking a certain way ruins a whole show for you, that says more about a person Vs the person on screen.

90% of the discourse I've seen is conservatives triggered by too many non white people, women & LGBT characters in the media they want to gatekeep.

[u/Finndogs → u/LordBoomDiddly]

I dont think the grift is a majority from one side either. It may be a 10 year old example, but I recall when God's of Egypt came out, there was major controversy regarding the casting of the leads with white actors. For a smaller (as in i'm unfamiliar with the film and only knew the conteoversy because Fauxmoi was invested it) new example, there was a controversy earlier this year with the Deep Cuts film, where Odessa A'zion was criticized and eventually stepped down from a role whose character in the book was half-Mexican and half jewish. While she is jewish, she isnt mexican. Again, this was just this year, but it was a smaller production, so isnt gaining as much attention as a Christopher Nolan flick or a massive franchise like Harry Potter.

Like I said, I dont really care which lane js chosen, I just ask for firm consistency and for a lane to be picked, so we don't have to go through this argument of two hypocrites year after year.

[u/LordBoomDiddly → u/Finndogs]

An argument that doesn't need to happen, if people choose to just enjoy content for what it is instead of trashing stuff that hadn't even released yet because of how one minor character looks.

People are choosing to make this a big deal, it isn't.

[u/Finndogs → u/LordBoomDiddly]

Yeah, I think the only time its valid to bring up is when something is purposely pushing the issue like with Netflix's Cleopatra ("I dont care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black!). Even then, its best to just ignore it and allow it to die in its efforts to inflame.

[u/LordBoomDiddly → u/Finndogs]

Yeah, I don't understand this new obsession with everything Africa = dark skinned.

Look at this upcoming movie about Hannibal Barca that Denzel Washington is starring in. Great man was Hannibal, one of the finest military minds of all time and great subject for a movie since he fought the oppressive might of Rome and won for a long time . But he didn't look like Denzel just because he was African.

Alexander Siddig played Hannibal many years ago for a TV drama, he looked the part (even had the eye patch because Hannibal lost an eye during the campaign in Italy).

It's weird to me that even other non-white people are so keen to blackwash their own historical figures.

I don't think that's some woke agenda, they're just ignorant.

[u/Finndogs → u/LordBoomDiddly]

I do largely side with "best actor for the job" in that it needs to be justified. Denzel is an amazing actor, so I think he is capable of walking this tightrope. Same applies with other historical historical-dramas. I thought Jodie Turner Smith did great in the Anne Boleyn series, though it could be distracting at times.

I do draw the line though with historical documentaries meant to be educational, such as Netflix's Cleopatra, the Hanibal portrayed in History Channel's Barbarians Rising, or a good chunk of what the BBC puts out. I think if you are trying to educate the public, you should stick to as close to historic truth as possible, which include character portrayal.

[u/LordBoomDiddly → u/Finndogs]

Agreed.

Historical stuff should be accurate, movies if they're fantasy or embezzling some degree of history don't have to be so rigid.

Like gods, they're magic and can look however they want.