MovieChat Forums > Pitch (2016) Discussion > Please stop portraying black people with...

Please stop portraying black people with 2 black parents as BIRACIAL.


Kylie is black/white. Her character is black. Her character's parents are black. Her character's brother is black. Her character's childhood self is black. But magically her character grew up and transformed into a biracial black/white woman. Casting directors - Please stop doing this. It is annoying and ridiculous.

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Everything doesn't have to be a race issue. People like you who find race issues with everything is annoying and ridiculous.

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Okay, but there's a block button. Maybe use it next time instead of wasting your breath.

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You seem like the kind of person who tells a BLM supporter that they're angry over nothing.

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You seem like the type of person to tell someone who sees BLM as nothing but a corrupt Elite funded group designed for division they're racist.

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No white supremacist propaganda on my thread please. Take that to stormfront or reddit. Or yahoo.

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I didn't even know the actress was bi-racial...I just thought she was black.

Do you also think that only gay people should play gay, and vice versa? That only Brits should portray Brits, and only Americans should play Americans?

How about historical figures, should they not make bios because the real people can't portray themselves?

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NOPE don't care about those others. ONLY BLACK PEOPLE. HENCE MY POST.

Okay so now you know she's biracial! She looks it and she is it. Her hair is wavy and her features are somewhat ambiguous. So now you know that that isn't what people with 2 black parents look like. Also we have the internet you can do a google search on the actress.

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Shut your condescending mouth.
I'm a white girl from inner city Detroit...don't even talk to me about black people.

Humans come in all colors, shapes, and sizes...get over yourself.

As we mix as time progresses, get used to many people looking like her...unless you're somehow not OK with that, of course.

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OMG girl go away I DON'T CARE. I don't care who you are or about your pathetic life story. Like just shut up.

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LOL, you're the ignorant fool who started this pitiful post...what a sad sack you are.

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I didn't even know the actress was bi-racial...I just thought she was black.


Yet you're the one who confirmed your ignorance.

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people post, I just watch their avatars.

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Yes, now he knows. And you know what? I think he probably couldn't care less, same as me and probably most of the viewers.

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You couldn't care less... but yet here you are... I already posted that people who didn't care about this issue could keep it moving... but they're not. They refuse to just ignore it so I would think many people really do care about it even if they don't agree.

Either way this message is going to show at the top of the board every time someone leaves a comment on here. I'll just end up adding most of you to my ignore list so I never have to see comments from the kinds of people who go out of their way to be dismissive of black issues on imdb again. You'll also give the issues I care about visibility and help get MY message out there. Doesn't matter if people who see it agree. They'll see it... If this is what you people want, continue on with the trolling.

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No, I don't care about the matter that she's "mixed", I only care about the fuzz you're making about this. I mean, how is her having a white parent a "black issue"? We live in a multicultural world. I mean, if you act like that then she probably should't portray an american as well because she's canadian?

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The actress having a white parent isn't a black issue. The actress biologically being the product of a black and white person and THEN portraying a person who has 2 black parents isn't even THE PROBLEM. The problem is this particular scenario playing out AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN in the media. THAT is the problem. Let's be clear.

I mean, if you act like that then she probably should't portray an american as well because she's canadian?


Nationality isn't comparable to race. Either way, under certain circumstances NO, she shouldn't. If she can't fake being an American well, then NO. Americans wouldn't like it if Canadians or some specific other nationality of people were PRIMARILY being chosen to portray American characters in the media - especially if they weren't covering their accent or mannerisms well. British people are barely portraying us now and when they do they're hella convincing, and people are STILL taking notice of it and mumbling and grumbling. If it starts happening too much, of course people will start to take issue with it.

The thing is in these cases, they don't even bother to make these actors and actresses cover themselves. All it takes is a weave and working on your mannerisms and way of being as an actor - your accent and speech patterns, things like that. They don't even bother to make it convincing and then they peddle this off to everyone as reality. But it's not reality. The only other way to get around that is to have a strong presence in the black community, and this girl is unknown. Who is she? No black person knows her.

I mean didn't know for certain this girl was biracial or who her parents were. I could tell just by looking at her, and then I looked it up and lo and behold she's biracial. Not only that but - you can tell which parent is black based on how they act. The ones who act more like black people are the ones who have a black parent who is the same gender as them. The only time they can kind of override that is if the kid grows up in a black neighborhood or around a lot of black people. They pick up the mannerisms and way of being and at least then they can more accurately portray us.

It's just not something that is slight to me at all.

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Look, I see your point, but we talk about TV, in TV and film things are never 100% accurate, it's a lot about imagination. I mean, how often did Arnold Schwarzenegger play an American with his thick accent? I mean, everybody can hear that he's not American, but he's a likeable actor and all so people just get over it an accept that he's playing and American and honestly, I don't see a problem with it.

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First off there was no phenomena of Austrians and immigrants portraying white Americans back then. Name at least 5 other scenarios where this was going on at the time. Because I can do that for this biracial portraying black people situation.

Second even if that did happen or was happening, nationality isn't comparable to race. I brought up that point because you said that no one would care, and that's not true. If it happened as frequently as this biracial thing is happening, they most definitely would - especially if these immigrants or other nationalities of people were taking their jobs. There's no way white Americans would allow that sort of thing.

Also, Arnold Swarzenegger isn't comparable to this Kylie woman. I already covered this base:

The thing is in these cases, they don't even bother to make these actors and actresses cover themselves. All it takes is a weave and working on your mannerisms and way of being as an actor - your accent and speech patterns, things like that. They don't even bother to make it convincing and then they peddle this off to everyone as reality. But it's not reality. The only other way to get around that is to have a strong presence in the black community, and this girl is unknown. Who is she? No black person knows her.


This woman has not established herself well enough in the African-American community and isn't talented or entertaining enough to get away with something like this. An example of biracial people who could are Tia/Tahj Mowry. They're well established and well known enough in the black community for people to tune out the fact that they're biracial.

And even if Kylie was that good of an actress and was well established in the black community, it still doesn't change the fact that this thing of casting and portraying biracials as "fully" black is happening frequently. If it was a one or two time thing, fine. But even with that, how hard is it to have a mother of a different race casted? If they want to portray a black family, they need to have black children OR biracial black children that can actually accurately depict black people who have 2 black parents.

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Okay, then take Charlie Sheen. This man is obviously latin, I think his real name is Carlos Estevez? But he portraits white Americans during his whole career - and I don't see why this should be such a big problem?

But seriously, sorry, I'm out here. I'm not even American. I see your problem but to me it's just not a real problem in our globalized world.

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And even if Kylie was that good of an actress and was well established in the black community, it still doesn't change the fact that this thing of casting and portraying biracials as "fully" black is happening frequently. If it was a one or two time thing, fine.

...Are you even reading my responses?

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So "biracials" shouldn't be allowed to portrait "fully black" characters? Well, I guess that most of them would be out of work then. The best thing probably would be that they don't even start acting.

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You're being really dense. Every response you give is false equivalencies and ignoring things that I've stated TO YOU in previous comments.

In response to this nonsense you wrote, here are biracial actors and actresses' options:
1) Put more effort into accurately portraying fully black people (ie black people who are the product of 2 black people) - both in physical appearance and way of being.

2) Play biracial black characters - characters who are the product of 1 black parent and a parent of another race.

Examples:
-Charley from Queen Sugar (She has 2 dark-skinned siblings and is the product of an affair)
-Alfred Enoch in How to Get Away With Murder. His character is biracial black and white.
-Rosario Dawson - Claire Temple in Luke Cage, Cuban and Black
-Persia White - Lynn from Girlfriends, White mother and black father

3) Play roles where the identity of one or both of the character's parents is left up to the audience's imagination.

Example:
-Persia White as Abbey in The Vampire Diaries

4) Build up a strong presence in the African-American community so that you are strongly associated with blackness.

Examples:
-Rick Fox, Jidenna, Tia Mowry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi

5) BE NATURALLY ABLE TO PASS FOR BLACK (in appearance and in way of being).

Examples:
-Charles Michael Davis from The Originals
-Coby Bell from The Game
-Freema Agyeman from Doctor Who/Sense8
-Tia Mowry (?)
-Yara Shahidi from Blak-ish (?)

THOSE ARE THEIR OPTIONS.

AND THEN THERE ARE A FEW BIRACIAL PEOPLE WHO SHOULD NEVER PORTRAY BLACK PEOPLE ON SCREEN BECAUSE THEY DON'T IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM RESEMBLE BLACK PEOPLE DESPITE BEING HALF BLACK.

Examples:
-Frank Dillane (ie Nick from Fear the Walking Dead)
-Troian Bellisario (Spencer from Pretty Little Liars)
-Jennifer Beals

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What awful logic.

Here's an idea...

GET BIRACIAL PEOPLE TO PORTRAY BIRACIAL CHARACTERS! OMG, this must be how Einstein felt....

In case you haven't realised, the world is pretty diverse and not everything is about black and white.

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Phenotype isn't genotype. "Looking black" doesn't necessarily mean anything. If you randomly tested anyone whose ancestry can be traced four generations or more, chances are you will have African American, Native American, and other DNA that is different from who you thought you are.

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Even though it should be obvious, I am going to say this to allow you to understand. Even though we know that Kylie Bunbury is biracial, the character(s) she play(s) can be either biracial or "completely black". And the reason she can be "completely black" and have two black parents is because black people come in more than in shade of brown.

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NO. I'm sorry, but YOU ARE CONFUSED. YOU ARE VERY VERY CONFUSED.

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Closet racist. You are the true nonsensical thing here. BEGONE!

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What makes you think her parents aren't biracial as well?

If a biracial man has a child with a biracial woman, that child is also biracial, despite neither of her parents being 'white'.

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I don't have time for nonsense. I didn't post a question so I'm not looking for nonsense responses. If someone who feels the same way I do sees the post, they'll know they aren't the only ones who are bothered by it. It's TACKY as hell.

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I don't have time for nonsense. I didn't post a question so I'm not looking for nonsense responses.


Yet you started this nonsense thread with this nonsense topic.





I don't know what they have to say. It makes no difference anyway. Whatever it is, I'm against it.

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Nope. It's not a nonsense topic. If it is, you shouldn't have clicked on it. When I see nonsense I don't click on it. That other person who gave me that stupid response has been ignored. Blocked. That's how you respond to stupidity. That's what I'm about to do to you.

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And yet we have Obama. How few times has he been referred to as bi - compared to 'black'. It's all a matter of perspective.

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Not really. This isn't about calling her black. This is about genetics and race. Black also refers to ethnicity and ETHNICALLY, Obama is black. Racially he is black and white. He has a white mother. There isn't any confusion about that. I don't understand why these people keep portraying these biracial people as being the product of 2 black people. It's obvious. All they had to do was give her a non-black mother or make her adopted, or make the woman her stepmother. That's all they had to do but they can't be bothered to be realistic or respectful when it comes to portraying black people. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PERSON BEING ETHNICALLY BLACK AND BEING RACIALLY BLACK.

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So...it kind of depends. Like, I look biracial, but that's because my grandfather was black but had blue eyes and got them from someone else in his past (both of his parents were black). However, both of my parents are black, as is my brother. Genetics play a role...some things skip a generation. Not everyone in a family looks exactly the same.

"Clear Eyes...Full Hearts...Can't Lose"

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I'M TALKING ABOUT HER OVERALL APPEARANCE AND WAY OF BEING - THE IMAGE OF A BIRACIAL BLACK/WHITE PERSON - NOT JUST SPECIFIC RACIAL FEATURES. They keep on using this biracial image for black characters.

The latino guy, for example, could have easily been portrayed by a white man. A good portion of these latinos could pass for white people and vice versa. They don't look any different - they just have an accent... but look at the guy in this show, and the woman that plays Laurel on How to Get Away With Murder. They didn't even reveal that she was Mexican until several episodes in. No one knew! But they made DAMN sure to get a MEXICAN ACTRESS FOR THE ROLE - NOT A PUERTO RICAN, NOT A CUBAN, NOT AN ARGENTINIAN... A MEXICAN ACTRESS TO PORTRAY A MEXICAN CHARACTER...

HOW SPECIFIC!

SO DON'T TRY TO ACT LIKE THESE CASTING DIRECTORS DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. THEY DO AND THEY NEED TO STOP.

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Didn't anyone take biology? You learn Mendelian Inheritance early on.

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I did, but these others couldn't have.

Or maybe they did but they don't believe black people are human. Maybe they think black people are magical and the laws of nature don't apply to blacks. In their minds, in addition to Black people not experiencing the sensation of pain, black people also magically produce out of their wombs, with their black people sperm and black people eggs, "black" children who are half another race. MAGICAL. Then when these two black people raise their half-something else biological child, that child magically takes on the mannerisms and ways of being of those non-black people they look like. Because that's a thing that happens all the time.

Maybe they don't see "blackness" as a thing. Or maybe they know it's a thing but they don't want it to exist so they just pretend it doesn't.

People always said that the American educational system is lacking but I never really... grasped it until I got into social media. My parents used to tell me when I was younger the public school system couldn't be trusted - question everything these people teach you. They took the financial hit and put me in private school when I was in my formative years. Reading some of these comments online and listening to the things people say I understand why.

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I see your point and hollywood does have a problem with colorism, but kyle is Brown skinned. She is borderline darkskin and had I not followed her as an actress, I would never have guessed she was biracial. Dhe is the same complexion as her mom in the series.

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I already addressed this is a response to another poster. It's not just about specific features. It's about the whole package - a combination of things. As I said, some biracials can pass for black just like some can pass for white. This girl can't pass for black (AS IS). Her hair is a major indicator that she is biracial. Her facial features are ambiguous and then you add on her way of being and it's just obvious.

AND NEWSFLASH - Most black people are not biracial!! So they need to stop portraying "FULLY" BLACK characters as biracial people. It's false. This is not how we look, this is not our way of being, and this is not our image.

The fact that they CONSTANTLY do this with black characters - black female characters in particular - is a problem. It's disrespectful and DAMAGING when this is done over and over and over again.

And YOU not noticing the differences is even worse - that's BRAINWASHING. At least I know when I watch these shows that what I'm looking at isn't actually a black person.

They don't have white people portraying white latinos. The would never do it even though they look exactly the same. In How to Get Away with Murder, Laurel is Mexican but she looks white and she sounds white. Things is, they made sure to get a MEXCIAN actress to play Laurel. They could have easily gotten some white woman who had dark hair and blue eyes to play her, but they didn't... AND THEY DON'T. THEY DON'T DO IT TO OTHERS BECAUSE IT'S OFFENSIVE. AND IT'S FALSE.


Queen Sugar and How to Get Away With Murder are two shows I know of that accurately portray race/ethnicity, so I know these people have no excuse for their ignorance and laziness. This is CASTING. People get paid to do it. I'm not going to type their names here, but the casting directors on this show and any other show that does this are tacky, lazy, and disrespectful. These people can't be trusted. And anyone who cosigned this - they have NO respect of regard for black people or black culture. They do whatever they want with us. Portray us in all kinds of ridiculous false, damaging ways in media and then when they're called out on it, it's "Oh what's the big deal." THESE PEOPLE GET PAID TO KNOW WHAT THE BIG DEAL IS. BUT MAGICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO A BLACK CHARACTER, THEIR SPOILED SELVES BECOME DUMB AND INCAPABLE. Yea right! Pathetic.

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Noticed how, when tv/film choose to give a black man a black partner, he's generally paired with a black woman who has a lighter skin tone and rarely to never the opposite.

SO much for realism.

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It happens more often with Black actresses. In Hollywood and society in general, looking too "black or ethnic" is deemed unattractive. Broad noses, kinky hair, and dark skin are still viewed as "ugly" on Black women, but attractive on others. Nothing against biracial women, but many mixed actresses benefit from this ignorance. A recent study showed that a Black person is seen as more attractive if they say they are mixed or multi-racial.

http://atlantablackstar.com/2016/08/16/black-people-seen-attractive-simply-say-theyre-multi-racial-study-finds/



I will cut a bitch if there is lice somewhere in my chili.--LunchLadyBelinda

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THANK YOU. All these people want to act confused.

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This post is ridiculous! She is just fine to play a black women coming from 2 black parents. Her being biracial in real life has nothing to do with her character on the show. There are black people who come from black parents look just like her, so just stop with the biracial mess.

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Stop with the biracial mess? Girl please, take this BLOCK. GOODBYE.

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Halle Berry is confused.

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