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The Aladdin controversy Disney can't escape

J

Jenov

Member
Hmm, I went to Disney land a few years back and they had a live action Aladdin stage show with some pretty well done Jasmine and Aladdin actors. They should give them a call. The genie was a weird puppet though.
 
G

Gallbaro

Banned
Permanently A said:
I'm sure the real reason they can't find someone is that they need someone with looks, acting chops, singing chops, dancing chops AND they need to do a convincing English accent.
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And is white. They cannot find a South West Asian who can sing, dance and is white.
 
F

FinaruDensetsu

Member
Gallbaro said:
And is white. They cannot find a South West Asian who can sing, dance and is white.
Click to expand...

If they're white though they don't need the dancing chops, singing chops or good accents. Look at Beauty and the Beast.

Prost said:
Hmm, I went to Disney land a few years back and they had a live action Aladdin stage show with some pretty well done Jasmine and Aladdin actors. They should give them a call. The genie was a weird puppet though.
Click to expand...

Been an annual holder for 6+ years and live 5 minutes away and every time i went to see it Jasmine and Aladdin were most definitely not middle eastern. Aladdin was white most of the time.
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
As soon as this project was announced I thought it was doomed.

Disney can't hire a white dude and get away with it, but they're also probably too scared to put a brown guy front and center in a 'four quadrant' blockbuster.
 
C

clemenx

Banned
Jade from Little mix should be Jasmine

C7Kef9fVoAEAnK8.jpg
Click to expand...

Dunno if she can act but she can sing and she has the heaviest geordie accent ever. What more can you ask.
 
F

FinaruDensetsu

Member
Krev said:
As soon as this project was announced I thought it was doomed.

Disney can't hire a white dude and get away with it, but they're also probably too scared to put a brown guy front and center in a 'four quadrant' blockbuster.
Click to expand...

I agree with your second point but disagree with the first.

They cast Jake gyllenhaal in PoP and Disney seems to have survived that with flying colors. In this political climate I think they'd survive it even easier, flourish even.
 
S

Staccat0

Fail out bailed
Zvonimir Boban said:
Yeah, I reckon this is the problem. They want someone who is a little bit brown, but not too brown. Basically just enough to be able to say they didn't cast a white lead.
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Those people exist fucking plenty. I've worked with very talented brown actors in Dallas TX. I'm sure LA has even more.
 
G

GeoNeo

I disagree.
I would have thought that Avan Jogia would be the pick? He legit looks like animated Aladdin come to life...

Rumour is he sent in his tape. I expect him to be picked.
 
D

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Every day Disney doesn't just say "screw it" and cast the guy from The Big Bang Theory, I consider a positive day for the film.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
Jarmel said:
My guess is they want someone without an accent.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that does complicate their search a bit. It's certainly not an easy task to find a multitude of middle eastern/Indian actors that can dance and sing without having an accent (which means either accent training or being born in the US).
 
J

JonnyDBrit

Member
On paper, I'd understand not looking towards Bollywood as a source of casting talent, since the distinction between India and 'Indian Muslims' is kinda the whole reason Pakistan exists.

But since the report indicates they are looking at 'Indian' actors in general, it is rather strange. Especially since Disney already made Dangal last year, so they clearly have contacts and an insight into talent in the region. But okay, maybe they want actors where they'll have an accent more preferable to American audiences. It's not as though there's a large, western city that is well known for its various Asian communities that is also the home of an actor who played a prominent role in one of their biggest movies last year- oh wait.

Seriously, I do not get how they're having trouble in terms of simply finding the talent.

Edit:
Gitaroo said:
Isn't the Aladin story originated from China?
Click to expand...

It's set in 'China', but is treated as very much an Arab setting. Where the story itself comes from is of some dispute, whether as a wholesale creation of the guy who translated and collected the western version of the 1001 Nights, or as a story he picked up somewhere in like, Syria?
 
K

Kinyou

Member
DMczaf said:
Why does it feel like Disney leaked this shit to gauge if they can get away with hiring a white guy for the role with minimal blow back?
Click to expand...
The same Disney that has been pushing diversity recently?
Zvonimir Boban said:
Yeah, I reckon this is the problem. They want someone who is a little bit brown, but not too brown. Basically just enough to be able to say they didn't cast a white lead.
Click to expand...
Since when are skin tone and accent related?
 
T

Toth

Member
Aaron Strife said:
Interesting that he mentions Aladdin's mother when the original draft did feature her as a character. They cut her when they decided to make Aladdin's character arc more about discovering his self-worth than making his mother happy.

I do love Aladdin but it's hella problematic. I don't buy for a second that they can't find a talented enough Middle Eastern actor to play the part, either. I was going to ask who's playing him on Broadway but the original guy was half-Filipino... hm.
Click to expand...

The mother arc is featured heavily in the Broadway version however.
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
FinaruDensetsu said:
I agree with your second point but disagree with the first.

They cast Jake gyllenhaal in PoP and Disney seems to have survived that with flying colors. In this political climate I think they'd survive it even easier, flourish even.
Click to expand...
When/if this ever releases, it will have been nearly ten years since that movie came out. Online activism regarding diversity in casting has come a long way and gotten a whole lot louder. Back then people were raising their eyebrows at Jake's casting, but doing it now there'd be an endless barrage of thinkpieces shaming Disney, protests at the premiere, the works. It would be very, very bad for PR.

This political climate actually makes it worse for Disney. They strive to be PC, lightly progressive, and otherwise inoffensive and politically neutral. The Disney brand being alligned with Trumpism is their nightmare.
 
A

a916

Member
As someone of South Indian descent... there's no one in Bollywood that fits this role... not even close. Bollywood is neoptism to a T where familys are pushed, and you're pushed based off what family tree you belong in. They also don't sing lol. Especially if they want young 20s, probably best looking elsewhere.

Unless they want to cast an older guy, then yeah, there might be a few that fit the role... in which case Priyanka Chopra is your Jasmine!!!

I agree with Disney, they should cast an relatively unknown talent similar to Daisy Ridley.
 
M

Mushroomer25

Member
Permanently A said:
I'm sure the real reason they can't find someone is that they need someone with looks, acting chops, singing chops, dancing chops AND they need to do a convincing English accent.
Click to expand...
I feel like this is a real stumbling block. If Disney genuinely is saying they're struggling to find leads for Aladdin, it's because they're putting more of an emphasis on marketability to white audiences than they're willing to admit. If a perfect Bollywood Aladdin can't do a press junket in English, he's not what they need in the role. They don't just need somebody to play Aladdin, they need a Hollywood star who can play Aladdin.

They're just going to get Riz Ahmed,
and everyone will be fine with it.
 
O

Ogodei

Member
shira said:
Nah they want someone that Chinese audiences will want.




Hispanic will probably be the compromise
Click to expand...

The funny thing is that the original Aladdin was set in China. Equally ironic in these days of contention about cultural appropriation, although Aladdin was technically Chinese, his story had no Chinese characteristics. The authors of the Arabian Nights themselves were simply using China as an exotic locale without putting any thought into it.

So these tropes of cultural appropriation are timeless.
 
N

nOoblet16

Member
I don't believe it really cause of the entire reason that Bollywood is massive. Yes there is heavy nepotism there and a lot of bad actors but even despite that there is no shortage of actors that can act, dance and speak english there, a decent few can even sing. There's plenty of them even if you exclude the big name actors (who are mostly too old to play Aladdin anyways)
 
shira

shira

Member
Ogodei said:
The funny thing is that the original Aladdin was set in China. Equally ironic in these days of contention about cultural appropriation, although Aladdin was technically Chinese, his story had no Chinese characteristics. The authors of the Arabian Nights themselves were simply using China as an exotic locale without putting any thought into it.

So these tropes of cultural appropriation are timeless.
Click to expand...
I would prefer this but ScarJo prolly can't do Mulan and Jasmine
 
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