How to aviod racism when casting a particular role?

S

sigamy

Well-known member
This is a serious question. I have a short film coming up with roles for two terrorists.

I am well aware that anyone can be a terrorist but these roles should be played by "Arab looking" men. What is the politically correct way to word this in a casting notice? Do I just ask for Arab or Middle East descent?

Thanks.
 
My advice is to just be straightforward. If you try and beat around the bush, or be ultra-PC about it, it will probably come off wrong.

Be just as descriptive with the terrorist role as you are with any other role, and if people try and cry foul then you can show them how stupid and over-sensitive they're being.
 
You could always describe the role different than terrorist. Many nicer ways to put it. Like 'Islamic Militant' or something that both indicates race/look without equating that specific look to being a terrorist. make sense?
 
just say what coutry origin the role should be, i do not think there are so many blond guy in north africa. "Islamic" would already be too much, because
it would imply "racist" thinking, Islam is a religion, not a race. If you are in USA , you should also specify "white", because there is a lot of black muslim guy in USA
, but they look more like center/south africa or carribean than north africa. In that particular case, a pakistan or indian guy would also fit, while in europe it would not do the trick.
Even George Clooney would fit with some makeup.

Or just say, "bin Laden" everybody will get a clear idea of what you are looking for.
 
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Alec Guiness once played an Arab. So did Anthony Quinn. And while we're at it, Cornel Wilde, Yul Brenner, Sean Connery and Douglas Fairbanks, to name a few off the top of my head.

And, for discussion, many terrorists have not been Arabs or Muslims. Timothy McVeigh, Ramirez Sanches (AKA Carlos the Jackel), and many other people who easily fit the definition of terrorist are neither mid-eastern nor Muslim.

Just saying...
 
sigamy said:
This is a serious question. I have a short film coming up with roles for two terrorists.

I am well aware that anyone can be a terrorist but these roles should be played by "Arab looking" men. What is the politically correct way to word this in a casting notice? Do I just ask for Arab or Middle East descent?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Needed, 2 Actors for Action Film. Must have or be able to pull off Middle Eastern Look; Dark Hair, Olive Skin tones.

Any Actor that wants work and can fit the description will know if they do or can. That is not racist, nor is casting to type or race. What is racist is as one previous poster mentioned, Yul B. Sean C, and others posing as Middle Easterners because American Audiences didn't want to see Black or Mid-Easterners on Screen. We were a racist society. Hell I had A gf not too many years ago that didn't want to watch Jungle Fever with me because she didn't want to see Black people kissing. THAT is racist!
 
arniepix said:
Alec Guiness once played an Arab. So did Anthony Quinn. And while we're at it, Cornel Wilde, Yul Brenner, Sean Connery and Douglas Fairbanks, to name a few off the top of my head.

And, for discussion, many terrorists have not been Arabs or Muslims. Timothy McVeigh, Ramirez Sanches (AKA Carlos the Jackel), and many other people who easily fit the definition of terrorist are neither mid-eastern nor Muslim.

Just saying...
Click to expand...

Read my original post...
 
sigamy said:
This is a serious question. I have a short film coming up with roles for two terrorists.

I am well aware that anyone can be a terrorist but these roles should be played by "Arab looking" men. What is the politically correct way to word this in a casting notice? Do I just ask for Arab or Middle East descent?

Thanks.
Click to expand...


The thing is you've fallen into the trap of thinking terrorists should be played by Arab looking men. Its the all African American people are junkies, pimps and thieves stupidity Hollywood fell into in the past. If you've got other Arab looking men in non terrorists parts you are on better ground but not by much. Soliciting Arab looking men to play terrorists plays into the stereotype that all Arabs are terrorists when they are not. If you were an Arab you could probably say that Americans were the terrorists and to certain extent you wouldn't be wrong.
 
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I did, though I wonder if you read the 1st sentence that you quoted from my other post- the part where I rattled off a half dozen names of people who played "Arab types" despite not being from mid eastern backgrounds.
 
Don't overthink. As others have suggested, just be very straightforward and clear about the parts. I once cast an African-American as a drug dealer. He expressed reservations about racial stereotypes. I paid him and his reservations went away instantly.
 
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