Does anyone feel that this is getting just a little bit unreasonable?

pmsl Chewbacca ?

When all the gay actors are only considered for gay roles there’ll be trouble. There aren’t that many gay characters in films, plays etc so doubtless this will lead to some actors hiding their sexuality. As for Redmayne, he’s just jumping on the luvvie bandwagon.

The whole concept of trans is about change, and based on the idea that ‘gender’ is a state of mind

Well, exactly Doodledog. So, taking ER at his word, if a trans actor should have played the part , are they going to hire 2 actors? They'd need a transman to play the part before transition and then a transwoman to play the part after. Or would the transwoman have to detransition then retransition?

I think that some roles can’t easily be acted by someone not in the group being portrayed. An actor playing the part of someone with Downs for instance, would be entirely inappropriate, and we don’t want to go back to seeing people like Pete Lorre playing Mr Moto (do we?)

But transpeople are not in those categories. You can’t ‘act’ Japanese, or someone with Downs, as those are one aspect of a person’s selfhood, and can’t be changed. The whole concept of trans is about change, and based on the idea that ‘gender’ is a state of mind..

Anyway, how many films are about transpeople? A trans actor would struggle for roles if they could only play other transpeople. Unless of course they wanted the best of both worlds - to have access to roles involving non-trans people whilst ‘bagging’ all the trans ones for themselves?

I am forever grateful that I don't have a window into your brain Alegrias!

Chewbacca

I met him at around the same time that you met most of the Tory party Alegrias. I formed the same opinion of him as you did of them: rich, posh, white, Old Etonian.

?

Thanks Chewbacca. I didn't realise that you had a window into my brain.

I've never written any of those things, but if it makes you feel more comfortable to think I do believe that, then you just carry on. Wouldn't want to dislodge that chip.

And what about apologising to the French for his cultural appropriation when he was in Les Miserables? Plenty of French actors were available.

Were there any French actors in Les Miserables - Americans, British, Australian, New Zealanders?

Victor Hugo would be having une crise de nerfs!

I met him at around the same time that you met most of the Tory party Alegrias. I formed the same opinion of him as you did of them: rich, posh, white, Old Etonian.

Crikey.

When did you meet him Chewbacca? I mean you must have spent a lot of time with him to understand his character so thoroughly?

I wonder if Eddie Redmayne will apologise for playing the part of a disabled man when he was in the Stephen Hawking film? Plenty of disabled actors would have been available. And what about apologising to the French for his cultural appropriation when he was in Les Miserables? Plenty of French actors were available. In fact, in his acting career, he's only played one role that was true to his type and that was when he played Angel Clare in Tess of the Durbervilles; a sexist, misogynistic, hypocritical male. Perfectly cast.

I think, Gagajo there have been a few moves towards more diverse casting in the last few years. The characters of Clarrissa in Silent Witness and Izzie in Coronation Street for instance. But it is the problem (for the makers) of taking a financial risk. Should Cormoran Strike be played by an able bodied actor who is known to be able to act, or should they take a chance on an unknown who has actually lost a leg? That is a big financial risk and drama is an industry, not a charity.

He should ask on here. Someone is bound to have one amongst their contacts.

<whispers> We used to have one Doodledog. But fortunately no longer.

Maybe acting, as a profession, should be banned completely. Afterall, acting is lying; it's pretending to be something or someone they're not; in a situation they've probably never been in. So if we're looking for complete authenticity all acting, in all its forms, should be banned so that the hard of imagination won't get offended. This Brave New World is looking bleaker by the day.

Zoejory

What about the actors who portray murderers?

The police wait for them at the stage door. It's great for the crime figures, but not so good for the casting team.

Chewbacca

George Lucas must be heartily relieved that he didn't have to worry about bringing authenticity to the role when auditioning actors for Star Wars. Jeddi's are a bugger to recruit.

He should ask on here. Someone is bound to have one amongst their contacts.

What about the actors who portray murderers?

George Lucas must be heartily relieved that he didn't have to worry about bringing authenticity to the role when auditioning actors for Star Wars. Jeddi's are a bugger to recruit.

I saw Ian Holm as Puck many years ago.

It was a long time before I realised he wasn't really a woodland sprite but was actually a white heterosexual male person.
He was such a good actor.

Dinahmo

Whitewavemark2

What happens if a person is bi- sexual?

Or a eunuch.

Or hermaphrodite

Bit difficult

There is an hermaphrodite in Fellini's film Juliet of the Spirits - just out of interest.

Difficult for the casting team, but there are sure to be actors who'd tick that box if the rules changed to make it necessary.

Their CVs will declare them mixed race, middle class with working class roots and aristocratic connections, bisexual so able to play gay or straight roles, from mixed ancestry - all continents and nationalities covered there, and an incredible medical history.

I get that most on this thread aren't interested in equality. Some are though.

I think that many on the thread are interested in equality of opportunity and also interested in going to see a film, play, TV programme because the people portraying the parts can act, perform, take on a role and make us believe in it.

Whitewavemark2

What happens if a person is bi- sexual?

Or a eunuch.

Or hermaphrodite

Bit difficult

There is an hermaphrodite in Fellini's film Juliet of the Spirits - just out of interest.

I'm sure it does have a wiki page - not that that is any measure of accuracy. I don't need to google - this is one of the areas where there is a spectrum. But how were they defined in the study you quote? These things matter when percentages are being flung around willy (no pun intended) nilly.

Doodledog, if you really don't know about lesbian history, there isn't any point discussing it with you. Female masculinity in butches is a major movement in the lesbian community. I'm afraid that was a bit of an own goal. It's such a basic, any very simple search engine would give umpteen links. I'm betting it's even got a Wiki page.

GagaJo

Doodledog

It's another one of those spurious claims (like the one that 98% of transpeople live quietly, or whatever it was) that can never be backed up by data, as there (rightly) is no list of lesbians, so no way of knowing what percentage do anything.

In that case, there is no list of trans people, so all the trans fear being whipped up is also a spurious movement.

It's one or the other Doodledog. Schrodinger's trans. The end of women as we know them and also not there at all.

Nope. There are crime figures, and in jail, for instance, it is known when a TW is housed in a female jail, so when the rapes and assaults are counted, they are based on actual figures, not ones plucked out of the air, such as '98% of transpeople', or 'a large percentage of butch lesbians'.

Is there a butch scale for lesbians now? When does a lesbian become butch? When she defines as such, or when someone tells her? Who counts them, so that they can decide on the percentage that has transitioned to men? How do they know about the transitions, when anyone who says they have changed gender can claim to have done so?

You are right about one thing though - Shrodinger would be spinning in his grave.