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Jordan Peele: "I'm not going to cast white males in leads. I've seen that movie before."

posted 5 years ago by samoanjoes (53091)
191 replies | jump to latest

He actually said this. There are so many things wrong with this. First, there is definitely subconscious bias. Everyone has it. That's why you so often see white directors casting white leads, black directors casting black leads and so on. But to say that you're actively not going to cast a specific demographic is no longer
subconscious bias, it's discrimination. And worse, he has no problem saying it out loud.

Second, does this mean he's not even allowing white men to audition? What if he does and they have a riveting audition? Is he just going to go with a black dude even know he wasn't the best fit for the role?

Third, what if a white man auditions and he is disabled? Is he going to show him the door? Disabled actors are given less opportunity than any other demographic. Imagine the headline now: "Jordan Peele ignores disabled actor for being white". Such optics surely wouldn't look too good.

Four, it's funny how he chooses race as his standard because he's claiming to give minorities a chance. But when it comes to directors, straight, able-bodied males are the overwhelming majority of directors out there and Jordan Peele is all three of those. So it's not okay to hire a white male for a role because there are too many of them, but he is completely okay with being a straight, able-bodied male director.

I hate when people try to be a voice for oppression, but end up being more ignorant than the people they're claiming are.

Here's a link to the article:
https://theplaylist.net/jordan-peele-white-dudes-leads-20190327/

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

I just gotta say...

--Jordan Peele: "I'm not going to cast white males in leads. I've seen that movie before."
--posted 14 days ago by samoanjoes (1120)
--He actually said this.

Technically no, he didn't... he said (italics are there to highlight the singular movie, not "movies"):
“I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes,” he said. “But I’ve seen that movie.”

"But to say that you're actively not going to cast a specific demographic is no longer subconscious bias, it's discrimination."

Peele is a black filmmaker who is, so far, making films with decidedly black leads, and wanting to give opportunities to black actors/actresses.

If he was making a Malcolm X movie, and stated he would not be casting a white person as Malcolm X, would that be discrimination also?

Seems like it would have to be, right?

=)

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

But by doing that, he's also confirming one of my points:

what if a white man auditions and he is disabled? Is he going to show him the door? Disabled actors are given less opportunity than any other demographic. Imagine the headline now: "Jordan Peele ignores disabled actor for being white". Such optics surely wouldn't look too good.

What about opportunities from disabled actors who won't get an opportunity because they're white?

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

What if a disabled black man auditions but Peele needs an able-bodied actor for, like, action scenes?

I don't think handicaps are at issue here. Disabled people do face an uphill battle in terms of employment opportunities, and discrimination doesn't usually figure in due to "Bona fide qualifications" (Same reason an airline can refuse to hire an unattractive flight attendant):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bona_fide_occupational_qualification

In employment law, a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) (US) or bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR) (Canada) or genuine occupational qualification (GOQ) (UK) is a quality or an attribute that employers are allowed to consider when making decisions on the hiring and retention of employees—a quality that when considered in other contexts would constitute discrimination and thus be in violation of civil rights employment law. Such qualifications must be listed in the employment offering.

Peele also didn't rule out having white actors, as he only mentioned the "lead" role.... And much of the time, the "lead" role is also the author avatar, thus it tends to be the same race and gender as the author.

Peele could stick to this statement and cast a movie with one black lead actor, and then every other actor could be white.

But still, Peele only said he couldn't see himself casting a white dude... Which means he could very well find himself casting a white lead.

I notice you didn't point out the use of "dude" as an implication that Peele is only considering a MALE lead for his movie.... That's an opportunity to discuss sexism as well!

But the "dude" part isn't taken seriously, oddly enough...

Unless of course "dude," as well as the singular "movie," is all referencing a specific film Peele is making with a black male main character!

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

I never used "dude" but I did say "white man" multiple times in my original post. To me, the lead part is almost trivial. Why should a disabled actor only get supporting roles then? I know what Peele is trying to say, but I don't really think he thought through the variables completely.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

Peele said dude.

Handicap still a non issue, as nothing was said pro or con, and a disabled person can be any race.

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

Of course a disabled person can be any race but if you're white and disabled, good luck being the lead in a Jordan Peele movie. I know Jordan Peele said "dude" but you said I didn't point out the use of "dude", when I did. I just used "man" instead of "dude".

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

Yeah but you didnt speak up about opportunities for women.... why not? What if a black woman wants the lead role? What if a disabled black woman wants the lead?

Hasnt Peele already declared that he's only considering "dudes"?

I just don't see why the "dude" part isnt being taken literally while the "white" part is literally exaggerated into discrimination and taken beyond its statement.

And yes, exaggerated as in "cant see myself doing X" turned into "Im not going to..."

Beyond its statement, as in "lead" turned into the plural "leads" to encompass all future movies.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Steven Spielberg is known for hiring disabled leading men. Roy Scheider was in a wheelchair but Spielberg is such a genius the audience never knew.

James Cameron cast Arnold Schwarzenegger who had no left hand but again the audience never knew and hats off to Cameron for hiring a disabled lead.

Francis Ford Coppola cast Marlon Brando despite Brando being completely blind. It took take after take to get stuff right because Brando kept bumping into stuff.

Yes all these great directors routinely hired disabled leading men and then someone like Peele comes along and decides to break with tradition by casting able bodied individuals. His reign of terror makes me sick.

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

Two wrongs don't make a right. Jordan Peele actually came out with the statement, not Spielberg, not Coppola, not Cameron. If they did, you'd have a point. You can, however, use that argument about Tim Burton who has made a public statement about why he always has white leads. His statement was pretty bad.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Actually no, Peele never said a word about disabled people. That was all your twisting of his words.

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

I know he never brought up disabled people. That was my point all along. He's overlooking disabled, gay, Muslim people just for being white. He didn't realize that by him saying he'll probably never do a movie with a white man in the lead role because he's "seen that movie before" that he will be overlooking other stories like disabled people and Muslims that we don't often see either

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Your comments make zero sense. Like seriously zero sense. Unless he's making a movie about a disabled person, why would he be casting a disabled lead? And if he was, why would it be an issue if he chose to write a story about, and cast, a disabled black man? I'm guessing the white Muslim population vying for roles in Hollywood is almost nothing so I won't even bother responding to that because it's too silly.

These are ridiculous points you're using to strengthen your outrage toward Peele's comments about white men and they just plain fail. This is about race, nothing more.

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

The reason it makes "zero sense" (which doesn't make sense itself, you can't make one sense or two sense) is because that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm not saying he HAS to cast someone that is disabled. Nowhere did I say that he had to. Let's just say he does write a screenplay with a disabled lead and begins auditioning actors, because he already has the mentality that he is probably not going to cast a white man, a white man who is auditioning will not get the role. The comment he made "I've seen that movie before" is him talking about representation. So, if Jordan Peele does write a movie with a disabled lead, the white disabled man who auditioned won't be represented based solely on his skin colour. He made his comments thinking that race is the only factor when talking about representation

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Sorry not buying into any of this.

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

Okay. Have a good day.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

Well, unfortunately we live in the days of Trump, who can make truly racist comments, like about Hispanic Judges, and half of America hails him as a hero regardless.

Peele's preference for black lead actors is just a preference. Like a person saying they dont see themselves dating outside of their own race/culture. It is not meant as a negative against the unchosen.

Unlike Trumps comments.

[–] samoanjoes (53091) 5 years ago

I agree with you, Frogarama. I don't mind that he has a preference, but he said "I've seen that movie before" when he's referring to representation so his words affect work contraty to that because people gay people, for example, don't normally get their representation and won't get a lead role in a Jordan Peele film if they're white.