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Would you be upset if a Snow White movie cast a red haired actress?

Given how most portrayals show a black/dark haired snow white? Why would that upset you?

If this would not upset you, but black Ariel does - why? If hair color doesn't matter why does skin color?
SW-User
Hmmm, am I alone in this, but even as a young child watching this back in the 1980s, I never interpreted her name "Snow White" to be a description of how she looked, but more of a description of how she was, to me this is quite obvious given the names of the dwarves were also supposed to be regarding their personal characters.

So the answer is, I'm very happy for anyone who can convey the character to play the part, don't care about hair or any other colour
SW-User
@ChipmunkErnie I'm saying that I didn't interpret it that way based on what I said there, it just makes more sense to me, and I mean just because those words were in the original doesn't mean it's not ok to retell it slightly differently and updated, they even do thsa with Shakespeare
@SW-User You apparently never read the original story, or had it read to you. The authors were clear she was named for her skin color.
ChipmunkErnie · 70-79, M
@SW-User Yes, but the whole thread got me curious so I looked it up and then couldn't resist commenting. :)

And re Shakespeare, he made a career of stealing material and changing it.
Entwistle · 56-60, M
Imagine if a black man were cast as Jesus in a movie. Some folk would go batshit over that.
OldBrit · 61-69, M
@bijouxbroussard oh trust me the Anglo saxon / Nordic North European super race certainly have that denial filter firmly applied.
@Entwistle in Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas is Black and Mary Magdalene is Asian.
Entwistle · 56-60, M
Not especially, but the prospect of another live action version Snow White has me nervous.

I know it's been done before, but the idea of Snow White hanging out with seven male dwarves strikes me as trouble waiting to happen.
ChipmunkErnie · 70-79, M
@MistyCee I dunno -- the options are fascinating.
Does she have a big set of knockers?
SW-User
@Ozymandiaz [image deleted]
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
@SW-User [media=https://youtu.be/ZLsBzSVLaXM]
I think they should tell the original stories instead of the Disney ones. The Grimm brothers did a much better job.
@Pinkstarburst if you’re willing to watch movies in German- they exist.
@MorbidCynic I am and I have. They are great!
Entwistle · 56-60, M
Not at all. People who are bothered about crap like this have mental issues imo.
The original story is by Grimm is :

[c=008099] ...a queen sits sewing at an open window during a winter snowfall when she pricks her finger with her needle, causing three drops of red blood to drip onto the freshly fallen white snow on the black windowsill. Then, she says to herself, "How I wish that I had a daughter that had skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black asebony." Sometime later, the queen gives birth to a baby daughter whom she names Snow White, but the queen dies in childbirth
[/c]

So if you are staying true to the story i can understand people being upset....but we also should move on from type casting.

The thing about the Little Mermaid is that she is not physically described in the original story

And ....my own personal thing....is she is a mythical creature ..... so she can be any colour
@Pinkstarburst the little mermaid was. Written by Hand Christian Andersen....none of the characters had a name. She was the little mermaid, her father was the MerKing, there was the Prince and the SeaWitch and a princess who the prince marries
@InOtterWords I remember she suffered terribly to become human and killed herself when the prince rejected her.
@Pinkstarburst she could have regained her tail if she staked him through the heart but she chose not to
hell lets make it a black dood with green hair. 🍿

i mean. shes called snow white for what reason?.. lolz

loves me some wokstar stuff in the morning..
Sazzio · 31-35, M
What counts for me is the acting must be decent enough.

Some are traditionalist and will keep glaring at the movie (start to credit) fantasising about a White Red Haired teen. Sadly this overlooks the actual acting and takes a huge toll on the Box Office Response. Should it be this way? NO!

We do it everytime. Sequel are great examples "First movie had this second movie didn't." So 2nd goes flop. Or "Silence of the lambs was brilliant but didn't show violence?" 2nd movie shows violence WE FREAK OUT!

Directors and screen writers continously play a dangerous game.
I bet those dumbasses think that Jack Black is black and that Africa or Europe is one country etc etc.
ChipmunkErnie · 70-79, M
Wouldn't much care because it's a fairy tale and has no real historical truths to reflect, so any race and ethnicity would work. But if you want to go by the original story, the the name "Snow White" literally is chosen because the Queen -- Snow's mother -- is looking out a a field of snow and things how nice it would be to have a child with skin as white as snow and hair as black as ebony.
but then a brunette would want to portray Little Red Riding Hood.
Starcrossed · 41-45, F
As a redhead I was a bit put off but not upset by the redo of Annie too. Representation matters even for that 3% of the population. I don't mind that movies are being redone with different diversity, I just took Annie and Ariel as already being diverse as there aren't that many redheads.
@Starcrossed Wonder if there would’ve been backlash had they cast someone like this:
[image]
Starcrossed · 41-45, F
@bijouxbroussard 100% this is what it should have been YES! Ok ok not should have, I'm not inflexible but I think this is brilliant.
I honestly don't care who portrays who.

It's a entertainment, if I like the movie I'll watch.

Talk about it if I like a screen or dialogue.
And forget about things I don't like.

People always will have issues, I remember a while go someone argued that daredevil character should be played by a actual blind guy.
RedBaron · M
There are more important issues in life.
Sidewinder · 36-40, M
The actress can wear a wig for the part. For example, Fay Wray was a brunette and for the role of Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong, she wore a blonde wig. Also, Cassandra Peterson is a redhead and she wore a black wig for her iconic film and television role as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
REMsleep · 41-45, F
I am black and I have mixed feelings about a black Ariel. I grew up absolutely loving The Little Mermaid and I'm excited for little black girls to see princesses and fairy tales and big budget movies with them in it.

But I don't really like when they make traditionally white characters black. It irks me. Feels like corporate pandering. I mean they still cast King Triton as white. Its wierd.
@REMsleep This is what I've been saying for years!
Caraxes · 41-45, M
Wouldn’t bother me.

To be fair I think the majority of people think the same but there is always a lot of nonsense from both side of the argument where as I belief the majority of people aren’t really bothered.
SW-User
I think it has something to do with forced diversity. Some People think changing Ariel to a black character is forcing diversity down their throats, which is ridiculous. They aren’t the only demographic that exists.
Miram · 31-35, F
I don't genuinely care about any of these things. I just love stories with happy ever afters.
@Miram the real Little Mermaid was far from a happy ending
Miram · 31-35, F
@InOtterWords the novel's?
@Miram it was a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, he believes another rescued him and he meets her and married her. The little mermaid is told to drive a stake through his heart and she will regain her tail but she doesn't

The disney movie is so far removed from the original story that anyone using the reason that the author was danish should really think about their motives for doing so
People would complain. Considering theyve complained about inaccurate hair colors before

somedude15 · 22-25, M
@PetalsOfLilac nice try but while people did complain, they weren't rabid and angry as the people against Ariel are now. They didn't call the directors "woke". And it was only a fringe group that were mad, i.e., the diehard fans. Most people didn't give a shit. So no, the reaction to your example does not at all compare.
@somedude15
The post said "would you be upset if snow white had red hair, if not why does skin matter?"
And the answer is yes
I used a direct example to back up my claims and making them consistent, I'm not a big movie person but I'm a fan of percy jackson and know it to be a very specific example I'm familiar with.

If you can find examples of people supporting a change in cast, regarding hair color or any other change, then go ahead and show me

I know NO example of people loving a change, people ALWAYS complain about change, but race being a touchy and sensitive topic made the reaction seem a lot louder and talked about than it wouldve been for something not as sensitive like hair color.
Purplehaze78 · 46-50, F
Not upset but will get confused if I'm watching Snow White or Merida 🤔
Ariel could definitely be any color as long as she has fishtail 🙂
Skin color makes the character look more different. But more than that, I think the double standards are racist.
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leeloh · F
Representation matters and unfortunately Hollywood has its favorite templates.
Rhode57 · 56-60, M
Not really its only a story so wouldnt give a dam .
assemblingaknob · 26-30, F
I don't care much about fairytales.
Harmonium1923 · 51-55, M
You had me at red haired. 🥴 🦊
SW-User
lumberjackslam · 41-45, M
I don't care. There I said it. Now maybe nobody else will either including the people making these movies? 🤨By the way, that's a kids movie anyways so I really don't care.
lumberjackslam · 41-45, M
but would the dwarves still be white?
@lumberjackslam Would I still be white?
DDonde · 31-35, M
I really really do not give a shit
I actually would. Now what?
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
@ViciDraco The original source material describes her as having snow white skin and black hair.
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
@LordShadowfire the original source material describes the little mermaid as having blonde hair. Does that mean Disney did wrong making it red?
SW-User
No, but I would be upset if [i]Star Wars[/i] was remade with an Ewok playing Chewbacca 😤
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
@SW-User I'm all in for them filling Yavin with wookies though...
Sidewinder · 36-40, M
@ViciDraco According to the book, "Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary," the Wookiees are from the planet Kashyyyk. And originally, in earlier drafts of the script for Return of the Jedi, they were going to be written as being from The Forest Moon of Endor, but since Chewbacca was already a well established character, it was decided that a new type of character was needed and that's how the Ewoks were conceptualized.

 
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