Don't get me wrong, I absolutelylove Gael Garcia Bernal. I can see how he looks slightly middle eastern but he's mexican! I'm mexican too and I wouldn't be very pleased if an iranian was set to play a mexican. Why couldnt they just cast an iranian actor?
shareWhy do so many Brits play Americans? An actor by definition is pretending to be something he or she isn't. There are many actors who make careers out of playing a wide range of nationalities because they have a certain look. Besides, given the subject matter of this movie and the fact that the Iranian government has made their displeasure with it known, I don't blame Iranian actors for staying away from it.
shareActually there are plenty of Iranian actors in the film. Garcia Bernal is just way more bankable than any Iranian actor.
I used to want to change the world. Now I just want to leave the room with a little dignity.
I find your question rather absurd. You do know what acting is, don't you?
It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.
RIP Roger Ebert
I find your question rather absurd. You do know what acting is, don't you?
It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.
lol laying on the melodramatic feigned shock pretty thick there, everyone knows how acting works no need for condescending tantrum.
we also know that Hollywood strives to match ethnicity of character and actor far more often than it doesn't, in such PC obsessed times like this. personally I don't care, hell he doesn't even look like Bahari on the surface. so we shouldn't be surprised someone would wonder about this choice.
it's likely Stewart actually did approach Iranian actors for the lead it's just dangerous for them to portray this particular character in a movie by John Stewart of all people. Though it should be known Iranians were cast as supporting roles. I do know that Bahari said he was completely fine with the casting and that he suggested the actor possessed traits that have nothing to do with ethnicity at all, if that's any consolation to the bewildered.
Plot hole - Aspect of a film that is misunderstood or missed while using your smart phone.
Iranian Cinema is very well known and very important around the world. There are alot of good Iranian actors who can speak English as well...
so there is no need to use Mexican actor to play Iranian.. and Turkish actor (Haluk Bilginer) to play his Iranian father.
And If Jon Stewart had been shot this movie in Tahran, that would've been amazing.. but it's almost impossible :))
Safety for the actors maybe. could be because of the quality of the actors available. There is a Danish actor playing an Iranian too.
shareI think that is actually a great question that should not be dismissed. I wonder what effort was put in to find a Persian actor for this role and if one could not be found then at least an actor of Arab descent?
The argument as to why British actors play American characters is irrelevant. The majority of tv and movie roles are for American characters and therefore British actors look for parts as Americans.
That is different than a minority role being given to another minority group that looks close enough to pass... It's clustering people into one large subgroup of other and not caring about their differences.
I have been looking forward to this move for a long time but the second I saw the trailer I was disappointed to see another actor pretending to be another ethnicity "a la tyrant on FX". It was the first thing I noticed in the trailer.
You think Persians would find an Arab playing one of them less offensive than a Mexican? Acting as acting. Jon Stewart was obviously forced to hire an actor that had international clout who could make some money back. They went with the only person who could fit.
I've never been to prison for arson, but my musical ability will burn your house down.
Bang on. This just screams of the studio saying, "make the movie you want to make but we get to chose the star."
shareBang on. This just screams of the studio saying, "make the movie you want to make but we get to chose the star."
Thank you for actually getting my point.
shareThat is different than a minority role being given to another minority group that looks close enough to pass... It's clustering people into one large subgroup of other and not caring about their differences.
I'll tell you what really ticks me off: Kevin Spacey played a serial killer in "Se7en," but there's absolutely no evidence that he ever actually killed a single human being, let alone several. How could he possibly hope to accurately portray the soul of a murderer? There are times--and I know they do this just to irritate me--that an actor has nothing whatsoever in common with the character he/she is playing except that they're both human. It's almost as if this whole acting thing has to do with being human and representing humanity or something. Weird.
shareYes, but actors sometimes go to great lengths to get 'into a role'. I understand that Anthony Hopkins ate human flesh to get 'into the role' of Hannibal Lecter, and that Brad Pitt actually died to know what it would be to be dead to get 'into ghe role' of Joe Black. So, I do see the OP's point. And talking about Brad Pitt, my understanding is that every single zombie in WWZ is actually... a zombie!
shareLet's just ignore the fact that Rosewater (the Iranian interrogator) is played by Danish actor Kim Bodnia http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0091035/?ref_=tt_cl_t4.
share