Is Hollywood Whitewashing Ethnic Roles?

[BAMAPHIN 22]

In the new movie "Stuck," which opened last week, actress Mena Suvari plays a young woman named Brandi, who, after a night of partying, strikes a homeless man with her car, sending him through her windshield, and leaves him to die.

The plot is based on the real-life story of Texas woman Chante Mallard, who, at age 27, was convicted of murder and evidence tampering, and given 50-year and 10-year concurrent sentences after she hit Gregory Biggs and left him to die stuck in her windshield.

Mallard is African-American. Suvari, the blonde, blue-eyed beauty from "American Beauty" and the "American Pie" movies, is not. But she does wear cornrows to play the role of Brandi.

In the realm of Hollywood, where artistic license is the rule and studios need to recoup the millions of dollars they sink into films, it's not uncommon for white actors to be cast in ethnic roles or for real-life stories to be "whitewashed" to make them more mainstream.


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[m i n o]

well,we have seen mike epps and oh who was it maybe cedric the entertainer?..play as the "to the moon alice" people(which i thought was wrong and im glad the movie didn't do well). and memories of a guisha(sp)chinese playing japenesse(or vica versa can't remember). we have seen a ethnic cinderela and white guys playing indians in old cowboy movies..why should this be treated any differently and be called whitewashing? now i don't understand why they would try and make the white actress "appear" ethnic with the whole corn-row thing but thats hollywood for ya.

[PhinzN703]

I saw the trailer for this movie and man does it look beyond awful. Who cares really?

[ch19079]

based on a true story, does not mean they have to do a freakin documentary.

I dont who they cast as long as get the leaving him to die in the windshield part right.

Writers and directors can do whatever the hell they want. It doesnt "make a statement" about anything.

[PhinzN703]

Don't forget 'Back to School', the remake with Cedric The Entertainer and "Love Don't Cost a Thing", with Nick Cannon and Christina Milian replacing the original white stars Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson.

It happens more then you think

[m i n o]

Don't forget 'Back to School', the remake with Cedric The Entertainer and "Love Don't Cost a Thing", with Nick Cannon and Christina Milian replacing the original white stars Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson.

It happens more then you think
yep..i had forgot about those. also theres "the life of brian" where a brittish actor portrays a half roman half jewish man mistaken for the messiah.