Noah Screenwriter Says Something Really Idiotic About Race And Representation

“From the beginning, we were concerned about casting, the issue of race. What we realized is that this story is functioning at the level of myth, and as a mythical story, the race of the individuals doesn’t matter. They’re supposed to be stand-ins for all people. Either you end up with a Bennetton ad or the crew of the Starship Enterprise. You either try to put everything in there, which just calls attention to it, or you just say, ‘Let’s make that not a factor, because we’re trying to deal with everyman.’ Looking at this story through that kind of lens is the same as saying, ‘Would the ark float and is it big enough to get all the species in there?’ That’s irrelevant to the questions because the questions are operating on a different plane than that; they’re operating on the mythical plane.” – Noah screenwriter Ari Handel answering The High Calling after being asked, “while there’s a lot of diversity shown in the animal kingdom, there’s no racial diversity in the cast. Can you speak to that?”

Race doesn’t matter, huh? You didn’t want to make race a factor in your movie, huh? Then the entire cast was made up of white people because…?

Guess what? White is not, and should not, be the default in Hollywood films. The more filmmakers include a diverse cast, the less it will look like you’re “calling attention to it” and just, you know, creating an accurate depiction of real life.

(via Complex)

Previously in Representation

• Why the New Ms. Marvel Is A Promising Step Forward
• Sexuality & Race: One DC Comics Creator’s Take on Wonder Woman
• Lupita Nyong’o Speaks Out About Beauty Standards and Media Representation

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