is it okay for a white actor to play a black character?

Question

I was thinking Sir Anthony Hopkins would make a great Martin Luthor King. And Ben Afleck could do Stevie Wonder seeing as he did such a good job of being blind in Daredevil. Also, what black actor woould do a great job of playing Winston Churchill? I'm thinking Morgan Freeman or Will Smith. What do you think?

Answer 1

Favorite Answer

Mike Tyson for Pope!

Answer 2

I think it would be a very sensitive issue for people of african heritage.

I think Martin Luthor King's african heritage is integral to who he is as a person. It would be horrible to have a white actor portray him.

I think it would be even worse for Ben Afleck to play Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder is who he is because he is black.

Ben Afleck is also a horrible actor, and would butcher the role.

In some instances, I think it would be acceptable, but in these two roles, It would be absolutely horrible for white actors to play those characters.

Answer 3

eh it's a creative idea I mean it could go well but it also could go wrong like they MIGHT be able to do something like what they did with with Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder (sorry only thing I can think of off the top of my head) but that was Hollywood top of the line make-up and he still looked like Robert Downey Jr. but yeah I think if some one were to try that they might want to choose an actor That looks like Martin Luther King or Stevie Wonder but unless you had great make-up there will be people going 'eh, it's racist they didn't use a black guy in the famous black guy parts' and that could lead to bad publicity to you know could go either way

Source(s): mind, news, past movies

Answer 4

W C Fields, would have been a great Martin Luther King Jr., Except Fields wasn't a pervert. Google that about King.

Answer 5

I would love to see Winston Churchill portrayed by Morgan Freeman

Answer 6

Eh no not really, I mean there are actual black people who could play that role. Now nationality doesn't matter when it comes to the role but I think they should just find that race to play them.

Answer 7

Yeah. It's been done before. C. Thomas Howell once portrayed a black man.

Answer 8

A good actor is supposed to enact any char actor,may be black or white;king or beggar;wise man or madman and any more.

Answer 9

Other than the fact that it would look straight up and down dumb, I suppose it's ok. But no one is going to see a blatantly bullshyte movie like that though.

Answer 10

For light fare, sure. For serious subject matter that is intended to be reverant, absolutely not.