Voice actors often voice a myriad of characters on any given show. On Futurama, Billy West voiced Fry, Dr. Farnsworth, Zoidberg, and probably others. I imagine it saves on production costs.
The only one I can think of off the top of my head if Phil Lamarr who is a rather prolific voice actor. You might remember him as the UPS guy from Mad TV or Marvin, dude who gets his head accidentally blown off in the backseat by John Travolta, in Pulp Fiction.
Ultimately, it ends with people only being able to play themselves, as for example Arlo Guthrie and Officer Obie in Alice’s Restaurant (and the blind judge too, but that was just a bit part).
In animated shows, we have for example, the animated Star Trek, where the main characters were voiced by the same actors (and obviously of the same race, Vulcans included) as the originals.
Let’s not even get started on who voiced Jar Jar.
One of the most out-of-the-blue things I have seen along this line — I think it was on TV Tropes — was some poster’s theory that Rick Sanchez of Rick and Morty was shaded slightly differently to Beth and therefore (a) he is not White and (b) probably not her real father. Kind of creepily disturbing that there are people out there trying to figure out whether Rick Sanchez or Inspector Gadget or Jesus Christ are “White”.
Because actors are not just robots that take a line of text and convert it into an audio file. They put their own particular interpretation on a character based on their personality, their background, their choices but also their reputation. Part of the reason Jenny Slate was cast in the first place was because some portion of people would be convinced to tune into the show based on her casting that otherwise wouldn’t have. Her “name” is part of the draw and has to be considered as part of the casting process. But by making name a part of the process, the industry reinforces it’s existing racial hierarchy because white people are disproportionately handed the lower level opportunities which disproportionately gives them opportunities to make a name for themselves.
The hope by Jenny Slate stepping out of this role is that some black actor is given an opportunity to create a name for themselves and insert themselves into the pipeline so that the next generation of prominent voice actors has more diversity.
We can say the same about professional musicians. Anyway, you may be right about the casting panel wanting or preferring to get big star Such-and-Such for a leading role, but to the extent there is a casting call allowing for new talent, you have not convinced me there is no way at all they could go by the recordings. I should hope that would enable more otherwise discriminated-against struggling actors to get their foot through the door.
But the point the other posters are making is quite apt. It is a horrific racial belief, even in my conservative Republican mind, to say that a half white/half black person is “black.” I’ve thought that since I was a kid. It implies a purity of the white race that we will not be sullied by those genes and that to be white is to be 100% white. To be black means the one drop rule.
It is similar to horse breeding whereby a Thoroughbred must be a 100% Thoroughbred and other recognized breeds can still be full bred even if they have a Thoroughbred in their lineage.
To apply this to human beings is terribly insulting and it seems that a character who is half black and half white could be voiced by an actress of either race (even if I did agree with this no interracial voicing nonsense).
He has blue hair (even as a young man and a teen). I don’t think “normal” racist phenotype analysis is going to work for them here.
I’m surprised they didn’t just glom onto the surname.
And of course he’s not her real father. That guy was buried in the backyard.
It’s cute that you think the biracial experience is an equal merging…
Well there have been these protests for the last month that may have resulted in people actually thinking more deeply about these things.
Couldn’t they be thinking about it without the public, “LOOK AT ME! Aren’t I a wonderful person?! <phew…> I’m getting all choked up just letting everyone know how wonderful I am.”
Like I said. I’m deeply cynical.
Except you clearly weren’t joking. You made a whole serious post about how it wasn’t really “virtue signaling.” That’s not a joke–it’s an argument.
And, as I pointed out in the thread on the topic, the only “meaning” that virtue signaling has is an attempt to attack someone for expressing a belief that is further to the left than you personally are, without having to actually address their points.
That is exactly how it was used in the OP. Notice the lack of any argument that Slate is wrong. He just vaguely summarizes her statement while mocking it.
That’s what the term is used for. It’s a thought terminating cliche. Call something “virtue signaling,” and you don’t have to actually say why it’s wrong.
Maybe. But I have to admit one thing that has really become clear to me in the last year or so is that there are many people who want to be anti-racist, and think they are anti-racist, but somehow don’t have a clue about anything, haven’t been reading or listening in a way that sticks to any conversation or thought about systemic racism, and have done no meaningful self-reflection.
Things that people have been part of the public discourse for decades, and folks are just learning them now? This morning I saw shares in my social media from “good liberal” friends communicating that they never before realized the white privilege of having toys and characters in media that look like them, or that "skin tone"d products being modeled after white complexions, or another 100 obvious things that people have been talking about for decades.
Yes, maybe she’s doing it “for the gram”, but I also find it fully likely that this is the first time she’s thought about this before.
In particular, because, I mean, it’s her job. Turning down a paying job because your industry has equity and racism issues is not necessarily an obvious action to take, nor is it a black and white (irony not intended) issue; there’s plenty of room for nuance and context.
Bottom line: it’s taking longer than we thought.
That’s fair and I’m sure she’s getting some good pub from it, but I also think that she thought that if she explained her thinking it may lead to other people examining things. There is a sense of it’s good to bring the issue to light and the best way to do that is make a public statement as to why you are doing it and your thinking. At least IMO.
Great idea, but it certainly doesn’t work that way. You’re just not going to get hired if you don’t include a headshot in your profile. I fired up a Backstage casting call looking for anyone with an audio demo reel and the keyword “voiceover”. Out of the first 250 results, every single one of them had a headshot. If you look at advice for actors, they tell you the headshot on your profile is one of the most important things on it. The industry just isn’t set up for blind casting calls.
I’m not sure this needs repeating but I’ve got time to kill:
I saw a show last night hosted by 4 prominent black pols and social leaders. All women with serious credentials. One of them being Keisha Lance Bottoms. Video callers came on to ask questions about police reform and racism, etc. A middle aged white guy called in. Clearly wanting to impress the panel with his uber progressive position. Started saying something about adopting a black family and how all his relatives are racists and he doesn’t speak to them… on and on… no good question to ask, just looking for kuddos.
The panel was polite, of course and gave him a pat on the head. But while he was speaking, you could tell the look in their eyes and what they must have been on all their minds, “Damn. Here we go again. We’re not thinking about you!”
This happens again again by many well meaning but clearly clueless people. Not unlike the voice actor from the OP. I don’t know who you gotta be not to realize that this is completely cringe worthy and entirely missing the point. What ever it is that you realized about yourself. What ever dark corner of your soul you’ve discovered. What ever guilt you might be feeling for things you’ve said or done in the past that were bigoted in some way. Feel them. By all means. Learn from them. But for god’s sake, STFU and don’t go looking for praise from people who just told you what you may have done wrong. Fuck. How are they not embarrassed?
Let me be very clear - there is no white Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APMu32sC2nM
And as a fetus and infant (we’ve seen versions of him in cloning tanks).
But white writers writing black characters, dictating everything they say and do, that’s still ok right?
Could someone humor me and tell me why this is bad? An actor’s job, by definition, is to play a character that he is not. I know that Bruce Willis is not John McClain and he is not a bad ass like that in real life.
So what is wrong by pretending that you are of a different race? Is religion sacrosanct in this as well? If I am a Christian, can I not play an atheist character or a Jewish character? Gender? What about Mrs. Doubtfire? Should we take that off Netflix?
And why does it go to cartoon characters? Cleveland on Family Guy will get a new voice, done by a black guy instead of a white guy. But, here’s the thing. Cleveland is not real. I could see if a white guy played MLK and for whatever reason people didn’t like that (maybe) but not only a fictional character, but a cartoon character?
Should Hamilton be cancelled and/or replaced by all white actors?
…perhaps you could (and I don’t mean this in a sarcastic way at all) read the OP? Then maybe read the rest of the thread?
Because Jenny Slate explained exactly why she has done this, and other people in this thread have explained why they “think this is bad”, so rather than rehashing what has already been said, if something has been said that you disagree with, can you expand on why you disagree with it?