# Unmatched actors and roles - what is the cutoff for race, sexual orientation, etc.?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unmatched-actors-and-roles-what-is-the-cutoff-for-race-sexual-orientation-etc/951953>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 5, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unmatched-actors-and-roles-what-is-the-cutoff-for-race-sexual-orientation-etc/951953 "2021-10-05T22:31:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 45

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unmatched-actors-and-roles-what-is-the-cutoff-for-race-sexual-orientation-etc/951953/45 "2021-10-07T19:18:09Z")

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> [@Kimstu](#):
>
> What I find disingenuous is this sort of strawman argument, typically trotted out only in defense of the casting of white actors as (same-gender) nonwhite characters, that theatrical art requires us to accept anybody playing anything because it’s “acting”.
> 
> You don’t even believe that yourself, as per your [remark a couple of years ago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-dean-to-star-in-new-movie/843175/14) to the effect that movie technology would allow the production of new Sean Connery Bond films with a (still living at the time) “de aged” Connery as Bond.

What I said was

> [@James Dean to Star in New Movie](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-dean-to-star-in-new-movie/843175/14):
>
> More serious note, we could see more Connery or Moore James Bond films. De aged Connery, revived Moore.

(Connery hadn’t died then).  
I am talking about de-aging actors in film. I proffer no opinion in that post about whether it’s a good idea.  
(Remember this was a topic at the time after The Irishman came out).  
And to answer your question, and what is asked below:

> [@kitap](#):
>
> Do you think it’s **appropriate** that someone making a movie about, say, Navajo code-talkers use white people or black people or Koreans to play the actual code-talkers?

…a good actor can play it well enough that the suspension of disbelief can be maintained. In the original cast of _Hamilton_ most of the character were played by black or mixed race people and they were good enough to make it work.  
In another recent movie, the Laundromat, Meryl Streep plays Latino woman. Amazingly well.  
Certainly some situations will present a challenge, perhaps a insurmountable one.

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