It was a better movie than I expected. Granted, I expected, like, nothing, but still.

I hadn't realised it was still a thing. In an article about whitewashing Argo, Slate brings up The Hunger Games. Since the character in the book was white, doesn't it subtract a bit from their message to use this as an example when there totally are others--picking Hunger Games presumably because it did the best box office doesn't make sense if it's not a good example.

Male actors are still valued higher than female ones. They get better roles and draw higher salaries (Taylor Lautner made more than Kristen Stewart in 2010). Historically, moving behind the camera has been easier for men than women. Meanwhile, black and Latino audiences buy movie tickets at a higher rate than white viewers, but appear less frequently on screen and are rarely stationed behind the camera. And characters of color are still routinely whitewashed, from Argo to the Hunger Games.

While it is clear that the role could have been cast...less white without contradicting the text, shouldn't you better pick an example where we don't know the authorial intent?

Not to dwell on the assumed lack of intersection between white and Latino in the article--they aren't quite dealing with the fact that there are Latinos that look more "Aryan" than Affleck--just that Mendez is not one of them.

Yeah, that was the problem with Argo -- not that someone who looks like Affleck couldn't be Latino, but that they cast so true to life for the other parts! If the real person played by John Goodman had been blond and skinny (for example), it wouldn't have been so glaring.

It seems to me like as much a story about Hollywood clout/politics/what it takes to get a movie greenlit than a story about whitewashing in casting. Which is maybe a more important story -- there isn't an actor who looks like Tony Mendez who can get a movie made.

Not that whitewashing isn't also important.

I agree--there's no reason Affleck wouldn't want a role like that, because it's a good role, I just wonder at which point he got the role. Was there ever a concept of the movie without Affleck in the lead? Did it take him as Mendez to go anywhere?

I may be following Google tangents for a while. Some days are lazy and informative like that.

I was reading up about the character who was the fake artist, and she's an artist for real now. In a mastery of understatement (or lack of information), I found this in her bio for an art show:

traveling with her diplomat husband for over twenty years in Africa and the Middle East, she was charmed by new people, places, and rhythms of everyday life

Her stuff's good--what I've seen has been of the areas at her postings.

Was there ever a concept of the movie without Affleck in the lead? Did it take him as Mendez to go anywhere?

I have no idea, but he directed too, didn't he? That makes it pretty clearly in my mind a movie he made happen. I feel like I heard some interview about him reading the story, but am too lazy to do the research right now.

Affleck cast himself because he wanted to play the main character, pretty much. I wouldn't call it whitewashing except that the number of people who can say "Hey I want to direct and star in this movie," and just be handed millions of dollars do tend to be white dudes.

Just saw The Man With the Iron Fists. It was pretty much exactly what I expected. This is one satisfied customer.

I wouldn't call it whitewashing except that the number of people who can say "Hey I want to direct and star in this movie," and just be handed millions of dollars do tend to be white dudes.

I don't understand why it's not whitewashing. Would it be whitewashing if he wasn't the director or making casting decisions? Is that what you mean?

he directed too, didn't he? That makes it pretty clearly in my mind a movie he made happen

Directors get hired onto films all the time. There's no way to tell from that title alone whose baby it is.

I should get back to reading, so I can figure out what the answer actually is.

It was pretty much exactly what I expected

What were you expecting?

Cheesey martial arts with lots of blood and gore.