A thread for discussing representation and diversity in all kinds of media. This covers creators and casting decisions as well as characters and in-universe discussions.
Historical works and decisions are in-scope as well, not just recent news.
Please put any spoilers behind tags and clearly state which work(s) they apply to.
This week, producer Ross Putnam started a Twitter account called "femscriptintros
", where he puts up examples of how women are introduced in the screenplays he's read. And nearly all of sound like terrible porn or are too concerned with emphasizing said lady is beautiful despite whatever traits she may have. Here's a Take Two podcast made today where he talks about it.
(Edited April 19 2024 to add mod pinned post)
Edited by Mrph1 on Apr 19th 2024 at 11:45:51 AM
That's good to hear, normally you wouldn't see this consideration given to a medium where the acting is primarily audio-based but given the subject matter I'm glad they took that extra step.
How common are deaf or mute actors btw?
Well they’re rarely invited, so not very.
Not a cat
I can only think of Marlee Matlin.
Even the infamous b-movie "Deafula", which was supposed to be a film made specifically for deaf people, didn't actually use many deaf actors.
Edited by Brandon on Jan 19th 2019 at 12:40:24 PM
If I had a nickel for every film where Emma Stone falls off a balcony... I'd only have two nickels, but weird that there's two of them.
She/her
There’s Millicent Simmonds, the girl from A Quiet Place. If you google there’s many more. Plus, there’s a grand tradition of open casting calls, like this successful one for an Asian-American 14 year old trans boy.
Trailer for Siempre Bruja. It is a Netflix series based on the novel Yo, Bruja by Isidora Chacón. It follows the adventures of an Afro-Columbian witch burned at the stake in 1646, only to find herself reborn in present day Colombia. It is the second Colombian series picked up by Netflix.
Shin Megami Tensei IV
I still wonder how this one would be.
Watch me destroying my country
Not a cat
Netflix is getting the word out for a disabled person for a role:
Edited by Brandon on Jan 21st 2019 at 5:58:36 AM
If I had a nickel for every film where Emma Stone falls off a balcony... I'd only have two nickels, but weird that there's two of them.
Speaking of disabled characters, are there any works where people in a position of power (ie, Presidents, Kings, etc) are either blind, deaf, or mute? It would be interesting to see a plot where someone has to deal with lack of a certain sense while still having to operate the day-by-day affairs of a country/kingdom.
Edited by J79 on Jan 21st 2019 at 6:51:50 AM
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
A major plot point in the Ridley Scott film Kingdom Of Heaven depicts how the Crusader king Baldwin IV's victories against Saladin were undone by his struggle with leprosy. In the uncut version, the plot point goes even further when it's revealed that Eva Green's character of Baldwin's sister - the princess and future queen of Jerusalem - has a child who becomes diagnosed with leprosy too.
Though he is obviously not played by an actual leper, Baldwin struggles with having to rule from his palace instead of visiting the frontlines.
Edited by FluffyMcChicken on Jan 21st 2019 at 8:20:59 AM
Commander Thor
I’m always a skeptic when it comes to “I didn’t know” remarks, but I might be willing to buy Rami Malek’s statement, given this project was in the works before Singer came aboard and Malek seemed to be part of a coup to get rid of him. Plus, I think the other part is that film people aren’t exactly one to one with the internet movie scene, where Singer’s past would be well known.
Power of Thor!
Oh, bother.
And to think Bryan Singer is still going to direct a Red Sonja movie.
A movie where the main character's origin story involves gang-rape.
Ugh.
Disgusted, but not surprised
She/her
Wait, WHAT?!?!?!?!?
Oh yeah i remember that from the original cheesy red sonja movie.
It's as tasteless as it sounds.
Oh, bother.
And in the original comics it's "just" rape.
It's a pretty blatant example of Rape as Backstory.
Disgusted, but not surprised
The Unknown Unknown
Classic comic book BS.
A cruel, sick joke is still a joke, and sometimes all you can do is laugh.
Screaming Into The Void
In honour of "this again, really?" with regards to the best director nominations, here's a thread of critically-acclaimed movies from the last year directed by women, including several women of colour.
I'm not insane, I'm not… not insane!
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
And that's just including women in the anglosphere apparently.
On another note… white-washing isn't just a Western issue it seems.
The ad company Nissin released an animated cup noodle ad supposedly featuring tennis players Nishikori Kei and Osaka Naomi. While neither characters look much like their real-life counterparts, there was a bit of a controversy about depicting Osaka (whose father is Haitian and her skin naturally dark) as light-skinned. It appears the ad is no longer available on youtube though.
Flippé de participer à ce grand souper, je veux juste m'occuper de taper mon propre tempo.
Disasturbator
> Classic comic book BS.
I call it tragic backstory "empowerment" the idea being that more horrifying tragic their backstory is the more dramatic they can be
Edited by Ultimatum on Jan 23rd 2019 at 3:29:51 PM
New theme music also a box
I looked at the pics
and ummmmmmmm
I remember a similar thing happened when a political cartoon was being spread about a match between Serena Williams and Osaka, in which Williams was offensively caricatured while Osaka was drawn so light some people wondered if the artist had just substituted in Maria Sharapova.
Oh, bother.
Much of East Asia is kind of racist towards black people. China still hasn't gotten over the use of blackface in commercials for crying out loud.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Gail Simone revamped Red Sonja's origins a few years ago and now it's more just "my family got killed" without the gang-rape elements. Also she removed the "she cannot sleep with someone unless they first beat her in a fight" thing as well.
That reminds me of some rather old news, but it wasn't something I realized until recently; The anime film A Silent Voice, whose main heroine Shouko is deaf, had an English dub done by NYAV Post that cast deaf actress Lexi Cowden as Shouko.
Edited by Parable on Jan 18th 2019 at 7:54:50 AM
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim