# White people voicing non-white characters **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861 "2020-06-24T22:32:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/62 "2020-06-26T15:49:01Z")
Since orchestras manage to hire musicians through rounds of live or recorded blind auditions, why could a roughly similar process not be used to cast for voices? Then no one would find themselves accused of hiring, or not hiring, someone for the part because of how white they are, or how female they are — only for how they sound on the tape or behind the screen. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/63 "2020-06-26T15:49:19Z")
If you think this is about the craft of acting, you’re having an entirely different conversation. This is about whether POC get the same opportunities to practice their craft. They demonstrably do not for the very same reasons as across many other industries. So consider this not so much about who gets to do which voice, but whether opportunities in the acting industry are available to POC. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect, that a POC would welcome an opportunity to work and do any voice a white person might do. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/64 "2020-06-26T15:56:46Z")
The character is half black and half white. The argument is that a white person should not voice it and a black person could. That is racial essentialism just like the one drop rule. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/65 "2020-06-26T15:57:39Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > On the other hand, I also don’t care if a white voice actor feels that it’s problematic for them to voice a Black (or half-, etc) character and decides to step away from the role. I think our common humanity is better served by people being empathetic and concerned about their actions than proving that a white woman can voice a black woman just fine. Actors can and should do whatever they want, but (hypothetically) stepping away from a role when already under contract to do it would seem unprofessional, or vice versa, and if people are being fired for not being black enough or white enough, whatever that means, rather than for cause, that seems problematic, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/66 "2020-06-26T16:04:39Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > but (hypothetically) stepping away from a role when already under contract to do it would seem unprofessional The two cases I’m aware of were both made with the cooperation of the shows’ producers. In Bell’s case, they will create a new character so she can continue being part of the show. Maybe there’d be an issue if someone just quit the show and left the rest of the people in a lurch but that’s not the case in either of these productions. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/67 "2020-06-26T16:07:31Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > If someone out there was saying that we need a 1/8th Black person for this role then “OMG One Drop Rule!” might apply. That would be an Octaroon. 1/4 Black would be Quadroon; 1/16th would be Hexadecaroon. Unfortunately, I’m not joking; they got that exact. Still shows up - I remember RuPaul talking about himself and saying “beware the octaroon” Maybe I’m splitting hairs here, but I’m less concerned with a white actor on the Simpsons voicing a character of color than I am on Bigmouth. On the Simpsons, you have a few actors performing A WHOLE LOT of characters; on Bigmouth, it tends to be 1-to-1. If your comedy is based on the actors, then Hank Azaria voicing a whole bunch of voices makes sense, even non-white. If your comedy is based on the writers, then I can see the “we should have a POC voicing a POC”. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/68 "2020-06-26T16:08:37Z")
Where has that been demonstrated? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/69 "2020-06-26T16:09:12Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > The character is half black and half white. The argument is that a white person should not voice it and a black person could. That is racial essentialism just like the one drop rule. Nah. Not even close. The One Drop Rule was based around how much Black blood you could have to be considered a slave. You needed to be less than 1/8th Black to be legally considered a free white person. It was based around trying to keep people subjugated. A white person voluntarily deciding to step away from a role in the name of better racial understanding and promoting Black voices is nothing even remotely like that. Not even close. Like, embarrassingly far from it for someone to try to make that comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/70 "2020-06-26T16:09:44Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Since orchestras manage to hire musicians through rounds of live or recorded blind auditions, why could a roughly similar process not be used to cast for voices? Then no one would find themselves accused of hiring, or not hiring, someone for the part because of how white they are, or how female they are — only for how they sound on the tape or behind the screen. Because voices are distinctive, and you would recognize voices if they were people already in the industry? Voice acting is like live acting, there are stars in the industry that directors want to hire and that audiences want to hear, they aren’t utterly interchangeable widgets. With _Central Park_, for example, the fact that Kristen Bell was voicing a main character was one of the major selling points in advertising the series. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/71 "2020-06-26T16:14:19Z")
I’ll add that in these creative collaborative ventures, people generally want to work with people they know and have worked with in the past. So the casting process is not often open to new people. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/72 "2020-06-26T16:19:30Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Off the top of your head, how many POC voice actors can you think of that voice white characters? If casting were truly colorblind, then you should be able to find ample examples of this happening. Instead, we only get the “any actor should be able to play any character” pushback when talking about white actors playing POC characters. If there were hundreds of black voice actors making a comfortable living voicing characters of any race, nobody would be pushing back on Jenny Slate voicing this one character > [@QuickSilver](#): > > If you think this is about the craft of acting, you’re having an entirely different conversation. > > This is about whether POC get the same opportunities to practice their craft. They demonstrably do not for the very same reasons as across many other industries. So consider this not so much about who gets to do which voice, but whether opportunities in the acting industry are available to POC. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect, that a POC would welcome an opportunity to work and do any voice a white person might do Yes to both of these. I don’t know that I agree with Jenny Slate’s thoughts about whether it’s “permissible” for her to play a Black character, or that there’s an indelible truth to the statement that “Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people.” That’s a simple and easy-to-digest sound bite, but doesn’t invite deep thinking or understanding. However, the larger point that POC do not get opportunities in many corners of the performing arts not because they lack skill or ability but because of their color is 100% true. And, as one of the few places POC have a greater than average chance of getting the part is when the role is that of a person who looks like they do. If someone wants to make room for POC by stepping back from a role that represents one of few opportunities for them, then I don’t know why that should be derided in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/73 "2020-06-26T16:20:49Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > The character is half black and half white. The argument is that a white person should not voice it and a black person could. That is racial essentialism just like the one drop rule. Not in our society. I have half-black/half-white nieces and nephews. Believe me they’re Black. That’s how American society perceives them, that’s how they are treated. It’s very different than how someone who “looks white” is perceived or treated. The cultural frame of reference is quite distinct. I also have half-asian/half-white nieces. They’re perceived as Asian. Same thing. The American conception of race is 99% appearance and it generally has a real effect on how most people interact with you. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/74 "2020-06-26T16:28:27Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > If someone wants to make room for POC by stepping back from a role that represents one of few opportunities for them, then I don’t know why that should be derided in any way. We’re in agreement up until this bit. Color me a hopless cynic, but, I find the example cited in the OP, and most like it, whether stated by individuals or corporations, to be performative and lacking in… perhaps not sincerity… but awareness. As I’ve stated elsewhere, the timing smacks of opportunism and self-promotion. It’s not like this hasn’t been an known issue for years. Suddenly they develop a public conscience? NOW? Please! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/75 "2020-06-26T16:37:58Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Color me a hopless cynic I hate IPAs as well. 🍻 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/76 "2020-06-26T16:46:57Z")
Cheers! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/77 "2020-06-26T16:49:12Z")
Be mindful that your cynical attitude does not allow for people to learn and change. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/78 "2020-06-26T16:53:33Z")
Not really. Merely discourages them from doing it ‘for the gram’. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/79 "2020-06-26T17:19:19Z")
I’m going to gently suggest that your cynicism filter is clouding your judgement. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/80 "2020-06-26T17:35:43Z")
Interesting. Cloudy is also how I like my IPAs. Cheers to you as well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861/81 "2020-06-27T03:47:08Z")
The producers of The Simpsons [announced](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/27/the-simpsons-stops-using-white-actors-to-voice-non-white-characters), “Moving forward, ‘The Simpsons’ will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-voicing-non-white-characters/912861.md?page=5)