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A Black Sinatra?
26 Answers
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/cel ebritynews/5341373/Jamie-Foxx-in-the-running-t o-play-Frank-Sinatra.html
Well I heard it all now a 'Black Frank Sinatra'
Who will they get to play Sammy Davis Jnr.?
Dick Van Dyke maybe?
Well I heard it all now a 'Black Frank Sinatra'
Who will they get to play Sammy Davis Jnr.?
Dick Van Dyke maybe?
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Will it be as good as a white Englishman playing Ghandi ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Ben_King sley_by_David_Shankbone.jpg
As I recall the film won 8 oscars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Ben_King sley_by_David_Shankbone.jpg
As I recall the film won 8 oscars.
sp1814
Not quite the same thing and you know it.
Some femails have boyish faces, as do young males who have girlish faces, so a reverse in gender can at times be believable.
But a Black Sinatra? never!!!!
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44107000 /jpg/_44107172_imnotthere_203.jpg
Not quite the same thing and you know it.
Some femails have boyish faces, as do young males who have girlish faces, so a reverse in gender can at times be believable.
But a Black Sinatra? never!!!!
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44107000 /jpg/_44107172_imnotthere_203.jpg
Laurence Olivier, Paul Scofield, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Gambon and Patrick Stewart have all played Othello, despite being white.
Yul Bryner played the King of Siam, despite being white European.
Felicity Huffman played a man undergoing treatment to be a woman, despite being a woman.
Fiona Shaw played Richard III, despite being a woman.
Daniel Day Lewis played Christy Brown in My Left Foot, despite being able-bodied.
Tom Hanks and Sean Penn have played gay characters, despite being heterosexual.
Yet because of your crippling fixation with the persecution of white people, you get riled by this?
Yul Bryner played the King of Siam, despite being white European.
Felicity Huffman played a man undergoing treatment to be a woman, despite being a woman.
Fiona Shaw played Richard III, despite being a woman.
Daniel Day Lewis played Christy Brown in My Left Foot, despite being able-bodied.
Tom Hanks and Sean Penn have played gay characters, despite being heterosexual.
Yet because of your crippling fixation with the persecution of white people, you get riled by this?
Oneeyedvic
Not quite a White Englishman, maybe English of mixed race,
Of English, East Indian, and South African descent, Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ thumb/3/32/Sir_Ben_Kingsley_by_David_Shankbone .jpg/388px-Sir_Ben_Kingsley_by_David_Shankbone .jpg
Much more believable don't you think?
Not quite a White Englishman, maybe English of mixed race,
Of English, East Indian, and South African descent, Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ thumb/3/32/Sir_Ben_Kingsley_by_David_Shankbone .jpg/388px-Sir_Ben_Kingsley_by_David_Shankbone .jpg
Much more believable don't you think?
Compare the pictures: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001426/
Do you think he was made up or that it is his natural skin tone?
Do you think he was made up or that it is his natural skin tone?
Quinlad
I think you will find that with today's PC attitudes, you would find it hard to put on Othello featuring a White actor in the title roll.
At one time White actors would 'Black-Up' to play the roll, but of course this is now frowned upon, (if not a capital offence).
Although I myself, would find no objections to Jamie Foxx 'Whitening Up' even it was just to just make his role as Sinatra a little more believable.
Regarding your other examples you just wasted your time researching and typing them out.
Actors pretend all the time to be what they are sometimes actually not, this is what the acting profession is all about.
Didn't you know that?
I think you will find that with today's PC attitudes, you would find it hard to put on Othello featuring a White actor in the title roll.
At one time White actors would 'Black-Up' to play the roll, but of course this is now frowned upon, (if not a capital offence).
Although I myself, would find no objections to Jamie Foxx 'Whitening Up' even it was just to just make his role as Sinatra a little more believable.
Regarding your other examples you just wasted your time researching and typing them out.
Actors pretend all the time to be what they are sometimes actually not, this is what the acting profession is all about.
Didn't you know that?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/man drake/5132689/Black-actors-white-up-at-the-Nat ional-Theatre.html
"The whole idea of ethnic casting is ridiculous and patronising," says Ronald Harwood, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and playwright, whose plays Collaboration and Taking Sides open in the West End next month. "Take it to its logical conclusion and only a Jew could play Shylock and only a Scotsman Macbeth."
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182058,00.ht ml
If you don't recognize that African-American actor standing between Jack Black and Ben Stiller, there's a good reason: He's white. In Tropic Thunder, an epic action comedy co-written and directed by Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever. Problem is, Lazarus's character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin and play Osiris, um, authentically. Funny? Sure. Dangerous? That's an understatement. ''If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,'' Downey says. ''If you don't do it right, we're going to hell.''
Still, it could be a terrible idea - who remembers Sean Connery trying to play a Russian Submarine Captain in Hunt for Red October.
And how about Felix Lighter in the James Bond films - went from white to black back to white again.
"The whole idea of ethnic casting is ridiculous and patronising," says Ronald Harwood, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and playwright, whose plays Collaboration and Taking Sides open in the West End next month. "Take it to its logical conclusion and only a Jew could play Shylock and only a Scotsman Macbeth."
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182058,00.ht ml
If you don't recognize that African-American actor standing between Jack Black and Ben Stiller, there's a good reason: He's white. In Tropic Thunder, an epic action comedy co-written and directed by Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever. Problem is, Lazarus's character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin and play Osiris, um, authentically. Funny? Sure. Dangerous? That's an understatement. ''If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,'' Downey says. ''If you don't do it right, we're going to hell.''
Still, it could be a terrible idea - who remembers Sean Connery trying to play a Russian Submarine Captain in Hunt for Red October.
And how about Felix Lighter in the James Bond films - went from white to black back to white again.
As I have already pointed out, I have no problem with Black actors Whitening-up or White actors Blacking up, providing it is convincing and the right actor was picked for the part.
But I am afraid that others would find something wrong with this practice, why? that is something that I would wish to find out, but I don't think many will now dare to comment on this, now that it is open for debate.
But I am afraid that others would find something wrong with this practice, why? that is something that I would wish to find out, but I don't think many will now dare to comment on this, now that it is open for debate.
Let's not forget - Jamie Foxx is only 'in the running'. There's no guarantee he'll get the role.
If he does I can imagine the related news stories will either overwhelm the film, or possibly get it so much publicity that it has people rushing to the cinema to see if he can pull it off.
But to be honest, I don't really see why the film would need any cheap publicity - it's being directed by Scorcese. For film fans like me, that's as exciting as news of the forthcoming Tim Burton adaptation of Alice In Wonderland.
If he does I can imagine the related news stories will either overwhelm the film, or possibly get it so much publicity that it has people rushing to the cinema to see if he can pull it off.
But to be honest, I don't really see why the film would need any cheap publicity - it's being directed by Scorcese. For film fans like me, that's as exciting as news of the forthcoming Tim Burton adaptation of Alice In Wonderland.
OEV
I'd completely forgotten about Robert Downey Jr in Tropic Thunder.
I admit, I saw pictures of the set, and honestly assumed it was a black actor.
However, in that instance, it wasn't really Robert Downey Jr playing a black character. He was playing a white character who was playing a black character.
I think 'blacking up' and 'whiting up' is slightly different to the story about Jamie though. I couldn't imagine anything more ridiculous than making him look like Sinatra. That would just be incredibly odd to look at.
It could be techically done because Foxx has vaguely European features, but it would just be...weird.
The way I could see it working is by the producers not even acknowledging his race.
It could work as well as when Adrian Lester played Henry V at the National Theatre in 2002. I saw that production and after about five minutes, his racial background literally became irrelevant.
I know that might sound weird, but when you have a talented actor do well in a difficult role...it can work!
I'd completely forgotten about Robert Downey Jr in Tropic Thunder.
I admit, I saw pictures of the set, and honestly assumed it was a black actor.
However, in that instance, it wasn't really Robert Downey Jr playing a black character. He was playing a white character who was playing a black character.
I think 'blacking up' and 'whiting up' is slightly different to the story about Jamie though. I couldn't imagine anything more ridiculous than making him look like Sinatra. That would just be incredibly odd to look at.
It could be techically done because Foxx has vaguely European features, but it would just be...weird.
The way I could see it working is by the producers not even acknowledging his race.
It could work as well as when Adrian Lester played Henry V at the National Theatre in 2002. I saw that production and after about five minutes, his racial background literally became irrelevant.
I know that might sound weird, but when you have a talented actor do well in a difficult role...it can work!
Quinlad
No offence taken!
Thinking about what you've just said - there's an excellent example that I can think of where you had an actor and actress who looked nothing like the characters they were portraying but really convinced you by 'inheriting their spirit'.
Lawrence Fishburne and Angela Bassett (as Ike and Tina Turner) in 'What's Love Got To Do With It'.
Oh, and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in 'Frost / Nixon'.
In all three cases, the actors look nothing like the characters they portrayed, but somehow convinced you that what you were seeing had truth and integrity.
If Foxx played Sinatra, he'd have a much bigger mountain to climb, but I wouldn't be averse to seeing him try.
No offence taken!
Thinking about what you've just said - there's an excellent example that I can think of where you had an actor and actress who looked nothing like the characters they were portraying but really convinced you by 'inheriting their spirit'.
Lawrence Fishburne and Angela Bassett (as Ike and Tina Turner) in 'What's Love Got To Do With It'.
Oh, and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in 'Frost / Nixon'.
In all three cases, the actors look nothing like the characters they portrayed, but somehow convinced you that what you were seeing had truth and integrity.
If Foxx played Sinatra, he'd have a much bigger mountain to climb, but I wouldn't be averse to seeing him try.
sp1814
his racial background literally became irrelevant.
I know that might sound weird, but when you have a talented actor do well in a difficult role...it can work!
Sweeping and admirable sentiments, even though you are somewhat prejudiced eh?
Adrian Lester, his parents were of Jamaican heritage!!!!!!!!!!!!
his racial background literally became irrelevant.
I know that might sound weird, but when you have a talented actor do well in a difficult role...it can work!
Sweeping and admirable sentiments, even though you are somewhat prejudiced eh?
Adrian Lester, his parents were of Jamaican heritage!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oneeyedvic
Darker, lighter does it matter?
He is still of Indian decent, and not a White Man as you suggested.
Isn't this your whole argument - a dark person can't play someone light?
If you take a picture of Ben Kingsley, he doesn't exactly look like a typical Indian - in the same way that if you took a picture of Jamie Foxx he doesn't look like a white American.
Darker, lighter does it matter?
He is still of Indian decent, and not a White Man as you suggested.
Isn't this your whole argument - a dark person can't play someone light?
If you take a picture of Ben Kingsley, he doesn't exactly look like a typical Indian - in the same way that if you took a picture of Jamie Foxx he doesn't look like a white American.
