O Really wrote: ↑Tue Aug 09, 2022 1:18 pm
On the CNN show "United Shades of America"
https://hd1.uscinemax.com/tv/play.php?id=66335-7-5
a minor part of the segment on South Asians addressed the criticism of Hank Azaria for portraying the Abu character on "The Simpsons." Interestingly, that criticism - and Azaria's subsequent dropping of his role - wasn't about the comic presentation of a stereotyped character, but that Azaria is a white guy, not South Asian.
Well, excuuuuuuse me! I may have addressed this sometime before, but I seriously thought these people were actors. "Acting" as in performance art portraying a character. I didn't know an actor could only play themselves. I guess they didn't notice that 10-year old male "Bart" is - OMG - a middle aged female!
And gay people have been whining about the portrayal of gay characters by straight actors. Horrors! Sure the writing or acting could be done in such a way it appears disrespectful, but don't these people realize that if that "rule" had been in place that if gay actors were limited to playing only gay characters, they wouldn't have gotten any work. F'rinstance, this famous and fabulously successful movie star would still be tending pools or something as Roy Fitzgerald.
I saw that
United Shades episode, excellent series. Actually, there was discussion of the
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon character, how South Asians were at first thrilled to see any representation of their people. Later, they came to question whether being the butt of a stereotyped joke is a good thing. Here's Wiki's description of the issue:
Apu: Accusations of racial stereotyping
As you say, Azaria stepped aside and apologized. Idk whether there are other changes to the character.
I get your point re the broader discussion. However, I will make one distinction. South Asians, other minorities and open gays were underrepresented in the industry. From the blackface days to Charlie Chan (sometimes) to Yul Brynner in
The King and I and so on, they generally were portrayed by White, presumably hetero actors. Part of the demand is to
at least give minorities these roles. It doesn't necessarily follow that gays should be excluded from hetero roles.
Otoh, few actresses are able to maintain careers into middle age, so people aren't going to be too bothered that one is able to keep working as a 10-year old boy.
I don't think that anybody cared that gay
Jim Parsons portrayed the nominally hetero Sheldon Cooper, but Sheldon's sexuality was so odd that I'm not sure if it counts. Then, there were Howard and Raj, both hetero irl and ostensibly in the show.
Kunal Nayyar is even married to the former Miss India! However, Leonard's mother described them as being in an "ersatz homosexual marriage"
. Maybe they could have been played by gays or heteros without anyone objecting.
Whatever, this debate will never be fully settled. However, I think it's a good thing that just the discussion has increased sensitivity and has thus opened up opportunities for minorities that often didn't exist before.