What changes when performing characters are played by different ethnicities and gender than originally conceptualized?

[Quantum]

There are artistic and story as well as a social and economic aspects to consider.

(Note: Here I've drawn upon articles concerning the casting of Asian-Americans in performing roles in film, but I'm really asking for discussion across the board.)

(Beyond 'nerds' and 'ninjas,' slow progress for Asian actors in Hollywood: http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/06/enterta...)

Actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park departed the CBS drama "Hawaii Five-0" last week over a reported pay disparity between the actors and their white co-stars.

"The path to equality is rarely easy," Kim wrote in a Facebook post about leaving the show. "But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am."

Kim was in Battlestar Galactica too! ^_^

More recently, there has been debate over Scarlett Johansson's casting as a Japanese character in the forthcoming film "Ghost in the Shell."

But Mamoru Oshii, who directed the 1995 anime classic the new film is based on, told IGN on Tuesday "there is no basis for saying that an Asian actress must portray her."

"What issue could there possibly be with casting her?" Oshii told the publication. "The Major is a cyborg and her physical form is an entirely assumed one."
...
Starring "The Fault in Our Stars" actor Nat Wolff and "Atlanta" actor Lakeith Stanfield, "Death Note" tells the story of a Japanese high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook.
Wolff is white and Stanfield is African American, causing some to question why Asian actors were not cast in the lead roles.
...
In a statement to Collider last summer, "Death Note" producers Roy Lee and Dan Lin said they view the project as inclusive.
"The talent and diversity represented in our cast, writing, and producing teams reflect our belief in staying true to the story's concept of moral relevance -- a universal theme that knows no racial boundaries."
...
Asian actors made up just 5.1% of speaking or named characters across film, television and digital series in 2014, according to a University of Southern California study released last year.
...
A study published this week by the Motion Picture Association of America found "the Asian/Other category overrepresented the most of any group in share of movie tickets purchased (14%) relative to their share of the population (8%)."

(Netflix's 'Death Note' accused of 'whitewashing': http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/23/enterta...)

Thoughts?

As an author, would you want the gender or ethnicity of your characters changed? What if the performance was a live theatrical one? What if the locale was changed from the US to Japan, China, Korea, India, Russia, South Africa?

[Marie Silk]

I haven't seen any of those films, but interesting topic!

"Last Holiday" was originally written and filmed with a man as the main character, "George". A newer version stars Queen Latifah as the main character, "Georgia", and it's one of my favorite movies ever! Actually it's what inspired me to visit the Czech Republic, which I was finally able to do just months ago!

There is a certain amount of artistic license that the film industry can take imo. Whether it's executed well is another story :D.

[J.N.]

Strangely, this made me think: what if "Passenger 57" was remade, but with Rowan Atkinson playing the titular character instead of Wesley Snipes? Or, "Blade" starring David Spade?

[J.J.]

I had to chuckle over the suggestion of whitewashing Passenger 57 because of its signature line "always bet on black." What is the response in the "white" version. "But you're not black!" "Details...details..."

My position has always been that diversity should feel natural...I hate it when it feels forced or when it seems to be the biggest promotional tool for a work, but I like it when it feels natural and unforced.

How would it feel if it were my work adapted? It would depend on the story because a lot of times I don't play up the color of a character. With one, maybe two exceptions, their race doesn't define who they are. In Are There Heroes In Hell?, about the only indication I gave to the MC's race was a comment he makes about another prisoner in the camp: "He was black like me." And that was about it. Even some of the white characters wouldn't specifically be white if it weren't for a vague description of an embarrassing moment causing them to blush, or something similar.

It's sort of easier to do in far-future space settings where you can imagine the issue of race being something entirely different to what we're familiar with, but one of the subtler reasons I choose to downplay wherever possible is to give the leeway for casting decisions in the very unlikely event a story gets picked up. If the casting director wants to cast an African American in a role I envisioned as white, they're free to do so. If they have a Hispanic actor who embodies a character I envisioned as black, then they have the freedom to cast him/her without alteration to the source in most cases. Etc.

[Lizzie]

I saw an article that stated Lord of the Flies is being redone with all girls instead of boys. I am not sure how that will play. The comments were many who thought it would be boring because the girls would just talk everything out. A few pointed out how mean girls are toward those who are not in their clique.

For me, when a classic is changed it is difficult to adjust. But, much of that is because of the historical content and time period. That is possibly why sci fi, even when no aliens, it is easy to accept a change of race or gender. Ender could have been a girl.

[Philip]

True to original - then all of Shakespeare should be played by male white cast. No females were allowed to appear on the stage at the time.

Now we have female King Lear's, or having to have ethnically authentic (not Moors) Othello etc.

I thought it was called acting for a reason and it should not matter except that Hollywood seems to have to have male white leads and remake story settings into America. Still fits in with the Oscars that way - joke!