A Nigerian playing a South African? - Endgame (2010) Discussion

[–] EjioforBond 15 years ago

It's certainly true that most Western filmgoers, including most African-American filmgoers, won't be sitting in the theater going "omigod, President Mbeki's nose (lips, etc) is so ... so ... Ibo! ;o)

But I'd say that any director who is lucky enough to find Chiwetel available and willing to work in his/her film should just go grab his ass! Never mind the rest.

If this production ever sees the light of day, I will be curious to find out how Chiwetel handles a South African accent.

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[–] chablis36 15 years ago

I will also be interested to see how William Hurt manages the South African accent.

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[–] EjioforBond 15 years ago

Better, I hope, than he handled a Philly accent.

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[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] EjioforBond 15 years ago

Glad to hear it. And I saw Red Dust not long ago, in which Ejiofor plays a South African. His accent sounded acceptable to me, although I did feel that his West African features stood out in the midst of a largely South African cast. But no matter. His performance was moving and well worth watching, as always.

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[–] KgrK13 14 years ago

It was a little hard to get used to Hurt's accent at first - but now that I've been watching, it's easier to put aside the "actor". (And after seeing pictures of the real Esterhuyse I can see why they wanted Hurt for the role!)

(Funnily enough, even though I know he's English, it was harder for me to get around Jonny Lee Miller's "accent" - thanks to "Eli Stone"!)

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[–] majora203 14 years ago

In spite of the ethnic mis-cast, he did a good job in the role. It's really hard for casting directors to stay absolutely true to the character backgrounds sometimes, because there aren't as many people who are willing/able to sacrifice all the necessary time to make a film as one would think.

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[–] leonardlikesthispost 14 years ago

What are the different facial features? I'm not familiar with the difference between West African and South African features.

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[–] AngryAfghan 10 years ago

They look totally different, just look at a map of Africa and consider the distance between the two parts of the continent. When you have been around Nigerians a lot you recognize certain features, even features particular to a certain tribe, the Yoruba have a very distinctive look and so do the Ibo, when you identify these people as being Nigerian you cannot imagine them being from anywhere else.

I won't go into details about facial features because that may sound racist, but look at some photos of famous Nigerians and famous South Africans, particularly the San people and other indigenous peoples. South Africa is of course a rich and diverse country, but it is worlds away from West Africa.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

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[–] zoopyonscreen 14 years ago

I could think of worse examples of miscasting characters. I mean Russell Crowe did play a Spaniard in Gladiator and he is Australian.

As a South African I think he did a good job of it, as for William Hurt however, he did terribly.

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[–] AngryAfghan 10 years ago

I could think of worse examples of miscasting characters. I mean Russell Crowe did play a Spaniard in Gladiator and he is Australian.

I wouldn't say that was worse, the film was in English after all and should be seen more as an interpretation of that time period. There is a tradition of Roman era productions (either on stage or on film) being performed using British English accents and this was, for the most part, the case in Gladiator. It wasn't a biopic, it was just a film. Maximus was not a Spaniard as you suggest as the film was set at a time when "Spain" and the Spanish people didn't exist as we known them today. They spoke a different language, and this was prior to several waves of immigration (Moors, Visigoths) so the genetic make-up of the population would also have been significantly different.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

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[–] BDCNewYork 12 years ago

I'm always amazed at these type of threads. It reminds me of people who object to Japanese nationals playing Chinese nationals (or vice versa)... outside of that part of the world do people really know or care about the difference?

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[–] AngryAfghan 10 years ago

I'm always amazed at these type of threads. It reminds me of people who object to Japanese nationals playing Chinese nationals (or vice versa)... outside of that part of the world do people really know or care about the difference?

Err, yes actually. I am from Britain and I often notice Korean-American actors playing Japanese characters (Heroes, Dexter); they have distinctively different features.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

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[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] activista 10 years ago

@anggryafghan

Honestly,who gives a damn outside of Africa? Both Nigerians and South Africans come from the same continent---it's not like they're from different planets or anything. Plus Chiwetel Ejiofor is one of the best damn actors I've seen in the past decade, and it's been nice to finally see him blow up with 12 Years A Slave. I also liked him in ENDGAME and pretty much anything else I've seen him in. Seriously, who the hell cares besides you?

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[–] essv 8 years ago

I personally think it was a very good thing an actor at the level of Chiwetel agreed to take the part.
The actors in the film are great, they made a pretty dry story very watchable. That is what matters in the end.

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