MovieChat Forums > Aladdin (2019) Discussion > Guess the role reserved for the white ma...

Guess the role reserved for the white male

posted 5 years ago by kuku (3510)
23 replies | jump to latest

The cast is all diverse and multicultural, black and arabic (for some reason Hollywood barely can tell apart between arabs and blacks).

Anyway, there's a role reserved for a while male. A blond caucasian white male. Having this data... you should guess the role.

It's Billy Magnussen, playing Prince Anders. In 1992's Aladdin the character was Prince Achmed. They just recasted to a blond white male. What made them recast? But don't guess, watch for yourself. Here you have the scene where Aladdin meets Prince Achmed (now Prince Anders) in the old movie from 1992:

https://youtu.be/qPGfbSuJNwQ?t=4

[–] Satan2016 (23330) 5 years ago

Or read https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Prince_Achmed

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

From the link

He is shown to be selfish, heartless, unkind, and snobbish. Jasmine herself described him as overdressed and self-absorbed. He cares little for people he perceives to be lesser than him. While he was one of many princes attempting to win Jasmine's hand in marriage, he seemed to care little for her personally.

Well, it's understandable Hollywood recasted him as a white blond male. He fits completely the white male racial archetype in Hollywood.

Actually, the blonder, the more cruel and psychopathic, haven't you noticed?. And the actor here is clearly blond, which means the character is gonna be a nasty and psychopathic bastard.

Any case, from a positive point of view, now you can easily guess the personality of the character checking the race, ethnic origin and gender from the actor :-) You only need to know race and gender and you will know personality and intelligence. Isn't progress amazing?.
Black male: Wise, charming, clever, good hearted.
White chick: Empowered, smart, independent and courageous.
White male: Two options, nasty psychopathic villain or pathetic and stupid clown serving as comic relief.
Hispanic male: Hardworking, loyal, street wise.
Asian male: Professional, efficient. He can be either very serious or funny, rarely something in between.

[–] kwestmo (4114) 5 years ago

If people feel it's Ok to cast a black guy as Bond or Batman, why is wrong to cast a white guy as an Arab or Shaft?

[–] strntz (10801) 5 years ago

Honestly? James Bond, Batman, and Jim West are all fictional characters. They could literally be played by anyone except a female (for now) as long as the audience shows up and pays their monies.

In the 1940s and '50s, it was said that every American Indian portrayed in westerns either on TV or in the movies were either Italians or Jews.

[–] kwestmo (4114) 5 years ago

So you agree Shaft, Black Panther and Othello can be played by white actors. Good

[–] strntz (10801) 5 years ago

You made the analogy. All I said that was that fictional characters can be played by anyone. I drew no further conclusions or suggested anything else beyond that.

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

All I said that was that fictional characters can be played by anyone

Actually, they can't. At least, not without breaking the elements of the character or the rules of the narrative universe.

For example: Captain America represents a set of values that we could call ideal moderate middle class wasp American. You can't recast him to somebody that belongs to a different culture since that would break what defines the character. A black Captain America doesn't make any sense, the same as a French Captain America or a Brazilian Captain America. It's not the same culture. The character needs to belong to that culture because it's something that defines him, and the actor needs to be credible as a character that belongs to that culture.

[–] strntz (10801) 5 years ago

Captain America represents a set of values that we could call ideal moderate middle class wasp American.

Huh.. Values that black Americans such as myself would not or could not possess?

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

Highly unlikely.

[–] asom (6509) 5 years ago

https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/16/5878527/marvel-is-replacing-steve-rogers-with-the-first-black-captain-america

surprise :D

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

No surprise. I already knew.

[–] liscarkat (16515) 5 years ago

"So you agree Shaft, Black Panther and Othello can be played by white actors."

Othello has already been played by white actors thousands of times. Yet the tide still comes in, the earth still spins, and the clouds still roll by.

[–] kwestmo (4114) 5 years ago

You forgot to mention that you agree that Shaft and Black Panther can be played by white actors.

BTW, Oliver looked ridiculous as Othello. It would have been more convincing without the blackface and the rest of the cast had been black and it was set in a black nation

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

In the 1940s and '50s, it was said that every American Indian portrayed in westerns either on TV or in the movies were either Italians or Jews.

So what?

Back then, that was common rule. You check Chinese movies with Japanese characters, and they were played by Chinese. You check Mexican movies, and American characters were played by Mexicans. You check Spaghetti westerns, and most English and German descendant characters were played by Italians. You check Arabic movies, and European characters were played by Arabs. So what?

[–] strntz (10801) 5 years ago

In the 1940s and '50s, it was said that every American Indian portrayed in westerns either on TV or in the movies were either Italians or Jews.

So what?

Simply that there's always been peoples of different races playing others.

I suspect you misinterpreted what I wrote.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16160) 5 years ago

So is Anders the villain then? No? It's still some prancing evil Arab mugging at the camera then? What's the problem?

[–] TheAdlerian (2092) 5 years ago

Nazi propaganda films did this only in reverse.

Hollywood after WWII put out Jewish propaganda films where blonde people are evil.

It's been going on for decades and is a jewish psychological perverse response.

[–] Mcboogerballs (118) 5 years ago

Haha

You guys are a sad bunch really... Issues out of nothing

[–] Threadkiller (2952) 5 years ago

Obviously a slow week for the alt right, "muh white genocide" crowd. For all their criticism of whinny "sjw" they sure do a lot of crying & overreacting with their own petty nontroversies. The hypocrisy is astounding.

[–] Mcboogerballs (118) 5 years ago

Haha touché

If it hurts their fickle sentiments so much then just move on..

[–] einstein (2291) 5 years ago

stop the fucking race thing the movie is rubbish anyways

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

That white guy really stood out like a sore thumb! It just looked odd to see someone who was obviously European wearing Arabic clothing like that! And he was obviously the gormless minor antagonist, muscling in on Jasmine when Aladdin was trying to approach her to strike up a conversation and getting to know her. It really felt... off.

[–] Costumer (1786) 5 years ago

Actually I would call his costume a bit of a mish-mash of Russian styles with a dash of fantasy Arabic.