Vincent D’Onofrio asks Twitter to weigh in on whether playing an ‘irredeemable racist’ is constructive – The Verge

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What responsibility do actors have in the current social climate?

I wanted to be an actor in high school but the one time classmates were to cast each other in roles I was cast as a maid. I of course, dominated the scene, so much so that my teacher chastise the class for not looking beyond race in casting their productions. This issue isn’t as prevalent as it was when Hattie McDaniel won her Oscar but it hasn’t gone away. (Hattie McDaniel was cast as a maid 74 times before her death.)

While the reaction to D’Onofrio question seems to been mixed about the role most people seem to be shocked by his even having a dilemma. Yet, I would propose that this dilemma is something most actors of color are faced with everytime they’re asked to read for a part. While the issues that actors of color are dealing with may not revolve around social climate of the time the issues that they struggle with are just as relevant “prejudiced perception” or caricatures of people of color. Just something to think about.

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Discourse on social media tends to follow a pattern. When it comes to Hollywood, the cycle starts with a casting announcement or a new trailer or a movie release — some high-level choice is publicized. Depending on the politics or representation involved, fans and critics react on social media and news sites with either celebration or vehement backlash. Sometimes Hollywood responds; mostly it doesn’t. Then we wait for the next choice to be made. As consumers in this era, our relationship to art tends to be reactive because we’re not privy to the decision-making process, much less the internal struggle an actor might face when deciding whether or not to sign onto a potentially controversial project. Over the weekend, Daredevil actor Vincent D’Onofrio subverted that pattern by opening up a discussion on Twitter about whether or not he should take a role — specifically, that of a real-life “irredeemable racist.”

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https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/13/17684426/vincent-donofrio-twitter-discussion-irredeemable-racist