With the Oscars in America’s rearview mirror, many people still ponder what it would have taken for an actor in the critically acclaimed hit movie Straight Outta Compton to have gotten nominated for just one Academy Award.
With that question in mind, someone produced an “Oscar-worthy” trailer of the film.
By using some creative editing, they were able to re-write the movie and turn the role of N.W.A’s white music producer (Jerry Heller played by Paul Giamatti) as the film’s lead role, leaving the rappers in the background of the story.
Here’s the YouTube “Oscar-friendly” remake of Straight Outta Compton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_B0kgSh_5s
When I first saw this trailer, I thought it was hilarious. But after the laughter, I realized that had the movie focused on Giamatti’s character; an actor may have very well gotten nominated. Hollywood loves injecting white actors into roles where minorities are in the background of the story.
- Tom Cruise in the Last Samurai played a great white savior in Japan.
- Michelle Phifer was a white teacher saving “Dangerous Minds” in a minority populated inner city school.
- The God’s of Egypt featured mainly European actors playing Egyptian gods.
- How about Johnny Deep playing Tonto in the Lone Ranger?
I won’t even start in on the new Ghostbusters movie; that ‘s another article in and of itself.
The list goes on and on. But anytime a minority expresses outrage or even mild concern about this pattern, eyes roll: “There they go making it a ‘race thing’ again.”
The racial inequality in Hollywood goes far beyond actors in front of the camera; it filters down to virtually every job in the industry. Here’s a video A-list actor Matt Damon explaining to a black producer how diversity should work in Hollywood.
Damon states that picking the best directors should be based on “merit” and not diversity, as though they are mutually exclusive:
“We’re talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show (production).”
What else needs to be said?
Featured image screengrab via YouTube.
